Hitch paint

[topgun2]

Three years ago (shortly after I took delivery of Twist) I found that I could not see the hitch on the Oliver very well when using the on-board camera in the truck.  Buzzy (another Forum member) had the same problem and we both came up with a similar solution at about the same time.  We painted the hitch florescent orange.  Certainly this made it visible, but, that paint fades in a very short period of time.  I tried repainting again and top coating with clear sealer, but, the end result was the same.  Last year I again repainted the hitch but used "hammered" silver.  This has worked much better, keeps the hitch looking new and is easily seen from the truck.  While at it I also lightly sanded the areas on the rest of the hitch assembly that had rusted and gave then a couple of quick coats of Krylon Black Satin.  This matches the original fairly closely.

 

Finally, note in the one picture the small strip of closed cell foam that I glued to the top of the release handle on the hitch.  This prevents the tailgate on my Ford F-150 from hitting that handle and scratching/denting either one.

 

Temporally I left that one small area un-finished for comparison of before and after.

 

The Krylon dries quickly (less than an hour) while the Rust-Oleum takes overnight to really dry.

[John E Davies]

Great idea, if you need it to be highly visible. A light color will make the inevitable rust very visible, unlike black. If you keep it touched up that won’t be a problem. This is why trailer hiches are black ;)

 

My go-to paint for small jobs like this is the Duplicolor Brake Caliper Paint. It is found in any auto parts store, has ceramic for durability, has a nice gloss, flows out well and is long lasting. Plus it needs no primer, just a light sanding and good degreasing.  The only downside is that it is more expensive.

 

https://duplicolor.com/product/caliper-paint

 

I use it on all my calipers and they stay looking great for years. Once you try this, you may not go back to “hardware store” spray paint.

 

When are you going to send me some pics from Palisades Reservoir? Check your PMs.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[rideandfly]

Bill,

 

Good write up!

 

Sometimes would have same problem seeing a black hitch when backing up over black pavement with back-up camera.  Also painted a white stripe for lining up with the back-up camera line making a one person operation.

 

Painted ours with gray Rust-Oleum.

 

Like your protective caps installed on the threaded ends of hitch bolts, too!

 

 

[topgun2]

Bill,

 

While I was at the "Mothership" last week I noticed that that bolt covers are now included on all new Olivers and said something to Jason and Richie about it.  I guess that they felt sorry for me because when I got Twist back from some minor repairs, the covers were there.  If you are interested, the bolt size (according to Richie) is 1/2 inch and the covers/caps are available at Lowe's and probably Ace and Home Depot too.

 

Bill

[Mainiac]

A hitch caution: watch where you place your fingers. We squeezed the hitch closed with the left hand, and quickly released the slide with the right. The left index finger ended up to close to the slide. The slide quickly removed several layers of skin. We sure release the slide with a lot more caution and control now. Three months later and it is still  sensitive when we think about it. A great reminder to have a good and complete first aide kit on board, readily available, and know how to use it. Hopefully just for a neighbor...

 

(Thanks, going to paint my hitch, hopefully not red)

[topgun2]

Mainiac -

 

Halloween is coming and the vampires will be out and about ….

 

Bill

[Spike]

A hitch caution: watch where you place your fingers.

 

Thanks for the warning. I too have pinched my fingers, but not as badly as you described your mishap. Ouch! I try to remember to wear thick gloves when hitching and unhitching.

[geokeg]

I had the same problem seeing the ball with the Oliver front camera, especially in the shade.  I have tried several things, colored masking tape, (because I had some), it worked but fades after a while.  My latest technique has been to use a thin orange latex glove on the ball and one on the receiver.  When the gloves almost touch on the monitor I take them off and finish the hook up.  I use the gloves to cover the ball and receiver when not hooked up also.  Easy to see and avoid getting grease on things.  I keep a box of orange gloves around for general use also.

 

As for avoiding finger injuries when locking down the hitch I only touch the clamping part with the handle of my rubber dead blow hammer.  Another handy thing to have around.

[DavidS]

Long before I picked up my Ollie, Buzzy had posted about painting the hitch orange to increase visibility in a car's backup camera system. I added this project to my ToDo list. My idea was to use tape to mask the area and paint a cross on the coupler, with the vertical and horizontal lines at the center of where the hitch ball should align. I then found an easier solution. I simply used tape to make the cross marks. It works great, especially when I am hitching up alone. The tape is still in decent condition after two years, but I may need to replace it next year.

[Yukon]

Thanks, it works great for my old eyes! I used safety Yellow''

[topgun2]

Yukon -

 

Glad it is working for you.

 

Both Buzzy and I started out with florescent orange but found that any of these "florescent" colors tended to fad fairly rapidly.  I have finally settled on a simple silver - the contrast to the black and light color of the silver gives the visibility that I need plus it dries really fast when applied, does not build up to thick layers as fast as most other paints and while easy to be seen it doesn't scream at me or detract from the other nearby components (i.e. Andersen whale tail and chains).

 

During my storage preparation process I sand the area where that slip collar slides back and forth and give it a shot of new paint for the winter.  Come Spring everything is ready to go except for a shot of silicone on both the collar and the area of the bulldog that slides under the collar.

 

Bill

 

[Maverick]

We have been using a silver paint on the bulldog coupler since we returned from the factory pickup in 2015.  It has worked great, this fall I did repaint the coupler, but the paint has lasted very well.  I have tried using florescent colors for outside use on other things and it does fade fairly quickly.  The silver shows up in the rear view camera and it makes hookup easy.

 

[attachment file=Bulldog Coupler - 001.jpg]

 

[attachment file=Bulldog Coupler - 002.jpg]