Opinions On Keeping Trailer Hitch Installed

Last week I returned to my T4R in a parking lot to find the nose of a car dang near touching the rear of my truck bumper and hitch. I wondered if they bumped me at all when they pulled in.

I had to pull ahead enough to take a closer look. I decided that my truck had not been touched or bumped, or if it had, I could not see anything wrong. But still it pissed me off. And I was properly parked in my spot- the rear of my vehicle was not over the white line at all, so not taking up any space of the spot behind me.

I swear I’m beginning to think that some ignorant pigs actually pull in to a spot and actually bump the car ahead of them to “feel” where they’re at, and then back up a bit to park and shut down.

I am beginning to wonder if I should start leaving my trailer ball hitch installed in my receiver hitch on the truck, just to act as a sort of protection against my truck bumper getting bumped? If some dumb ass bumps my ball hitch then because they can’t judge their distance, well too bad so sad for them.

In the past, l used to look upon it as discourteous to leave a hitch installed when you don’t have a trailer attached, but I feel like I’m beginning to change my attitude on that, just to maybe help protect my truck from getting bumped in back.

Thoughts, good, or bad?

Conversely, I would then be worried about some S.O.B. stealing it on me. 2 seconds and it’s gone.

 

Personally nope. If you get rear ended you take on all that energy to the hitch while bypassing a lot of the crumple zones.

 

Bigger the hitch the less people try to tailgate.

I roll with my Rhino Hitch 24/7 unless I need to take it off for something.

 

Here Here! I keep my hitch mounted at all times. To hell what others think.




Someone in another thread called it a Black Dinosaur dick. I thought that was hilarious and that's what I call it now.

 

In some states it is illegal to leave the hitch in if you are not actively towing something.

 

Not states, state.

Massachusetts: This state is the only one where it is actually illegal to operate a vehicle with a trailer hitch installed and not actively towing something. There's a specific law (§90A of Chapter 90 of the Massachusetts General Laws) that addresses this.

In all other states, it is not illegal PROVIDED it does not block the license plate of the vehicle.

 

Yes put something between you and the tailgaters, texters and bad parkers. A metal step would be a good option as well.

 

Depends on the speed of the collision. The long hitch creates a lot more leverage to bend the frame. Could be the difference between an expensive repair and getting totaled. For street use you want something frangible, like the Weathertech Bump Step:

 

I was rear ended in a Ford Aerostar many years ago, the down force on the hitch/receiver bent the frame down and insurance totaled the vehicle.

 

I leave mine in all the time now. I just try to park where no one will wreck their knee on it. Get a locking pin, and don't worry about theft. They're about 13 to 30 dollars on you know where.

 

I use this and it’s not so easy for me to bang my shins on.

$36 AUTOBOTS Tow Hitch Receiver 2", 45000 Lbs Break Strength Shackle Hitch Receiver with 5/8" Hitch Pin, 3/4 D Ring Shackle, Towing Accessories for Truck Trailer Recovery Off-Road Black&Black

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DXZPCM2?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

Mine stays on all the time. I do pull my 5x8 enclosed trailer quite a bit.

 

Grind that sucker into a spike for max effect

 

Thanks for all the comments everyone. And thanks for that lock idea Guppy1301.

I’m going to order a lock, and start keeping my ball hitch installed. I also don’t mind parking out a ways from congestion, but sure as hell, many times when I come back out to my truck, other vehicles are parked around me, or behind me. Like a magnet I guess.

If a particular lot is not using angled parking, but has straight out parking lines, I usually like to park where I am facing forward, therefore ready to pull straight forward and out when I am ready to leave. Hence my concern for having the rear of my truck vulnerable to some idiot parking behind me.

My primary concern is getting bumped in the rear end at low speed in a parking lot scenario. I hadn’t given any thought to getting rear ended out on the open road at road speeds. I suppose there is a tipping point with the physics forces involved as to whether a hitch sticking out of your vehicle’s rear would be a benefit or a liability if you get rear ended on the road.

 

Look at Bolt for a lock so you can just use your OEM key: https://www.boltlock.com/

 

In some states it's illegal to keep the hitch in when not towing. YMMV

 

Try read post #6.

 

thats why i leave my 3 ball w/ hook on 24/7 to protect from ignorance. You can use a hitch pin lock for thieves.

 

all hail the big “DD”!

 

My shins don't like my hitch left in.

 

I figure I've got upwards of a half-million miles under my belt, easily. Across those miles, I've been bumped in the drive-through or the parking lot WAY many more times than I've been rearended on the road (zero).

 

Chances are the idiot parkers will hit the sides of your bumper and not In the center.

 

My shins like thin one better. Still sticks out but not as much as hitch.

 

What about door dings, a bumper is a bumper, supposed to take and absorb bumps. And is plastic and easily fixable/replaceable.

 

It doesn't protect the vehicle. It bends the frame in a collision. It acts like a lever. It's not "flat" so the rear ending car just pushes into it, pierces their ac condenser and radiator, and it bends your frame and the rear end gets impacted.

I worked for years as an estimator. I used to love the integrated tow hitch until I saw bent frames. It's better to have a bolt-on, but they still bend frames, to a lesser degree.

 

If I get rear ended enough for the hitch to bend my frame time for a new vehicle anyways.

I don't get attached to my rides.

 

I'm not sure if anybody else here has eyes, but I recently noticed that the hitch receiver itself sticks out further than the bumper. So, you get all of the protection of leaving your hillbilly trailer hitch hook in without even looking like you probably married your sister.

 

You just offended the entire state of Kentucky (and most of Georgia)!

 

Guess you've never seen something rear ended with and without a hitch.

It makes a difference. The little bit the receiver sticks out isn't much.

 

I've done this about a thousand times while parallel parking in tight spots. Tapping a bumper at ~1 mph is never going to hurt anything.