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Tow hitch steel cable is rusty

emax

emax

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In my car, the steel cable that secures the trailer hitch bolt is rusty.

My trailer hitch is a combination of a ball hitch and a claw hitch with a push through bolt. This bolt is secured against theft with a steel cable. The steel cable is covered by a transparent silicone tube (I suspect it is silicone), see photograph (without rust at the time).

20230710_164745.JPG


And now, inside the silicone tube, the steel cable is rusty. What now looks like copper from the outside is simply rust.

The car is now just 5 months old. So I'm afraid the cable won't last long.

Anyone else having this problem?
 
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Eric

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emax said:
In my car, the steel cable that secures the trailer hitch bolt is rusty.

My trailer hitch is a combination of a ball hitch and a claw hitch with a push through bolt. This bolt is secured against theft with a steel cable. The steel cable is covered by a transparent silicone tube (I suspect it is silicone), see photograph (without rust at the time).

View attachment 7852500

And now, inside the silicone tube, the steel cable is rusty. What now looks like copper from the outside is simply rust.

The car is now just 5 months old. So I'm afraid the cable won't last long.

Anyone else having this problem?
Click to expand...
Mine is coming up for 5 months and still.looks like new. I'll check tomorrow when it's light but I'm sure mine is stainless and not plastic coated. The tow ball is a better finished looking job that what you have with a good finish, it is definitely a different make.
 
emax

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I've taken some photographs today.

The issue in detail:

20240411_151546_1600.JPG


20240411_151431_1600.JPG


20240411_151343_1600.JPG


20240411_151318_1600.JPG
 
emax

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And I must add that I did not drive the car on salted winter roads. The first trip after winter took place after almost two weeks of rain, which washed away all traces of salt.

But even if: It should never look like that.
 
emax

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Yes, no question.

But I'd prefer it to stay stainless.
 
emax

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The cable is also a theft protection. A rope can easily be cut with a knife and be destroyed even with a simple cigarette lighter.
 
Jeffrey

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emax said:
The cable is also a theft protection. A rope can easily be cut with a knife and be destroyed even with a simple cigarette lighter.
Click to expand...
I thought it was for loss prevention. Anyone who wants to protect their hitch will be using a locking pin.
 
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angstorms

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Buy some Nver dull http://www.nevrdull.com/ and polish it, all steel will rust, especially if you have winter area where they use some Salt based compound to met ice. There are some Stainless Steels that will also still have surface rust aka oxidization. This not about China product it about Steel is made with Iron and Carbon, and some steel pull in other elements to harden it. Cromolly aka material like Carbon, Molybdenum and Chromium. Stainless at Nickel and Magnesium and Nitrogen. Remember Stainless steel with still oxide, oxygen is pretty powerful element to pull electrons from another element or compound.
 
rovie

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angstorms said:
Buy some Nver dull http://www.nevrdull.com/ and polish it, all steel will rust, especially if you have winter area where they use some Salt based compound to met ice. There are some Stainless Steels that will also still have surface rust aka oxidization. This not about China product it about Steel is made with Iron and Carbon, and some steel pull in other elements to harden it. Cromolly aka material like Carbon, Molybdenum and Chromium. Stainless at Nickel and Magnesium and Nitrogen. Remember Stainless steel with still oxide, oxygen is pretty powerful element to pull electrons from another element or compound.
Click to expand...
Just a general note, this has nothing to do with the cable mentioned above:
I would also advise using V4A instead of V2A if you are building something yourself (for example, a carrier). This steel can also develop some rust film, but the probability is much less than V2A.
 
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