I bought a trailer hitch for my 2002 from someone else who also has a 2002. Both are the plain model; not the sport/towing edition. The trailer hitch itself doesn't appear to be bent or messed up.
With the hitch came two black ~6" long, 1" wide, 1/4" thick pieces of metal with three square holes each. (The these measurements are estimates.)
I hope you can tell by the pictures that they are both bent, and they are individually bent in different areas. At each bend there is deformation/cracking, so if they don't come this way, I was thinking the bending is due to a wreck?
How important are these, and do I need new ones or can I try to use them?
Thank you. P.S. I need to pull a 15 foot camper soon.
They look like frame stiffeners. And yes you need them... Just havent ever seen any like it... Most look like a "L" 3 holes that attach to the frame and 3 for the hitch
From a hitch installation video (etrailer.com) I saw, It showed them putting these on the opposite side of the frame as the hitch.. in other words the bolts go through part of the hitch, through the frame, and these things. They have square holes that fit the bolt heads. I don't think they are the frame stiffeners that people order on the side.
I really need to figure out if they are supposed to be bent.
Thoes are not frame stiffners, all that they really are are ling skinny washers that have square holes to keep the bolts from spinning;
Frame stiffners are an angled piece of steel, that are formed to fit inside the frame rail. They bolt in in two dimentions, both the bottom and through the side.
I think all this info has cleared it up. Last thing.. where can i buy new bolts and nuts for the hitch? Home Depot? I read that I need stronger grade bolts than usual.
Thoes are not frame stiffners, all that they really are are ling skinny washers that have square holes to keep the bolts from spinning;
Frame stiffners are an angled piece of steel, that are formed to fit inside the frame rail. They bolt in in two dimentions, both the bottom and through the side.
It was an aftermarket hitch, those came with my uhaul one and like said are just there to hold the square bolt heads in so you just torque it from the bottom. BTW they should be torqued to 50-70ft/lbs
But they really shouldn't be bent like that, they kind of sandwich the frame between that and the hitch mount.
Thanks for help, everyone. I think I will just order some frame stiffeners
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