I'll never remove my trailer hitch again

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: donnyj08
They're great if someone hits you. They are terrible if you back into something with one, or if you walk around the back of the vehicle without thinking and bust your shin on one... that hurts.


I've done that...it is one of the drawbacks...

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: KGMtech
If I was the driver behind and I knew you felt this way, I don't think I would appreciate you very much.

Have you ever barked your shin on some extra large hitch in a parking lot? I have. The temptation on this injury is to heave the stupid hitch through the rear window of the truck...I have not done this, but you get the idea. Or maybe you don't?

Intentionally creating a situation whereby another motorist / motorcyclist / pedestrian will sustain injury or damage beyond what would be sustained by a standard bumper is bad behaviour.

To boast of this attitude is even worse.


If you don't want your car damaged by my trailer hitch, then don't run into the back of my car...

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: KD0AXS
Some places it's actually illegal to leave your hitch insert in place if not towing a trailer.


There's no way to enforce such a stupid law...all one would have to say is they're on their way to pick up their trailer...

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: Vern_in_IL
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?


Hmmm, let's see, would I rather not have damage to my car from yesterday's accident by having the hitch on, or would I rather sustain damage to my car to lessen the damage to someone hitting my car with the hitch removed? Gee, I don't know, that's a tough one...

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: Rolla07
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.


Tragically, common sense and logic are two things that are disappearing from society...

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
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...


Kind of one of those deals where they make the victim the bad guy?

 

[stockrex]

Originally Posted By: grampi
This morning, while on my way to work, I was rear ended. I was sitting at a stop sign waiting for traffic to clear so I could pull out when all of a sudden, this guy slams into the back of my car. I get out, and after we both said that neither of us were hurt, he said he thought I had pulled out so he started to move forward. He hit right on my trailer hitch, which punched a hole through his radiator. My car wasn't damaged at all. I felt bad for the guy as he not only will have some pretty expensive repair bills (will probably be covered by his insurance anyway), he got a ticket as well. The only cost to me was being 30 mins late for work. 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!


can you keep a hitch ball on when not towing anything? is it legal?

 

[supton]

The amount of grease it'd take to keep from freezing in place would greatly outweigh any benefit. I left a drawbar in for a winter and it took 45min of hammering to bust it loose.

I could easily see my kids walking into it, in the dark.

Leaving it in would not work for me.

I've seen the inside of the bumper on my truck--it isn't doing anything in a crash other than acting as tinfoil. That's ok by me, have 6' of crumple zone and insurance to boot. I like my truck but am in no way overly attached to it. An accident would be a hindrance but also a reminder that it's just a vehicle.

 

[gman2304]

I take mine off to prevent a busted shin.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: supton
The amount of grease it'd take to keep from freezing in place would greatly outweigh any benefit. I left a drawbar in for a winter and it took 45min of hammering to bust it loose.

I could easily see my kids walking into it, in the dark.

Leaving it in would not work for me.

I've seen the inside of the bumper on my truck--it isn't doing anything in a crash other than acting as tinfoil. That's ok by me, have 6' of crumple zone and insurance to boot. I like my truck but am in no way overly attached to it. An accident would be a hindrance but also a reminder that it's just a vehicle.

Yep, I've learned my lesson in keeping the drawbar in all the time too, they get seized in and at some point you can't get them out at all...
I figure the hitch itself offers a little more structure that may help in a big accident, but nothing really significant.
I did like the class 2/3 hitch on the Tracker as its a good grab point and I could just throw a chain on and pick up the back end with the tractor. The class 1 hitch on the CRV maybe be ok point for a straight pull, but not for flinging the vehicle around.

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted By: hatt

I'm not sure you see the storm coming.

cheers, you where so right!
OP, all the best!
so what did the missus decide for a minivan?

 

[Schmoe]

Interesting read. I'm with OP here. It's the drivers responsibility to make sure they are in the clear and be observant. I guess I'm one of the few that actually look where I'm going, both in vehicle and as a pedestrian.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: supton
The amount of grease it'd take to keep from freezing in place would greatly outweigh any benefit. I left a drawbar in for a winter and it took 45min of hammering to bust it loose.


I've been down that road!

 

[Ramblejam]

Originally Posted By: JTK
Originally Posted By: supton
The amount of grease it'd take to keep from freezing in place would greatly outweigh any benefit. I left a drawbar in for a winter and it took 45min of hammering to bust it loose.


I've been down that road!



Why are you using grease? It's not the proper product for the job...

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
Originally Posted By: JTK
Originally Posted By: supton
The amount of grease it'd take to keep from freezing in place would greatly outweigh any benefit. I left a drawbar in for a winter and it took 45min of hammering to bust it loose.


I've been down that road!



Why are you using grease? It's not the proper product for the job...


Fluid Film washes away. It'll do the trick, but I'd want to reapply, I wouldn't trust it to last the winter.

But I wouldn't use grease... I remove it altogether.

 

[expat]

Some years ago I witnessed an elderly lady in a parking lot walk into a trailer hitch and gash her leg. The cut was quite bad.

I guess she was walking behind the parked vehicles, the truck was sticking out more than others. She said she was watching for passing traffic when she walked into the hitch.

I helped her into a nearby store and the store manager called an ambulance.

The store manager also asked for my name and phone #, just in case.

I did later get a phone call from ICBC our province motor vehicle insurance company. I guess there may have been a claim or charges against the truck owner.

 

[opus1]

Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
....

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.


Except that the receiver tends to come out under the bumper and body-on-frame trucks usually have the license plate mount on the bumper. The hitch and ball would have to be sticking out pretty high to get a ticket. Even on a unibody vehicle where the installer puts the receiver through a hole in the bumper cover, the plates are usually mounted high enough that the driver wouldn't risk getting a ticket under this law.

 

[Ramblejam]

Originally Posted By: opus1
Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
....

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.


Except that the receiver tends to come out under the bumper and body-on-frame trucks usually have the license plate mount on the bumper. The hitch and ball would have to be sticking out pretty high to get a ticket. Even on a unibody vehicle where the installer puts the receiver through a hole in the bumper cover, the plates are usually mounted high enough that the driver wouldn't risk getting a ticket under this law.

 

[opus1]

Except that most pickups have rear ends that are higher than car bumpers so the hitch would be mounted the other way. Like so:

Even included one with the license plate somewhat visible...

 

[Ramblejam]

Read my original post one more time, because you're obviously having some difficulty in comprehension here:

"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."

Most of the time, it's a non-factor. However, it can be, hence the qualifier.