Bushtec trailer hitch failed

[hawkiii]

To you guys that purchased a Bushtec trailer hitch for your 2015 F3, mine failed at about the 9000 mile mark. Broke right at the bend. If you have not already, you might consider welding some side brackets to better support the hitch. This gave way in traffic on the 210 freeway in Pasadena, CA. I was on my way home from Texas when it broke. Just wanted to get the word out.

 

[Jeriatric]

NOT GOOD

To you guys that purchased a Bushtec trailer hitch for your 2015 F3, mine failed at about the 9000 mile mark. Broke right at the bend. If you have not already, you might consider welding some side brackets to better support the hitch. This gave way in traffic on the 210 freeway in Pasadena, CA. I was on my way home from Texas when it broke. Just wanted to get the word out.


View attachment 146492View attachment 146493

Did the safety chains save you?

Looking at pic two....I think I see rust at the bend. Must have been just under the paint.

 

[Bob Denman]

:shocked: That doesn't seem to be the strongest setup that I've ever seen... nojoke
Was your trailer saved? :dontknow:

 

[hawkiii]

:shocked: That doesn't seem to be the strongest setup that I've ever seen... nojoke
Was your trailer saved? :dontknow:

trailer will need some work but it came through intact. The underside of the tongue took a real beating. Will probably need a plate welded to it to clean it back up.

 

[hawkiii]

Did the safety chains save you?

Not actually, if you look real hard at the ball picture, you can see the chain connection was right below the ball. Where the hitch broke was right at the Spyder. Trailer, chains and all broke off. It slid to a stop on the tongue.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

BUSHTEC HITCH

:gaah:....IMHO ....something was seriously wrong with that piece of metal ....... the load alone could not have caused this under any circumstances that I can imagine ......... Was the " Tongue " ... " Cast metal " .......... Mike :thumbup:

 

[Buckeye Bleau]

Well thank goodness that you and others around you are fine. You can fix the hardware, and get back out there. Thanks for the information. :2thumbs:

Joe

 

[Firefly]

Wow. Thanks for sharing.
Have you contacted Bushtec about this?
They're a reputable company and I'd bet they'll help you on this.

 

[Roadster Renovations]

Glad you are safe! That metal had to be stressed. Are there any air pocket bubbles where it broke?

 

[hawkiii]

Wow. Thanks for sharing.
Have you contacted Bushtec about this?
They're a reputable company and I'd bet they'll help you on this.

Sent them an email. They requested pictures and trailer info. Supplied both, waiting to hear back from them.

 

[cptjam]

Wow!

Glad you are ok! Yikes, that sucks!

 

[SpyderAnn01]

Yikes! Glad you're okay, I didn't realize that you were still on your way home and I thought we took a long time to get home!

 

[hawkiii]

Yikes! Glad you're okay, I didn't realize that you were still on your way home and I thought we took a long time to get home!

No, I have been home a while, had a hard time getting the pictures from my phone on the computer. I have also been dealing with replacing the right front fender supports. I hit a pot hole on CA HWY 12, it was dark, didn't see it, bent both fender supports. My last day on the road was full of excitement. Probably need to see you guys again in your official Squared Away persona.

 

[SpyderAnn01]

No, I have been home a while, had a hard time getting the pictures from my phone on the computer. I have also been dealing with replacing the right front fender supports. I hit a pot hole on CA HWY 12, it was dark, didn't see it, bent both fender supports. My last day on the road was full of excitement. Probably need to see you guys again in your official Squared Away persona.

Your trip was almost as exciting as ours. :roflblack: We will be at Rich Kuwitzky's in Tracy May 13-14 and of course we will be at NorCal Rally and Red Rock and we'd be happy to square you away.

 

[Saluda]

Hope they take care of you, sorry to hear.

 

[PrairieSpyder]

That hitch is totally different from my Bushtec tongue and hitch. You can see the hitch in the lower right of this pic: I replaced the ball on my BRP hitch with the pin I had to buy from Bushtec.

 

[2dogs]

I had a similar situation with a jack I'd purchased from Harbor Freight. Apparently during or after assembly the assembled parts were allowed to get wet prior to being powder coated. Water or moisture got into the crappy weld job and in turn weakened the already poor weld. When the part broke, thankfully nothing was damaged and no one was hurt, I discovered the rusted weld and more rust under the powder coat where it didn't adhere to the metal. I guess sometimes we get what we pay for and sometimes we don't.

 

[hawkiii]

Update on Bushtec contact

Bushtec is adding a gusset to the 90 degree bend and shipping the new hitch out for delivery next week. I had one of their hitches on my 2008 GS and never had a problem. I have 2 more events planned this year so it will be a good test for the new hitch. Good folks working to correct a problem.

 

[Blue Star]

Your trip was almost as exciting as ours. :roflblack: We will be at Rich Kuwitzky's in Tracy May 13-14 and of course we will be at NorCal Rally and Red Rock and we'd be happy to square you away.

Glad to see you will be at Red Rock. I'm going to have to see you there for an alignment.