Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
If I had a hitch, I'd leave it in all the time with a lock on it.
When I had my Silverado, it was locked in there 24/7.
When I had my Silverado, it was locked in there 24/7.
I'll never remove my trailer hitch again
- Thread starter grampi
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i was parked outside of Bass Pro with truck and boat. I had extended the tongue of the trailer 2 feet so it backed and pulled better. Loading my stuff in the boat when I heard something.
Yep, someone without looking tried to walk between the boat and trailer. Lots of blood. I had first aid kit in boat. It came in handy. Split lip is messy.
Rod
Yep, someone without looking tried to walk between the boat and trailer. Lots of blood. I had first aid kit in boat. It came in handy. Split lip is messy.
Rod
Some places it's actually illegal to leave your hitch insert in place if not towing a trailer.
I usually leave mine in all the time, but I do pull it out in winter or when I go off roading.
The hitch, itself, has never done anything one way or another, but I did have someone run into me twice (two different vehicles) and punch a hole in their hood with the receiver and take off.
The hitch, itself, has never done anything one way or another, but I did have someone run into me twice (two different vehicles) and punch a hole in their hood with the receiver and take off.
Be careful with that - on the RV forums I frequent there have been many a story where the hitch is left in, truck gets rear ended and bent frame because the hitch took all the energy and put it on the relatively small contact area that was not meant to absorb those sorts of forces.
I now remove mine when not towing.
I now remove mine when not towing.
I always spend the extra money on any of my daily drivers and install a brand new hitch and a key lock pin even if i never tow with the vehicle ,I always go with the extra long receiver also so if i do get hit whoever will more likely be the one towed away
You cant go wrong with extra rear car support with a hitch
You cant go wrong with extra rear car support with a hitch
Originally Posted By: grampi
I do know that the receiver won't be coming off my vehicle again. I used to take it off when I wasn't towing, but not any more...that thing saved a lot of damage to my car!
Why are you not concerned with other drivers wellbeing?
I do know that the receiver won't be coming off my vehicle again. I used to take it off when I wasn't towing, but not any more...that thing saved a lot of damage to my car!
Why are you not concerned with other drivers wellbeing?
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The hitch works both ways....you can't see it when backing up so it just adds another foot to hit something unintended. I had a neighbor who left his hitch in and a guy clipped it in the parking lot going past in a narrow lane. The cops wrote my friend a ticket for having it "protruding"and causing the accident. The force of the hit bent the frame on his suburban and his insurance company totalled his low mileage truck.
So his insurance rates went up and he lost about $10k on having to buy a new truck.
So his insurance rates went up and he lost about $10k on having to buy a new truck.
Originally Posted By: hatt
Foe the people hitting their legs, why are you walking so close to other people's vehicles? I see a whole lot of people being irresponsible when this issue comes up. Don't rub against people's vehicles. Pay attention and don't rear end other people's vehicles. Now if you keep kneeing your own hitch I guess you need to keep it off.
I've never ran into another persons hitch with my leg, however I have ran into my own as well as some of our company trucks. Running out to the truck to get some materials out of the bed and having a million other things on your mind regarding other projects, bids to complete, errands to run, supplies to get..managing construction employees, it is easy for me to not think about the hitch and hitting that thing at a hurried pace hurts like you know what.
After a few good hits to the leg by me and an employee doing the same and cutting his shin I now have a no hitch policy unless towing. When you park the truck you unhook the trailer, lock the trailer latch with the padlock, pull the truck up and remove the hitch and lock it in the toolbox or under the rear seat of the truck. This has been policy for the last two years now. My shins thank me and so do the shins of my guys.
Foe the people hitting their legs, why are you walking so close to other people's vehicles? I see a whole lot of people being irresponsible when this issue comes up. Don't rub against people's vehicles. Pay attention and don't rear end other people's vehicles. Now if you keep kneeing your own hitch I guess you need to keep it off.
I've never ran into another persons hitch with my leg, however I have ran into my own as well as some of our company trucks. Running out to the truck to get some materials out of the bed and having a million other things on your mind regarding other projects, bids to complete, errands to run, supplies to get..managing construction employees, it is easy for me to not think about the hitch and hitting that thing at a hurried pace hurts like you know what.
After a few good hits to the leg by me and an employee doing the same and cutting his shin I now have a no hitch policy unless towing. When you park the truck you unhook the trailer, lock the trailer latch with the padlock, pull the truck up and remove the hitch and lock it in the toolbox or under the rear seat of the truck. This has been policy for the last two years now. My shins thank me and so do the shins of my guys.
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Watch where your walking...wowz..gota remove it so other ppl have less damage and i have more if they rear end me...? Wheres the logic on here? I dont have a hitch but would get one on next car.
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: KD0AXS
Some places it's actually illegal to leave your hitch insert in place if not towing a trailer.
Should be everywhere, it's a hazard.
Yup it's and to be frank I've seen where leaving it in caused problems.
Originally Posted By: KD0AXS
Some places it's actually illegal to leave your hitch insert in place if not towing a trailer.
Should be everywhere, it's a hazard.
Yup it's and to be frank I've seen where leaving it in caused problems.
JHZR2
Staff member
OP is in the right here... But someone who wanted to push it could probably grab a 5-10% liability on this because you were not towing and had an unnecessary item that is unmarked pointing out from the vehicle.
Since insurance companies like to turn these things into a bleeding contest, they could make your life horrible, even if not successful.
Yeah it may hurt the next person's car more, but I think one could make the argument that bumper on bumper would be more benign and wouldn't have caused the damage of a horizontal metal item pointing rearward.
Might not fly, but I could see someone pushing that...
Since insurance companies like to turn these things into a bleeding contest, they could make your life horrible, even if not successful.
Yeah it may hurt the next person's car more, but I think one could make the argument that bumper on bumper would be more benign and wouldn't have caused the damage of a horizontal metal item pointing rearward.
Might not fly, but I could see someone pushing that...
Originally Posted By: cmhj
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: KD0AXS
Some places it's actually illegal to leave your hitch insert in place if not towing a trailer.
Should be everywhere, it's a hazard.
Yup it's and to be frank I've seen where leaving it in caused problems.
I think this is an Internet myth, but feel free to post the law. Maybe some local municipal law? Never heard of it around here and I see hitches in tons of trucks.
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: KD0AXS
Some places it's actually illegal to leave your hitch insert in place if not towing a trailer.
Should be everywhere, it's a hazard.
Yup it's and to be frank I've seen where leaving it in caused problems.
I think this is an Internet myth, but feel free to post the law. Maybe some local municipal law? Never heard of it around here and I see hitches in tons of trucks.
Originally Posted By: Nate1979
Originally Posted By: cmhj
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: KD0AXS
Some places it's actually illegal to leave your hitch insert in place if not towing a trailer.
Should be everywhere, it's a hazard.
Yup it's and to be frank I've seen where leaving it in caused problems.
I think this is an Internet myth, but feel free to post the law. Maybe some local municipal law? Never heard of it around here and I see hitches in tons of trucks.
ORS 803.540
"the plates must be in plain view and so as to be read easily by the public."
If leaving the hitch in obscures the plate, one can reasonably articulate that to be in violation of state law, and a class D traffic violation.
Originally Posted By: cmhj
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: KD0AXS
Some places it's actually illegal to leave your hitch insert in place if not towing a trailer.
Should be everywhere, it's a hazard.
Yup it's and to be frank I've seen where leaving it in caused problems.
I think this is an Internet myth, but feel free to post the law. Maybe some local municipal law? Never heard of it around here and I see hitches in tons of trucks.
ORS 803.540
"the plates must be in plain view and so as to be read easily by the public."
If leaving the hitch in obscures the plate, one can reasonably articulate that to be in violation of state law, and a class D traffic violation.
I tow way too often to remove mine everytime....everyday sometimes just to worry about other peoples feelings, shins, vehicles. I don't have to there to injure someone or damage their vehicle. If you cant see the split tennis ball....I don't know what to say....
Though it would be entertaining to see someone try to heave my 80 lbs adjustable Pintle/Ball hitch threw a back window on a 3/4 ton truck....
Though it would be entertaining to see someone try to heave my 80 lbs adjustable Pintle/Ball hitch threw a back window on a 3/4 ton truck....
Originally Posted By: hatt
Originally Posted By: Ethan1
Originally Posted By: Rand
I think without the trailer hitch the bumper would have absorbed more and been more fixable..
This is 100% on point. The trailer hitch can sometimes transfer collision energy directly to the frame/unibody, bypassing the energy absorber... impact bar... tail panel... the parts that are designed to progressively absorb the collision.
The little ball hitch is going to punch right through the bumper in a high speed impact. Then the receiver mount will take the impact. Without the ball hitch in the receiver with take a direct hit. On a truck it's not going to make much difference. On a unibody car maybe it's a different story.
Then why do trucks have bumpers? There's no reason to tempt fate by inducing a load path failure unnecessarily.
Originally Posted By: Ethan1
Originally Posted By: Rand
I think without the trailer hitch the bumper would have absorbed more and been more fixable..
This is 100% on point. The trailer hitch can sometimes transfer collision energy directly to the frame/unibody, bypassing the energy absorber... impact bar... tail panel... the parts that are designed to progressively absorb the collision.
The little ball hitch is going to punch right through the bumper in a high speed impact. Then the receiver mount will take the impact. Without the ball hitch in the receiver with take a direct hit. On a truck it's not going to make much difference. On a unibody car maybe it's a different story.
Then why do trucks have bumpers? There's no reason to tempt fate by inducing a load path failure unnecessarily.
Originally Posted By: Ethan1
Originally Posted By: hatt
Originally Posted By: Ethan1
Originally Posted By: Rand
I think without the trailer hitch the bumper would have absorbed more and been more fixable..
This is 100% on point. The trailer hitch can sometimes transfer collision energy directly to the frame/unibody, bypassing the energy absorber... impact bar... tail panel... the parts that are designed to progressively absorb the collision.
The little ball hitch is going to punch right through the bumper in a high speed impact. Then the receiver mount will take the impact. Without the ball hitch in the receiver with take a direct hit. On a truck it's not going to make much difference. On a unibody car maybe it's a different story.
Then why do trucks have bumpers? There's no reason to tempt fate by inducing a load path failure unnecessarily.
I think the bumper is just there for looks, a step, and a place to hold the tag and backup sensors. I don't think it does much else. A high speed hit is going straight to the receiver and frame rails.
Originally Posted By: hatt
Originally Posted By: Ethan1
Originally Posted By: Rand
I think without the trailer hitch the bumper would have absorbed more and been more fixable..
This is 100% on point. The trailer hitch can sometimes transfer collision energy directly to the frame/unibody, bypassing the energy absorber... impact bar... tail panel... the parts that are designed to progressively absorb the collision.
The little ball hitch is going to punch right through the bumper in a high speed impact. Then the receiver mount will take the impact. Without the ball hitch in the receiver with take a direct hit. On a truck it's not going to make much difference. On a unibody car maybe it's a different story.
Then why do trucks have bumpers? There's no reason to tempt fate by inducing a load path failure unnecessarily.
I think the bumper is just there for looks, a step, and a place to hold the tag and backup sensors. I don't think it does much else. A high speed hit is going straight to the receiver and frame rails.
Originally Posted By: clinebarger
I tow way too often to remove mine everytime....everyday sometimes just to worry about other peoples feelings, shins, vehicles. I don't have to there to injure someone or damage their vehicle. If you cant see the split tennis ball....I don't know what to say....
Though it would be entertaining to see someone try to heave my 80 lbs adjustable Pintle/Ball hitch threw a back window on a 3/4 ton truck....
80lbs? I could do it....but I wouldn't, I'd prefer not to get shot
I take mine off, but i don't have any issue with people leaving them on. I live in rural southern Indiana and am surrounded by farm land and country folk. Most people here have a hitch left on.
I made the decision to make it company policy to remove ours because I don't want to be sued, and because I admit i hit my shins on them. Being in the construction trade I walk around the truck bed accessing tool boxes way more than the average pickup truck driver.
I tow way too often to remove mine everytime....everyday sometimes just to worry about other peoples feelings, shins, vehicles. I don't have to there to injure someone or damage their vehicle. If you cant see the split tennis ball....I don't know what to say....
Though it would be entertaining to see someone try to heave my 80 lbs adjustable Pintle/Ball hitch threw a back window on a 3/4 ton truck....
80lbs? I could do it....but I wouldn't, I'd prefer not to get shot
I take mine off, but i don't have any issue with people leaving them on. I live in rural southern Indiana and am surrounded by farm land and country folk. Most people here have a hitch left on.
I made the decision to make it company policy to remove ours because I don't want to be sued, and because I admit i hit my shins on them. Being in the construction trade I walk around the truck bed accessing tool boxes way more than the average pickup truck driver.
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