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Preventing rust on Hitch Receiver and bar


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Just bought a new Pathfinder and I don't want the hitch receiver and bar to get all rusted like my old Astro van. Is grease the solution? Any suggestions?

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Just bought a new Pathfinder and I don't want the hitch receiver and bar to get all rusted like my old Astro van. Is grease the solution? Any suggestions?

As long as two pieces of steel are banging together the protective coating will wear away and expose the raw metal to the elements and casue rust. It is a never ending process.

You could always carry a can of rustoleum flat black to cover up those rust spots. :thumbup:

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I am very disappointed with how rusty my 2004 factory Nissan hitch got. Maybe getting it powder coated would help. I did that to my hubs on my salt water boat trailer and they are holding up great. Normally I have to replace them every 5 years.

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Think it's a fact of life but I saw a stainless receiver and 2" ball somewhere, not sure how that would hold up, anyone tried the stainless variety?

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I had a stainless 2" ball some yrs back...it ended up looking like crap just like the rest of em. I pull a trailer a couple times a week so they get used. Also, one of my trailers didn't seem to like the stainless ball as the coupler didn't want to release when unloading the trailer. I'd just buy a regular ball and head down the road.

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I keep the ball greased & covered when it's not in use. So there is no rust on the ball itself.

But the receiver & the stinger get scratched up where they touch each other & of course there is plenty of rust in there. No way to get around it that I know of.

Pull your stinger & put a hitch plug in your receiver?

Edited by Bill_AirJunky
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Get an Alumistinger hitch, and put a stainless ball on it. I've had mine for about 7 years, still looks great. If it gets scratched up, all you need to do is sand it and repolish it.

Alumistinger

Make sure you put a lock on it if you leave it in the receiver, someone will walk away with it if you don't!

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Thanks for the replies. Trying to get my hands on an Alumistinger and a Greaseless Hardball.

That is the exact combination I just bought. Anyone have any thoughts on the greaseless hardball? I am thinking it might not last as long as a standard ball.

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  • 2 months later...

I bought the Alumistinger and Greaseless ball based on the above recommendations - thank you!!! Definitely quality products and I would highly recommend them. I also ordered the locking pin and it's awesome as well.

However, I now have the first one that I bought for sale. I called my Nissan dealer and found out that Nissan's stock stinger for a Pathfinder is a 4" drop. So that's what I ordered. Unfortunately the boat was in storage 3 hours away so I wasn't able to guesstimate with my current hitch. I just relied on Nissan.

Hitch arrived, went to pick up the boat and it ends up I really need a 2" drop which I promptly ordered.

So, I now have a 4" drop, Anderson Manufacturing Alumistinger for sale: Manufacturer's Description

It was only used for 4 hours of towing. Here's a pic of the actual Alumistinger: My 4" Drop Alumistinger - For Sale

$50USD and I'll pay for shipping anywhere in US or Canada

(especially good deal for Canadians since I've paid for taxes and brokerage fees already)

Note: It's not in brand new condition because the moment you tow with it, it does get a bit scuffed up in the receiver. I'm guessing the same thing happens to everyone of them.

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