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Smashed up hitch

F

ff4500

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Indianapolis, IN
So, I come home from a weekend away (the rig was parked in the street the whole weekend) and it looks like someone decided to smash into the back of my XJ, right into my hitch. I had the drop ball in the receiver since I was towing the trailer last week, so it looks like it took the brunt of the hit. Problem is, the whole hitch seems to be bent down. The hitch still looks like it's in one piece, but the frame rails underneath seem to be bent up a bit.

So, my question is, is there an easy way to straighten this back out without heading over to the body shop? The wife is already complaining that I've thrown too much money into the XJ this month, so cheap is good. It's totally drivable (I drove it to work on Monday without noticing at all) and no panels are buckled out, so I think that I got off relatively easily.

Any ideas from people that have been rear ended or smashed up their frame rails? I'll add some pics tomorrow when it's light out again.

Thanks.

:dunce:
 
ff4500 said:
So, I come home from a weekend away (the rig was parked in the street the whole weekend) and it looks like someone decided to smash into the back of my XJ, right into my hitch. I had the drop ball in the receiver since I was towing the trailer last week, so it looks like it took the brunt of the hit. Problem is, the whole hitch seems to be bent down. The hitch still looks like it's in one piece, but the frame rails underneath seem to be bent up a bit.

So, my question is, is there an easy way to straighten this back out without heading over to the body shop? The wife is already complaining that I've thrown too much money into the XJ this month, so cheap is good. It's totally drivable (I drove it to work on Monday without noticing at all) and no panels are buckled out, so I think that I got off relatively easily.

Any ideas from people that have been rear ended or smashed up their frame rails? I'll add some pics tomorrow when it's light out again.

Thanks.

:dunce:
Click to expand...


As long as its insured it should be covered and you should just have to maybe pay your deductible. Thats more of a necessary expense than spending a stupid amount on bumpers or something.
 
FlexdXJ said:
As long as its insured it should be covered and you should just have to maybe pay your deductible. Thats more of a necessary expense than spending a stupid amount on bumpers or something.
Click to expand...

Yeah, no such luck. There's only PLPD on the XJ.
It's pretty much out of pocket for everything.
 
ff4500 said:
Yeah, no such luck. There's only PLPD on the XJ.
It's pretty much out of pocket for everything.
Click to expand...

They won't cover it with that? Good thing I have full coverage on my Junk.
 
using insurance for mild stuff like this, is only gonna result in them totalling your xj, then you get the fun of dealing with a salvage title over a little buckled sheet metal? no thanks
 
^ X2.

Damage like this is what resulted in RCMan building his awesome rig... which he has since said he would never do again and would just build a tube buggy next time. It's an awesome rig, but a LOT of work.

Pull it out, weld a bunch of frame stiffeners on it, maybe some HD shackle relocation brackets if the leaf spring shackle pockets are screwed up, call it a day.
 
my 92 was totaled because my mother-in-law got rear ended in it. bent the rails etc... knowing what I do now,I would just straighten it as much as you can and plate it. Its a pain in the ass, but so is not having a rig.
 
As promised, here's pics to show the damage:

h_1.jpg

h_2.jpg

b_1.jpg

b_2.jpg
 
This is the problem with having the hitch act as a bumper. It just transmits all force to the uniframe. The drop hitch made it much worse, because while you say it "took the brunt" what it really did was act as a lever allowing the impact to bend your frame.
 
leave a note on it thanking the asshole who hit it, its probably someone local, or a friend of someone local, let them know they XXXXed up your ride.

on a side note, that'll buff right out.
 
It'd pass here, whether it was supposed to or not. They never actually look under a vehicle.
 
ff4500 said:
PLPD is only liability and property damage. Nothing on my own vehicle.
(It's cheap ass insurance. We have good insurance on the DD vehicles.)
Click to expand...

Same here. Unless its a bad accident, my axles and junk are going to be fine, and thats were all the coin is!

I can replace the unibody for $500.
 
LOL Oklahoma either! Its nice not having to worry about the inspection but then again, some cars on the road should really be pulled.
 
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