07 Silverado OEM hitch - anyone wear theirs out? When to replace?

[Jsdirt]

After a trip to upstate NY yesterday over roads that were just like MA roads the ENTIRE way, my hitch has taken a SEVERE beating.

 

I've never seen this happen to a hitch in my life. My ol' man always towed tag-along campers when I was a kid - hundreds of thousands of miles, and I never remember him ever having to replace a hitch.

 

Par for the course in today's "as-cheap-as-possible" manufacturning ethos, I figure ..

 

Just curious if anyone else is seeing this happen. This seems to be getting worse since I bought a weight distributing setup. I can still use this one, but the writing is on the wall. The more slop it has, the more beating it will get, the faster it will wear out. It's a exponential demise, it seems.

 

 

Has anyone else worn their OEM hitch out to the point where it needs replacing? Miles, loads towed, etc.. Post up some pics.

 

 

Mine has 75k miles. Unknown towing miles, but most of them have been the past 3 years or so. A few have been severely overweight, but those runs never went at highway speed.

 

Here's the hitch pin hole, and the hitch itself:

 

[seansharley]

Impressive, that things wallered out pretty bad. I think if I were towing all the time I would have one of the adjustable height receivers with the multi ball set up on it, and spot weld the effer into the hitch so it doesn't slop around, and no one could steal it. I always keep a receiver in mine anyway for protection, and the occasional laugh when someone bashes their leg on it.

[Jsdirt]

LOL - I tend to do that on my own receivers. It's a wonder I still have a shin bone left ...

 

Yeah from day one I didn't like the amount of slop this thing had. The very first time I towed, the top and bottom of the square were hammered flat. I had meant to come up with a way to fix it, as I feared it would wear the hitch out fast ... but, never got around to it. And here I am ...

 

Even the weight distributing receiver has a ton of slop in the angle adjustment bolts. Lots of slop is bad - I don't know why they engineer things this way. Guess it's this, or having to pound the receiver into the hitch with a sledgehammer - can't win.

[NEFisher11]

Did the the hole for the pin elongate front to back or up and down? Are you looking into replaceing the hitch? I am going to have to keep and eye on mine now. I have heard the GM hitches are kinda shitty.

[Jsdirt]

Up and down. Curiously, the right side hole doesn't look quite as bad.

 

Not sure if I'm going to replace it just yet - money is a little tight at the moment. Definitely been keeping a close eye on it the past few years though. If not rust, the metal just gives - can't win.

 

Must be made by the same company that manufactured their ball joints & front brake rotors ...

[Blue2500CC]

I replaced the hitch on our '10-1500 due to the hitch "wind up" that would happen with almost 1klb tw (tongue weight) when latching up the bars on the wd hitch. It would actually twist a little when the bars were latched up.

 

Replaced it with a Curt square tube hitch v5. Talk about night and day difference!!!

 

Here is a comparison pic of the two hitches! http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/159183-upgrading-hitch-on-1500/?p=1426836

 

I ordered mine and installed it myself. Easier with 2 people, but did it myself.

[Jsdirt]

WOW that's crazy! Never thought a hitch would twist!! Scary, actually. I appreciate this info!! Exactly what I was looking for. I'll be buying that same hitch now, for sure.

[Blue2500CC]

Jsdirt,

 

It is a trait that round tube hitches can have when used with a wd hitch. At least the cheaper, factory GM ones. Not sure about the aftermarket round tube hitches.

 

YW!

[Jsdirt]

I'm sure the aftermarket ones are alot better. I recall reading somewhere that they had to incorporate a crumple zone into the new OEM hitches. That's not a hitch I want to rely on ...

 

Can tell just by looking at the pics how many miles ahead that V5 hitch is. I'll probably end up doing that before the end of the year.

[Blue2500CC]

I think the only crumple zone hitches are the ones on the newer suv's.

 

It is night and day difference between the two!