Help w/ hitch installation -holes don't line up!

[AParamedic]

Hi everyone...

I'm finally getting around to installing the trailer hitch that I purchased 2 years ago for my '06 pilot. I found a 12x1.25 tap and chased all the threads...but now I ran into a problem - the holes of the hitch don't line up with the holes on the frame! I got one bolt on one side fitted properly and loosely tightened, but when I try the other side, the holes are off by a few mm.

Is it possible that the hitch somehow got bent? I stored it at a 45 degree angle for 18 months or so, but I doubt that it is weak enough to bend under its own weight...

Any tips? Tricks? Ideas?

Thanks in advance!

[humanoid]

Is it a Honda hitch or some other brand? More details would be helpful.

[AParamedic]

Hi there...

Sorry for the sparse details - it was the original honda hitch.

I just finished getting it installed. I don't know why the holes wouldn't line up perfectly but I ended up using a 2 x 4 wedged between the hitch and the frame to torque the hitch the 3-4 mm that it needed to move.

using a thread chaser to clean up the bolt holes really made a huge difference in how easy it was to actually screw the bolts into the frame nuts. The amount of rust that had built up inside the nuts was really impressive.