Trailer Hitch in or removed?
- Thread starter lotsofmiles
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- thats a sweet van
I hear that defently get stolen and the locks just get filled with shit and dont come unlocked. but must say my buddy was backing out of my driveway and started pulling away and someone hit him about 3k later to the car and his jeep has a bent lisence plate the guy was pissed lmao so did the cop.:thumb:
Here is what I did
Went to the scrap yard and got some 3" channel, and some 2" box. box goes in the receiver, welded channel to drop it down about 12" then welded a 4 foot long piece of channel to that as a step. Painted it and got some rubber step stuff from Wal-Mart. Now to stop it from rocking, I drilled a smaller hole than the receiver, got a grade 8 bolt and a sleeve. Sleeve is smaller than the receiver hole but not the hitch so it pulls it tight against the side and cant rock. A great car catcher-and a great step!
Sorry to go off on a rant in your poll
Went to the scrap yard and got some 3" channel, and some 2" box. box goes in the receiver, welded channel to drop it down about 12" then welded a 4 foot long piece of channel to that as a step. Painted it and got some rubber step stuff from Wal-Mart. Now to stop it from rocking, I drilled a smaller hole than the receiver, got a grade 8 bolt and a sleeve. Sleeve is smaller than the receiver hole but not the hitch so it pulls it tight against the side and cant rock. A great car catcher-and a great step!
Sorry to go off on a rant in your poll
My bumper hitch comes out sometimes. Usually when it is in the shop because it gets a little tight walking around it. The goosneck stays in all the time.
Agreed, well over 20 to do that.
I leave mine in, if some idiot rear-ends me it's their fault. Why should I have the hassle of being without my truck (in the body shop), because some idiot couldn't stop in time.
The guy says he is pissed about the time/$ it cost him, but did he ever think that if the guy in front of him didn't have a trailer hitch in and he hit the guys bumper/body that HE WOULD HAVE CAUSED the guy HE HIT to be without his truck for a while (hassle and frustration).
He did $X damage to HIS OWN vehicle and is pissed at what it cost, what he doesn't realize is the guy he hit had $0/minimal damage whereas if he didn't have a hitch in the damage would likely have been the same dollar amount OR More, just spread out between the two vehicles. The sad part is we are living in an "all about me" society. The guy is too selfish to realize that the trailer hitch saved the poor guy he hit FURTHUR hassle/aggravation. Now if the guy backed into him and caused severe damage I can see the frustration, but he hit the other guy....
We are living in a sad/selfish time!
Edit: My hitch is left in 90% of the time
Mines in 90%+ of the time. Saved me a bumper this fall an has saved a bumper on past trucks too. I haven't hit my shins on the hitch for a couple years (knock on wood) so I guess I'm used to going around it.
Here's what the last car that bumped me looked like when it hit my three ball hitch. Did absolutely zero damage to my truck. The cop laughed and said that he always has his hitch in for this very reason. It went right through her grill and into the radiator support and then radiator.
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Here's what the last car that bumped me looked like when it hit my three ball hitch. Did absolutely zero damage to my truck. The cop laughed and said that he always has his hitch in for this very reason. It went right through her grill and into the radiator support and then radiator.
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It seems like the concensus is that everybody leaves it in as extra protection when getting backended.
I worked at a MI RV dealer for 3 seasons. Installing load-leveling hitches on vehicles was a regular thing for us. On a few times, the service techs played hell trying to get siezed ball mounts out of recievers because the owner always left it in place. Usually a torch or a BFH would get it loose. But in one case, a new receiver had to be installed on the truck because the ball mount failed to come out, even after repeated jerking with a forklift and a tow chain.
My recommendation is if you want to leave the ball mount in place all the time, at least grease up the square shank before installing it into the receiver. The grease will help prevent the ball mount from siezing in the receiver.
I worked at a MI RV dealer for 3 seasons. Installing load-leveling hitches on vehicles was a regular thing for us. On a few times, the service techs played hell trying to get siezed ball mounts out of recievers because the owner always left it in place. Usually a torch or a BFH would get it loose. But in one case, a new receiver had to be installed on the truck because the ball mount failed to come out, even after repeated jerking with a forklift and a tow chain.
My recommendation is if you want to leave the ball mount in place all the time, at least grease up the square shank before installing it into the receiver. The grease will help prevent the ball mount from siezing in the receiver.
I voted when the poll was first introduced...
I leave my hitch in all the time. It saved me at least a scuff on this bumper (parking lot...other car didn't know where to stop) and a bumper on another truck (rear-ended).
I grease the my hitch lock, the receiver, and the hitch ball. I kick it every once in awhile to make sure it's not seized. I keep a coat of grease on my gooseneck hitch as well.
I leave my hitch in all the time. It saved me at least a scuff on this bumper (parking lot...other car didn't know where to stop) and a bumper on another truck (rear-ended).
I grease the my hitch lock, the receiver, and the hitch ball. I kick it every once in awhile to make sure it's not seized. I keep a coat of grease on my gooseneck hitch as well.
As we are getting ready for snow, I remeber another reason I take mine out. So I don't but it through a clients garage door while plowing!! I do have one of those steps that you put in there, but I do not think that it is going to do much for car-stopping.
