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Heavy Duty Receiver Hitches For Chevrolet Pickups
Andrew Horst, Excel-ER-ate LLC, 20918 Millers Church Rd., Hagerstown, Md. 21742 (ph 240 382-0459): “Factory-installed receiver hitches on Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 pickups made from 2001 to 2010 have experienced failures while towing heavy loads. The hitches just aren’t strong enough,” says Horst.
He recently sent FARM SHOW photos of a new, heavy-duty hitch and mounting frame he began manufacturing to solve the problem. It’s built from 1/4-in. thick steel and designed to bolt to the pickup’s original mounting holes.
“It’s built heavy and designed to last,” says Horst. “I came up with the idea because a lot of farmers were coming to me with bent hitch frames on their Silverados. The problem is getting worse with bigger and heavier trailers.
“The factory mounting frame on these pickup models consists of a round tube made from light gauge steel. One problem is the receiver hitch hangs from the bottom of the tube. When the weight of the trailer pulls the hitch down it pulls the bumper down with it, and the customer ends up having to straighten the bumper or replace it.”
Horst’s replacement hitch design keeps the mounting frame separate from the bumper. Also, the hitch is welded into the middle of the mounting frame so there’s less leverage from the load to pull it down. “The hitch is at the same height as before, but the mounting frame is 2 in. lower,” he says.



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2019 - Volume #43, Issue #6