Has anyone seen anything like this? I have a solid shank on my equalizer E4 hitch towing a trailer that is around 7600lbs loaded. I tow it with the factory hitch on my 2016 navigator. It looks like the shank doesnt reach the back receiver tube where the support is welded and the upward force from raising the trailer to attache the wd bars caused this. I weighed it during the setup process, I'm not overweight. It doesnt sound like anyone on this forum has had much luck with a warranty repair for this. I also cant find any aftermarket hitches for the navigator. Any options other than paying the dealer to replace it?

 

The hitch is available new from Ford. However it looks like a easy weld repair.

 

Yeah, a decent welder and about 10 minutes it'll be stronger than new.
If you think it'll happen again, or to the other side, have something welded around the perimeter as well.

 

I'll look into that if ford wont replace it. I'm going to have the pin hole in the shank drilled to move the shank further back in the tube. I think if the shank had been long enough to sit on that rear support it wouldnt have cracked.

 

My thinking is if you go back with the factory Ford unit either they do it for free or you buy it you have the same hitch and it will happen again.
I would not think twice and have it welded and add a strap as extra support.
Dave ----

 

Thanks for post this. I’m going to keep an eye on my hitch.

if I’m looking at your pictures right, it looks like the back of the receiver tube is where it cracked?


as to replacing it or fixing it. That’s more than a 10 minute job that someone said above. Laying a bead over a crack just results in a covered up crack. Like putting bondo over a rust hole. It’s still there and will come back in time. You have to weld completely through a crack to remove it. That is thick enough metal you aren’t welding through that without grinding it back to a ‘V’ where it cracked.

to properly fix it, you would have to die grind the entire crack and weld back what was removed. If done properly you will have weld material on the inside that will need to be welded smooth again.

id guess this at about 2 hours of shop time. About 30 min of prep, 1 minute of welding, and at least an hour of die grinding the inside since it will be hard to get at plus touching up the outside (grinding the start/stop).

shop rates vary but welders are not cheap. Probably a $200 fix at a minimum to do it right.

id probably replace it unless I could fix it myself. I’d also consider adding additional thickness at the back as a belts and suspenders approach.

advice worth exactly what you paid.

 

Got it fixed. The crack was ground out and welded up. Then a plate was added to the bottom and sides for reinforcement. The shank was drilled to move it back further into the receiver tube and a shim was welded to the bottom to take out the slack. Its solid now.

 

If you don’t mind sharing, how much was the fix?

it looks like a solid repair. He added quite a bit of section to it all around.

 

A family member did it for me, so it just cost me some future farm work tbd. It took several hours, so I would guess $100‐200 at a shop at least.

 

looks good, the only thing I would say is be careful about moving the pin location, that is going to change the angles for turning/backing so just be cognisant of that when you hook up again.