Will my hitch rust?

[eorange]

As I drive around, I look at the hitches on other SUVs (Fords, Chevys, Toyota Sequoias, etc), and it seems more often than not the hitch is anywhere from partially to half rusted. The SUV otherwise looks in great shape.

I don't use my hitch at all (& never had one before) and of course it still has the nice black finish to it. What will happen in the next few years??

Erik

 

[kdx2000]

In the long run your hitch will rust. I wash my truck once a week even in the winter months and it seems no matter how hard I try to keep it clean, it still has light surface rust on the hitch. When it gets bad enough, I will just unbolt it and sand blast it, prime and then repaint it flat black. Right now this is the only rust on my 99' besides light under body surface rust which I remove with a wire wheel on a drill and the prime and paint. These are minor problems as a result of living in the east.

 

[Koz]

Yes; any steel that is painted or powder coated will eventually rust. There are some new products that are supposed to inhibit and prevent rust. I

 

[eorange]

Great, thanks. A rusty hitch would really detract from the looks of an otherwise clean and waxed 4Runner!

Erik

 

[Offroader]

My advice to avoid rust in the hitch receiver:

1.Dry it well after washing.
2.Wax it.
3.Take off the rubber cap after washing, and dry inside.

The only place that has developed rust on my hitch receiver is the inside, because I have failed to take off the cap and dry the inside everytime I wash my 4R.

 

[eorange]

Actually, a cap didn't come with mine for whatever reason. So it's always been open. I've never waxed it though, so good idea...

Erik

 

[00328]

Short answer is, YES!
The good thing is, you can remove it from the vehicle, sand and paint it.

 

[charlier180]

Yes; any steel that is painted or powder coated will eventually rust. There are some new products that are supposed to inhibit and prevent rust. I

 

[sbryan]

We do use the hitches on both vehicles. Rust is inevitable but a light coating of grease (spray on grease works great) helps the hitch slide into the receiver and seems to slow the rust pretty dramatically. Taking the cover off and drying things out once in a while, and cleaning out the accumulated dirt, also keeps moisture from speeding rust development.

 

[TechWrench]

I suppose, if you aren't going to use it, you could wax it on a regular basis. Or you might want to consider having it done with one of those armor type coatings. Another option would be to just remove it, and store it.