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Taking off the hitch every winter, will it damage the bolt hole?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by kikik, May 24, 2018.

  1. kikik

    kikik Junior Member

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    Hello, I live in Maine and I will only use my Curt class 1 hitch during the summer which is only around 3-4months. Would it damage or strip the 4 bolt holes if I keep putting it on and off every year? Has anybody done this or can somebody tell me what will happen if I do? Thank you in advance!!
     
  2. danlatu

    danlatu Senior Member

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    It should not if you are properly torquing it down. I would use blue loctite, it will prevent corrosion and keeps bolts from backing out.

    Screen Shot 2018-05-24 at 2.04.19 AM.png
     
  3. kikik

    kikik Junior Member

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    Thank you very much for replying! Should I stick my finger up and spread this up the hole too? Oh wow....I mean you know, the screw hole...yeah...bolt hole!
     
  4. maurices

    maurices Member

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    I do the above procedure with both my 2013 Prius and my 2014 RAV4. No sense having rusted out hitches. I actually lubed the bolts and once the hitch has been removed, I screw the bolts back into the holes so the holes don't get corroded. Highly recommended. Both of the hitches look new.
     
  5. kikik

    kikik Junior Member

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    Thank you for the reply, do you put the original Toyota bolts back in or the one that came with the hitch? How long have you been doing this? You do this EVERY year to 2 vehicles??
     
  6. kikik

    kikik Junior Member

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    Lube meaning with oil or silicone or with the above Loctite Threadlocker?
     
  7. kikik

    kikik Junior Member

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    I'm not familiar with this threadlocker but does it build up? Can I use this every time I take it off and on or is this a one time thing?
     
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I try to use up what I've got sitting on my shelfs, avoid buying every more products. Just less crap for my kids to deal with if-and-when.

    I finished off a spray can of rust-proofing lube a while back, was casting about for something to use, and lit on an old can of 3-in-1 oil I had on hand. Now whenever I take a bolt or screw out (license plate bolts for example) I just put a drop of that on the threads. I've got a couple of cans of WD-40 kicking around too. It's sort of the "duct tape" of the lube world, but meh, will try to use it up too. Then there's a couple of tubs of grease. There's lots of options.
     
    #8 Mendel Leisk, May 24, 2018
    Last edited: May 24, 2018
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  9. tvpierce

    tvpierce Senior Member

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    Why do you want to take the hitch off in the winter?
     
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  10. kikik

    kikik Junior Member

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    The Prius is low to begin with and don't want to make it lower scraping ice/snow and the salt will eat the metal prob in 2 or 3 or maybe even 1 winter rusting it all. Also won't have to carry extra weigh. My friend wanted to sell his Prius and was going to take the hitch off but couldn't get it off because it just rusted it into everything. It looked REALLY nasty and after seeing that I was afraid all that rust would spread to other parts of the vehicle.
     
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  11. kikik

    kikik Junior Member

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    He ended up using those rust paint that makes the rust black. But if the new owner had seen what was down there I'm pretty sure he would have never purchased it...
     
  12. kikik

    kikik Junior Member

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    May I ask a few more questions? You don't put the ring plate back in but only the bolts? Do you use the Loctite Threadlocker or something else? Could you tell me what you use? Also from my previous question, how long have you been doing this and do you put the original Toyota bolt back in or the longer bolt that came with the hitch? Would really appreciate your answer, thanks!
     
  13. kikik

    kikik Junior Member

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    Thank you for your reply, didn't notice until now. My only concern with lubricant is because it's a hitch does it make the screws looser? Meaning will I have to tighten it every once in a while when I do this? Thank you!
     
  14. kikik

    kikik Junior Member

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    I have this, do you think it'll do?
     

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  15. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Looks like good stuff, similar to the can I just finished off. At my age, with all the odds-and-ends oils/greases I have kicking around, my strategy is to try to use up what I've got. For lubing fasteners, most anything will do. There's some plastic panels on the underside, towards the rear, that are held on by 10 mm (socket size) bolts. If you get ambitious, try backing those out and soaking them. I found on ours they were nearly seized.
     
    #15 Mendel Leisk, May 24, 2018
    Last edited: May 24, 2018
  16. kikik

    kikik Junior Member

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    So they won't come loose? I won't have to tighten them from time to time and just soak and screw it on and leave it in?
     
  17. maurices

    maurices Member

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    Bought the hitches in the same week I purchased the vehicles. No loctite. Make sure to torque the bolts (80lbs I think), but in some years I just tightened the bolts as tight as I could. I only use loctite on my motorcycle bolts. Lube = grease. As others have commented, in Minnesota there is lots of snow/ice and therefore salt is used on the roads. Trailer hitches rust really quick in this environment and look terrible. I have got it down so I can install/remove both in less than 1/2 hour. Works for me.
     
  18. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    A bolt holding nothing but itself would be safe as houses. I would just nominally torque it, say 25 ft/lbs at most. One issue: oiled threads make it easier for the bolt to turn; if they're still oily when you put the hitch back on, I'd suggest to reduce torque say 20%.
     
  19. kikik

    kikik Junior Member

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    I was going to install this with a drill, can I adjust torque with drill or would I need to buy the manual wrench? My drill has a number from 1 to 17 then the swiggly screw which I think has the most torque?
     
  20. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I would do the final tightening of just the bolt by hand, with a ratchet wrench, just tighten it firmly. If you're installing the hitch with a specified torque value, using a torque wrench is good practice. You want to avoid using them at values near their extremes; a 3/8" and 1/2" drive micrometer style wrench will cover most needs. You can find decent quality import wrenches on sale for around $30.