Rusted Frame at Hitch

[Kurb]

I was showing my son what worn out shocks look like by kicking the bumper on my Trailblazer, and pieces of rusted metal fell on the ground. Anyone have any suggestions on how to replace the hitch and adjacent structure? i don’t have a welder or know how to weld, so I may need to take this somewhere, but I really don’t want to. anyone use a welder from Harbor Freight without any experience? Other suggestions?

 

[Mooseman]

Is it actually rusted through or just heavy surface rust? Grab a screwdriver and start hitting it. If it's still relatively solid, I'd leave it alone. It's part of the actual frame so if it does need repair, it has to be welded. May need to find a good one from a junker and have it welded in. Not for a DIY job unless you are really familiar with welding heavy steel.

 

[JerryIrons]

Yeah it might actually look worse than it is, there's a fair amount of metal there.

 

[northcreek]

I would check the rest of the frame as the hitch may not be the worst of the rust and you may want to go to plan B if you have rust through in critical areas.

 

[Sparky]

Mine was roting out to the point thar my foot was almost going through the bumper, but the frame part itself, while very crusty, was still solid. Neighbor was kind enough to weld up some steel on it to reinforce the bumper steps to make them usable again. He used some scrap 1/8" plate steel. Ha that easily outlasted the rest of the vehicle! This was back in 2014.



Sadly what was the death of the vehicle in 2016 was the frame rotting away behind the passenger wheel.

 

[EPfiffner]

Mine was roting out to the point thar my foot was almost going through the bumper, but the frame part itself, while very crusty, was still solid. Neighbor was kind enough to weld up some steel on it to reinforce the bumper steps to make them usable again. He used some scrap 1/8" plate steel. Ha that easily outlasted the rest of the vehicle! This was back in 2014.

View attachment 89464

Sadly what was the death of the vehicle in 2016 was the frame rotting away behind the passenger wheel.

View attachment 89465

I thought to myself "man, it's a shame his truck rusted out so bad, and then I saw your OH plate and I totally understood, fellow Ohioan here. Rust belt warriors, you and I.

I was showing my son what worn out shocks look like by kicking the bumper on my Trailblazer, and pieces of rusted metal fell on the ground. Anyone have any suggestions on how to replace the hitch and adjacent structure? i don’t have a welder or know how to weld, so I may need to take this somewhere, but I really don’t want to. anyone use a welder from Harbor Freight without any experience? Other suggestions?

If you find out that it's just scaly rust, maybe wire brush it and hose it down with Fluid Film. It goes on thick and stays wet and I think it would really slow the rust down. My favorite is actually NH Oil, similar to Fluid Film but a little thicker and has a better scent.
I posted about rustproofing my TB in the appearance section I think.

 

[vipergg]

I was showing my son what worn out shocks look like by kicking the bumper on my Trailblazer, and pieces of rusted metal fell on the ground. Anyone have any suggestions on how to replace the hitch and adjacent structure? i don’t have a welder or know how to weld, so I may need to take this somewhere, but I really don’t want to. anyone use a welder from Harbor Freight without any experience? Other suggestions?

Are they welded on or bolted on . Looks like you can get new ones if you are so inclined though somewhat pricey . http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5338077216&icep_item=370888443105

 

[mrrsm]

@Kurb ...After poking around, I realized that you MIGHT be able to obtain an ENTIRE Vehicle Sub-Frame if you shop around on THIS Site and can ensure that:

(A) The Frame is NOT from a Rust Belt State... and in Worse Shape than your own sub-framing.

(B) That the Cost of the Frame and the S&H are not More than the present value of your SUV.

Hope this Helps...

Chevrolet Trailblazer Frame | Used SUV Parts

Find a quality Chevrolet Trailblazer Frame and other used SUV parts from the top auto salvage yards. We have the largest selection of Chevrolet Trailblazer Frame parts at discount prices.

www.partshotlines.com

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

The Hitch/Bumper is just a bolt on crossmember not a subframe.

We pulled mine off when we built the rear bumper and used 3x3 1/4 tube to build a hitch into the new bumper.

I would double check the frame where the hitch bolts on.

Should be simple enough to find a hitch and slap it on there.

 

[budwich]

X2... I don't believe the hitch itself is anything special. Likely an aftermarket can be made to fit. You can readily peep under and see the bolts that hold it to the frame rail members.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

You can see the simplistic mounting on my rear when we were building it.





And this pic of Mike building another shows how it mounts.



For reference...this is the stock hitch/crossmember

 

[Kurb]

@HARDTRAILZ That’s great news! And nice job on fabricating the new cross member.

It’s definitely more than surface rust. Pieces are falling off of the cross member. It’s great that it can be replaced, though. I’ll add it to the list of things to do. I guess I also need to inspect the rest of the frame. Thanks everyone for all the replies.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

@Bartonmd is the fabricator. Look up MDB Fabrication if you have any questions, since he has the most experience I can think of.