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Heat treat or not? Receiver hitch


hpfiend

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Hey all-

 

Making a custom hitch for a project car.... thinking about heat treating the receiver portion of the hitch so that the hole for the pin won't stretch? I am pretty sure this makes mild steel harder to cut and deform but am not sure how would apply to tension/vibration loads which is why I was just going to do the area around the hole.

 

They do heat treat pins and hitch balls fwiw... I knew I was going to drill on it so I did not quench after welding.

 

btw as far as my heat treat technique I am thinking about getting the area around the pin cherry red and then quenching it in a bucket of water.

 

EDIT : after reading this http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/communities/mboard/archive/index.php/t-12879.html, I am double thinking my idea... can anyone offer any further guidance?

Thanks!

Andrew

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That's probably your best bet. Heat treating the steel with a torch isn't just about heating and quenching. Different heat treatments use different quenching methods, multiple heatings in an oven to exact temps, adding carbon, quenching in salt water or oil. While heating you are adding carbon (from the acetylene) and not in an even manner. The wrong concentration of carbon can make the steel weak.
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