Tow Hitch Caught a Rock

You could also throw some fluid film/woolwax on it

 

I would be sure to cover up the exposed metal to stop rust. I scarred mine up when I had a similar tailstrike, and a few months later when I got around to taking a better look the paintless chipped parts were rusting already. I filed off the rust, covered the exposed metal with paint, then hit the underside of my hitch with bedliner spray.

I also now run a hit skid plate to take the hits, which is much thicker and tougher metal and also much easier to touch up when it's damaged. I didn't bend my hitch metal though, so I can't speak to how to deal with that part of damage.

 

Don't straighten it. Inspect for cracks around bend. Straightening it, with or without heat, will further weaken it. Your would need O2/acetylene to get hot enough to make a difference, anyway.

 

I was pulled out of a icy snowbank once in my 19' and the jackass wrecker put his hook on the safety chain loop bending it which caused the paint to flake off as well. I bent it back by parking up against a concrete pillar and using the emergency jack between the wall to bend it back then painted it. I sold the truck so it aint my problem anymore.

 

The big issue I see is if you tow, definitely not as strong. If you don’t tow, just touch it up and with paint and forget about it

 

Growing up around a farm, lots of brackets, axels, hitches, and metal was damaged, dinged, bent, broken, and we painted, straightened, and welded everything and kept moving. I have a nice Tacoma truck and after a few scrapes here there … I use it like a truck … I touch it up and keep moving. My factory side steps have been spray painted and touched up now several times. Upon close inspection, if you don’t find a crack, I’d paint it and keep moving down the road. But I know my way won’t work for some folks. I also have a 99 Dodge Durango with 260 K miles and some rust on the tailgate. I’m shopping the junk-yard circuit for a ‘new’ replacement.