WHY leave trailer hitch on !

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I just don't get it, why do so many people leave their trailer hitch in the receiver forever? It really annoys me for some reason. Big old rusty ball hang off the back of even newer trucks and SUV's. And most of them probably don't even ever pull a trailer or own one. Every time I get done with a trailer, the first thing I do is remove it and plug the receiver. Looks so much better and i don't bang my shin on it, or back into something with it.
 
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Why? Because I use it a lot of the time, it's not illegal in Iowa and it'll teach the person who rear ends me to be pay better attention instead of texting or being distracted.
 
A few years back I was watching a Saturday morning fishing show. The host of the show was talking and walking around the back of his tow vehicle, when he walked right into the ball shin first. He fell down in pain and almost rolled into the lake.It's always funny when it happens to somebody else. Anywho, I always take mine off in case there's a camera rolling somewhere.,,
 
Some time back I saw a lady gash her leg on a rusty trailer hitch while walking through a parking lot.
The hitch really did stick out from the rear of the truck.

I wondered at the time if she might have a case if see was to seek damages.
 
I was rear ended one time while driving a 78 buick wagon with the hitch ball in. No damage at all, the bumper was not even touched. The prelude was dang near totaled. On one hand it may help save your bumper from minor rear end collisions. However on a major rear end collision it may transfer more energy to the frame/ unibody than if it was not there. I leave mine in though.
 
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I would expect she may have had a case. It is reasonable to expect the outside of any vehicle not to have stuff sticking out that is sharp enough to cause a gash. At the same time it is reasonable to expect people to snake their way around vehicles in a parking lot where the spaces are barely big enough for our SUV-laden public.
 
Originally Posted By: volk06
Why? Because I use it a lot of the time, it's not illegal in Iowa and it'll teach the person who rear ends me to be pay better attention instead of texting or being distracted.

It should be illegal. I use mine a lot, but it is simple to remove, and I will do it twice a day if needed. And what are you going to teach someone who rear ends you? It is hard enough to maneuver around long vehicles in parking lots, let alone have the hitch hanging off the back doing nothing.
 
I leave it in as a tailgating deterrent. It does help. I had a big tow hook in the receiver of my Explorer and nobody tailgated that thing. It also protects the bumper should someone run their car into it.

As for hitting your shins, it's not too hard to watch where you are going. That seems like something that's pretty easy to avoid.
 
Originally Posted By: Kestas
I would expect she may have had a case. It is reasonable to expect the outside of any vehicle not to have stuff sticking out that is sharp enough to cause a gash. At the same time it is reasonable to expect people to snake their way around vehicles in a parking lot where the spaces are barely big enough for our SUV-laden public.


Agreed.

I know many owners need it that way because of usage, but most leave it on due to neglect or other reasons.

I think it's against the law in some areas to leave the hitch in place on a receiver system and rightfully so IMO.
 
Originally Posted By: RISUPERCREWMAN
I leave mine on in case of a rear end collision!

Well that is a great idea. I think I will put a couple hitches in both sides of my truck and the front too.
 
Originally Posted By: Traction
Originally Posted By: RISUPERCREWMAN
I leave mine on in case of a rear end collision!

Well that is a great idea. I think I will put a couple hitches in both sides of my truck and the front too.


A lot of people are absent minded drivers, more focused on their phone than anything else. They almost routinely bump into other cars at lights. I have had these types run into my vehicles before, and the hitch prevented them from damaging my bumper or tailgate. These may also be the same people who walk right into trailer hitches in parking lots.
 
I hate when idiots leaves their tailgate down. This does NOT improve highway aerodynamics only a kicker cap might help airflow and turbulent drag.
I've closed a few at WM lots and no one gave me any lip. Call it a Peeve.
 
I leave mine in when I am using it a lot. Right now I have one in with no ball that I use with a clevis and tow strap for pulling stuck cars out of the snow. Used a few too many times in the last few days.

If my leaving it in means you hurt yourself on it while walking past my truck or from rear ending me in accident, here's a tip : You are too close!

I was rear ended once and the driver said I wish you didn't have your hitch in. I said to him that I wished he wasn't tailgating me in the first place. He had no response.
 
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
I leave it in as a tailgating deterrent. It does help. I had a big tow hook in the receiver of my Explorer and nobody tailgated that thing. It also protects the bumper should someone run their car into it.

As for hitting your shins, it's not too hard to watch where you are going. That seems like something that's pretty easy to avoid.


This thread reminds me of the book, "Unsafe at any speed" by Ralph Nader. Though he had a lot of wonky ideas, the title of his book came from the fact that some cars were a hazard even when parked. He wrote about one incident where a bicyclist lost control of his bike and got impaled by the fin of a 1959 Cadillac, illustrating how dangerous vehicles can be even standing still. He had a good point there, and in ensuing years cars were made to be pedestrian friendly, and not loaded with pointy objects - like the airplane on the hood of my dad's 55 Ford, or the bullets on the hood of my 57 Chevy - which can impale pedestrians. This action should be extended to trailer hitches as well.

As far as asking people to be careful, this can be applied to most any hazard. Why do you think we have guard rails and decelleration barrels at abutments, and even salt the sidewalks? The same argument can be applied here as well -- just be careful! Much as we ask the public to be careful, we also have to recognize the fact that hazards exist, and we need to minimize them. Leaving a sharp object sticking out of your vehicle is irresponsible.
 
I just remove mine when I am done. I do not remove it as curiosity but as a weight saving move.

I will admit I am peeved when I am driving around and I see a hitch on a truck that I know that has not towed anything in months or ever.
 
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