Bad day. Bent my suburban frame - Repair?

[dhcomp]

Bad day.

2003 3/4 ton Suburban. Duramax Swap.
12,000lb tow capacity.

12k Rhino adjustable hitch.

99% of my towing life has been boats, so weight and tongue weight don't vary much.

Borrowed a 14k dump trailer to pickup some rocks. Was super aware of tongue weight, but mostly so that i had enough, and didn't cause the trailer to sway.

Trailer loaded to about 11k on scale, 19300lbs total on scale. Within trailer, truck, and hitch capacities.

Loaded it up, took a quick look for roughly level, and drove ~20 miles home. Mild ride, nothing weird. Loaded, but felt great for being at the limit.

Got home, went to dump trailer, and realized hitch was about 6" off the ground. Hitch, bumper, all pointing down, almost 45˚ angle.

I can clearly see where the hitch frame rotated down in back, and up into the frame.


So, what do we think caused this?

Too much tongue weight is one thing, but i'm wondering if the Rhino hitch made it WAY worse. In that position, center of ball was 12.5" from face of hitch. Normal ball mount is about 5.5". That extra 7" is a LOT of extra leverage on the hitch.


What's repair look like? Frame shop, heat and bend, then reinforce? Do they make kits to reinforce this?

Should I get another stock hitch, or upgrade?

Ditch the rhino hitch, and get something shorter?


I don't expect to tow this heavy often, but would like it to be within reach when needed.

Thanks guys!

 

[dhcomp]

Pics

 

[rampage]

I’d contact Rhino and see what they say.
Is the frame cracked in the second pic just below the bumper bracket?

 

[dhcomp]

I’d contact Rhino and see what they say.
Is the frame cracked in the second pic just below the bumper bracket?

Very possibly. In the middle of a yard project with rented equipment, so just barely looked under there to determine how f’d I was.

 

[JT88K5]

I don’t tow a lot or anything near that weight. But it seems to me that the adjustable hitch thing you have on there would do more harm than good in most circumstances. It stands to reason that the added torque from the extension would decrease your tongue weight capacity as you pointed out.
Adjusting the load to level the trailer would seem to compensate, but when you hit a bump/dip, apparently not enough.

Most of the hitches I’ve installed had the bracket bolt through the frame rail from the side. I was kind of surprised how that hitch is mounted given the capacity.

Good thing it didn’t break away. Could have been worse. At least you got it home!

 

[500$k5]

My Uncle pulled the back set of bolts clear through the frame, on his Duramax. 32 ft triple axle bumper pull, with a 40 ft shipping container on it.

 

[HankScorpio]

My Uncle pulled the back set of bolts clear through the frame, on his Duramax. 32 ft triple axle bumper pull, with a 40 ft shipping container on it.

My crew cab popped the bolts through in the same way. I replaced the hitch with a higher weight rating and the mounting surface was way longer. It interfered with my shackle flip brackets and required grinding.

I would think a hitch with a high weight rating should have had support further up the frame to prevent the bending you have in the picture. You should have had another set of mounting bolts further down he frame by the spring hangers. That short hitch mounting surface coupled with the long hitch caused your problem.

 

[nvrenuf]

My bet is the ball mount company is going to say it’s intended for a vehicle with a much higher rating.

 

[dhcomp]

My bet is the ball mount company is going to say it’s intended for a vehicle with a much higher rating.

Probably. But maybe at least they’ll take it back. Damn thing was like $500.

Liked the concept, but it was too massive and long when I got it.

Thoughts on repair?

Recommended aftermarket hitches To upgrade the stock one?

 

[nvrenuf]

The frame will probably be weak there after it’s straightened. I think I’d pull the tank for working room, straighten it and find some box tubing to fit inside the frame. I’m no fabricator, I’m just thinking that a tight fitting piece would brace the bottom lip where it bent plus spread the load up to the top to prevent it from reoccurring.

I think I’d leave the bumper bolted on to make sure the straightening effort didn’t move the rail around.

 

[dhcomp]

Pulled it apart, mostly to survey the damage. Bent and pinched.

Looks like Curt, Draw-tite, and Reese all make Class V hitches for this truck. Only a few hundred dollars

Although, the factory insert style of attachment seems the strongest to me, even if it could be longer.

Going to call frame and body shops tomorrow to see who might work on it.

Too many projects, and toys to put away before winter to not have my tow rig.

 

[Wes Harden]

I was going to recommend a class 5 hitch. A class 5 should be able to handle the 7" of leverage. sorry real advise on repair prob a frame shop to straighten then reinforce

 

[dhcomp]

Ordered the draw-tite. Draw-tite and reese extend mounts forward of the weak spot in the frame. The curt is rated higher, but just bolts to the old holes.

Calling frame shops in the morning.

 

[dhcomp]

Found a frame shop in Reno that is willing to try, i think.

Was pleasantly surprised by body shop labor rates. Used to boat mechanic stuff at $120-140/hr.

Most body shops were $70-80/hr.

If they end up anywhere near their $5-600 estimate, I'll be overjoyed.

 

[obijuank5]

That’s not too bad for a shop with a frame rack. Common condition for being rear ended but yours is a little uhh, excessive lol. It will get straightened, welded up at the torn steel, then a much much bigger hitch.

 

[dhcomp]

That quote is just frame work. I’ll do bumper and hitch

 

[Blue85]

That weird ball mount is way too long. Obviously that torque changes the amount of tongue weight from the factory rating. Why not use a normal mount? Plus, it's silly to get near max weight ratings without weight distribution, but you already knew this. The factory hitch is good for like 600lbs of tongue weight, where 11k trailer is more like double that, never mind a hitch twice as long. Typically you use weight distribution for anything over a couple tons and that's considering a normal length hitch.

 

[sweetk30]

i never liked them gm hitches ......

the specs your pulling to me = bigger better aftermarket hitch on that burban ,

 

[dhcomp]

That weird ball mount is way too long. Obviously that torque changes the amount of tongue weight from the factory rating. Why not use a normal mount? Plus, it's silly to get near max weight ratings without weight distribution, but you already knew this. The factory hitch is good for like 600lbs of tongue weight, where 11k trailer is more like double that, never mind a hitch twice as long. Typically you use weight distribution for anything over a couple tons and that's considering a normal length hitch.

Goal was a good adjustable, and liked the concept of this one….until it showed up, and was so long.

Lesson learned.

While I’d love weight distribution, it wasn’t an option for this borrowed trailer.

But good reminder if I end up buying one similar.

 

[dhcomp]

i never liked them gm hitches ......

the specs your pulling to me = bigger better aftermarket hitch on that burban ,

That’s the plan. Never had intention to regularly tow at this weight, but always thought it would if needed.
Guess I’ll be better equipped once repaired.