trailer hitch repair

admin

So, my friends in their infinite wisdom forgot to take a tow hitch out of the dump truck before dropping the tail gate and lifting the bed, the result was a bent tailgate and a tow hitch that looks like a bananaNow, the fun part, the tow hitch they bent, wasn't theirsThe tow hitch had a 2" drop to it, the material is 3/4"x2.25" flat bar, and it got bent from its original angle. My question, if I heat this up, and bend it back to its original angle, let it air cool, will it be roughly as strong as it once was?Or should I tell them to pony up and buy a new one.Thank you!
Reply:It just seems like inserts are dirt cheap in a relative sense. Cheaper than a movie."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:Got a picture of it?
Reply:Women, children, nuns and puppies have been put on alert.
Reply:You can definitely heat it to get it back into shape.  Mild steel doesn't change strengthwise when heated to 1200 degrees, and under.A dull red glow generally signifies 1200 degrees.  Best done in low light environments so that the sun doesn't wash out the color, and you wind up overheating the metal to obtain what you THINK is red.You're looking at heat shrinking rather than heat bending DO NOT HEAT BEND/WORK THE PIECE UNLESS YOU WANT TO RUIN IT.  Heat shrinking is a combination of proper heating, and then cooling the metal to cause it to shrink in a controlled manner.  Water is fine for this process, and is used quite often in commercial shops etc.You can apply force to enhance the shrinking.  Apply the force in the direction you want it to bend, then hit the hot metal with a bit of water to speed up the process.When something bends from abuse it stretches on the outside radius of the bend, and compresses on the inside radius of the bend.  You want to heat the outside radius, then hit it with water to shrink it.  Applied force can be from hydraulics, chains and boomers, or the weight of the thing you're trying to bend.  IT DEFINITELY WORKS BETTER WITH FORCE.  Just enough force to put strain on the metal when it's cold will suffice.  When the metal shrinks it will move in the direction the force has been applied.  Don't over do it until you find out how much it's gonna move with lighter force."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:You can heat work some things which aren't critical, and you are the only ONLY one working with the thing that's been worked.I regularly bend the bale spike lifting feeders that are buried in the mud, and old hay.  It's enough stress to almost sink the front wheels of the tractor into the soft ground.  And I often bend the spike while doing this  I generally heat it to white, then bend it by hand (literally by hand, no other tools).BUT I DON'T STAND UNDER IT WHILE LIFTING WITH ITAs a matter of fact, I heat worked the frame rails on the trailer in the pics.  BUT I TREATED THEM AS DAMAGED, AND REINFORCED THE ENTIRE AREA WHERE THE HEAT WAS APPLIED.  Always assume the metal is damaged if you exceed 1200 degrees, and proceed accordingly.Long and short of it...........your repair calls for shrinking, rather than heat working.Last edited by farmersamm; 06-09-2014 at 01:52 PM."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:If you use that a lot for lifting, I would make up a short piece of pipe or tube with a cap on one end that will slide over spear. Weld a eye, hook, or chain to the pipe and run it to the top of the frame for additional support. That will help support it.
Reply:Just have them buy "new', since your questions makes me assume that you have little to no experience with what you're asking about.    Do you want to assume the liability of the hitch when it breaks and potentially causes an accident???  All that trouble for a few dollars isn't worth it in my humble opinion.Lincoln Power Mig 216Lincoln AC/DC-225/125Miller  625 X-Treme PlasmaMiller 211 Forney 95FI-A 301HF 91110Victor Journeyman O/PMilwaukee DaytonMakita  Baileigh NRA Life Member
Reply:Just buy a new one with the correct weight rating.  They range from 6000 lbs. to 16000 lbs. and from $18 to $50+.My name's not Jim....
Reply:I'm with the "Buy It" crowd, reading this today slowly, I see your talking about a common 2 inch drop. these can even be bought on Sale for as low as $8! By the time you all stand around talking about it, posting the question, you could have bought one already! Time is money and a lot has been wasted talking about it!
Reply:Forget about whether it is possible/safe to do,  when I break or damage something I borrowed they get new in return.  If the something I broke is a replaceable part, they get item with new part in return.MillerMatic 252, HTP 221 w/cooler, Hypertherm PM45, Lincoln IdealArc 250 AC/DC"I'd like to believe as many true things and as few false things as possible"
Reply:You break it, you buy it.
Reply:Originally Posted by Tat2dHandzYou break it, you buy it.
Reply:Originally Posted by PipelinerWomen, children, nuns and puppies have been put on alert.
Reply:Originally Posted by Ian DuffinYeah no worries, I just told him to buy a newHitch, haha I can't figure out how to post pictures from a mobile device but you guys should see this hitch!Thanks!