I'll never remove my trailer hitch again

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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!
 
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I'm not sure you see the storm coming.
 
it can save or create alot of damage..

minor hit =no damage

major hit = bent frame

I was rearended at 45mph in my 2009 elantra touring(while traveling 10mph) and it totally demolished the rear of the car... they would have had to weld in a new "trunk floor" area.

The old "shovel nose" honda accord slid under the back of my car almost to the tires/axle and the trailer hitch did a
80degree bend.. also exhaust ended up looking like a pretzel.

Car was 2 years old they paid out almost 20000$
 
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.
 
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Originally Posted By: Rand
it can save or create alot of damage..

minor hit =no damage

major hit = bent frame

I was rearended at 45mph in my 2009 elantra touring(while traveling 10mph) and it totally demolished the rear of the car... they would have had to weld in a new "trunk floor" area.

The old "shovel nose" honda accord slid under the back of my car almost to the tires/axle and the trailer hitch did a
150degree bend.. also exhaust ended up looking like a pretzel.

Car was 2 years old they paid out almost 20000$
I'm not seeing how the hitch mattered much when you got nailed at 45 mph.
 
Originally Posted By: donnyj08
or if you walk around the back of the vehicle without thinking and bust your shin on one... that hurts.


I remember in college watching a hitch get thrown into the ditch after someone walked into one sticking way out in a parking lot in a sea of cars and hurt their knee. I would not leave it in....
 
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.
 
Originally Posted By: hatt
I'm not seeing how the hitch mattered much when you got nailed at 45 mph.


It was 35mph speed differential(aprox) police report said 15mph(NOT) and I didnt have my foot on the brake/stopped so somewhat like bumper cars. Was watching a giant flock of ducks about 100ft away.. I would have ended up hitting at least 5-6 if I hadnt slowed down..

Enter clueless texter behind me... Said I suddenly slammed on my brakes for no reason
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in fact I had been slowly decelerating with my foot on the brake lightly for about 300ft.

Now in my 2002 ranger 4x4. I was rear ended 3x with the trailer hitch and no damage.. to me.

2x they needed new radiator and 1x it just put a giant dent in their license plate/bumper.

But my org point was my 18500$ car was totalled out at 20000$ and had only rear damage. No wheels, glass, doors or interior damaged at all. except trunk floor area and hatch.

I am sure it was a car part-out persons dream car.
I think without the trailer hitch the bumper would have absorbed more and been more fixable..

acc.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: Rand
it can save or create alot of damage..

minor hit =no damage

major hit = bent frame

I was rearended at 45mph in my 2009 elantra touring(while traveling 10mph) and it totally demolished the rear of the car... they would have had to weld in a new "trunk floor" area.

The old "shovel nose" honda accord slid under the back of my car almost to the tires/axle and the trailer hitch did a
80degree bend.. also exhaust ended up looking like a pretzel.

Car was 2 years old they paid out almost 20000$
same thing happend 2 me on my 2015 malibu. I was sitting at a red light and a chick hit me from behind at 35-45 mph and threw me into the guy in front of me. Car had 3.4k miles on it and cost around 19k 2 fix. They had to pull the rear-end out but it does not show on the carfax any frame damage.

https://www.instagram.com/p/84KXiaE1s6/
 
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When a comatose fool whips into the space behind your car you and find yourself boxed in, the hitch is a great way to get a little pulling out room without denting the back of your car. If the sprag in the fool's automatic jumps a few teeth, so what. The fool won't be boxing anyone in and running for his appointment for a while.
 
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Originally Posted By: hatt
Originally Posted By: Rand
it can save or create alot of damage..

minor hit =no damage

major hit = bent frame

I was rearended at 45mph in my 2009 elantra touring(while traveling 10mph) and it totally demolished the rear of the car... they would have had to weld in a new "trunk floor" area.

The old "shovel nose" honda accord slid under the back of my car almost to the tires/axle and the trailer hitch did a
150degree bend.. also exhaust ended up looking like a pretzel.

Car was 2 years old they paid out almost 20000$
I'm not seeing how the hitch mattered much when you got nailed at 45 mph.


The frame will bend whether or not the hitch is there or not. Cause what the hitch is bolted to?........you guessed it , the frame!
 
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.
 
Very similar thing happened in the Sierra. Light was red, she was stopped behind me. But then she thinks it turns green, nails the accelerator, and plows into the back of the truck. I'm just sitting there waiting for it to turn green, and POW.

Cop refused to write the clueless woman a ticket because he claimed he couldn't see any damage to the Sierra (except there was $2,000 in damage to it). The real reason why he refused to write the ticket as a 'professional courtesy', as she was a mass transit bus driver in that same city, and a moving violation would have caused her some real problems with her job.

I complained to the cop's supervisor, and it was a complete waste of time. A sleezy move by a cop is never wrong. Of course, that makes the supervisor just as sleezy as well.

The impact to the hitch bent the frame horns behind the rear axle. The body shop had to pull the horns back into place, re-undercoat them, and then install a new hitch.

When comparing it to my Silverado (with a factory tow-pack) the aftermarket Reese hitch that was on it used different mounting points than a GM hitch, so the body shop put a GM hitch on it. That way, it's not mounted in the same spot, nor is it using the same holes.
 
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.
 
Someone hit the hitch on my 4Runner and destroyed his bumper, radiator and grill while we were driving down the freeway. There was absolutely no damage to my SUV except some paint marks on the ball.

The trailer hitch stays.
 
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.
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Very similar thing happened in the Sierra. Light was red, she was stopped behind me. But then she thinks it turns green, nails the accelerator, and plows into the back of the truck. I'm just sitting there waiting for it to turn green, and POW.

Cop refused to write the clueless woman a ticket because he claimed he couldn't see any damage to the Sierra (except there was $2,000 in damage to it). The real reason why he refused to write the ticket as a 'professional courtesy', as she was a mass transit bus driver in that same city, and a moving violation would have caused her some real problems with her job.

I complained to the cop's supervisor, and it was a complete waste of time. A sleezy move by a cop is never wrong. Of course, that makes the supervisor just as sleezy as well.

The impact to the hitch bent the frame horns behind the rear axle. The body shop had to pull the horns back into place, re-undercoat them, and then install a new hitch.

When comparing it to my Silverado (with a factory tow-pack) the aftermarket Reese hitch that was on it used different mounting points than a GM hitch, so the body shop put a GM hitch on it. That way, it's not mounted in the same spot, nor is it using the same holes.
My neoghbor's F150 was rear ended. No obvious visible serious damage. $8K in repairs. He did not have a hitch in. Bent the frame and the bed.
 
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Originally Posted By: KGMtech

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?


I did-once when I was much younger. Instead of blaming the hitch, I blamed myself for not watching where I was going, and walking too close to the rear of the vehicle.

Some of us do it once, learn a lesson, and never do it again. Then there are others who do it, then want to blame the hitch or the other driver, and have the urge to throw it through the window of the truck. The choice and responsibility are yours.
 
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