Remove your hitch.

[two_bit_score]

Not when really small, teens maybe. Also, my kids have OI so they break bones easily. They still road bikes, hiked and did other stuff that that isn't sugar coating. Funny how removing a hitch is a disservice. Seems more like a safety issue to me. Maybe we should start leaving the blades out on our utility knives so the kiddies can learn.

As for the sue happy people, you're right but being right won't save your wallet in this world.

If I had really small kids playing around something dangerous I'd try to train them about the danger as well as remove the danger if necessary but I wouldn't let kids under my control run lose in parking lots either.

 

[two_bit_score]

alright i admit, when i was younger, i nailed my shins on them bloody hitchs a few good times, and i remember the blue and black bruises left as well. back then though, i was use to all sort of vehicles not having a bloody hitch sticking out, from high school, collage, shopping, etc...

then i started grow up and pay attention, and actually drive the vehicles that need the hitch regularly, and actually got in the workforce were hitches were every were, do to folks pulling trailers here and there, and it is just common thought to double check for it now. i am use to it. and my eyes end up hitting the hitch regardless to double check that wiring is ok, and if if i need to swap out the ball or not. or if i need an adapter for the wiring.

have i hit my shin in last few years, yes i have, but generally completely not paying attention, and to much in a rush to even care, thankfully i wasn't power walking along, but getting into the rear of the vehicle. so leg was not at full swing.

hey i use hitchs as step getting in a truck if i need to. bumpers just look to easy to break on some trucks.

will i continue to leave the hitch in... well that be a problem since i tore my hitch off rear of vehicle... once it is replaced, ya sure, i will leave it in. use it to much.

Now, come on, admit that you tore that hitch off backing into some yahoos Prius parked too close to you in a parking lot, right? :laughing:

 

[sld]

I will leave mine in for most of camping / boating season. Also, I have pulled trailers for friends when I had no plans to do so. Draw bar at home wouldn't have been any good. I used to have trailers at more than one location. After forgetting the draw bar once, and needing to take a trailer home, I started to leave it in for a good part of the year.

Worst part about leaving mine in is getting a good grease smudge on my leg. Need to be better about cleaning it.

 

[Mikeeemo]

The point I was making earlier is one of personal responsibility. We don't live in fear of litigation. We take responsibility for our personal safety. Which includes paying attention to our surroundings. If I bang by hand on a door frame, who's fault is it? Mine. I am not going to sue the property owner, for the frame being to close to my hand. So, if I bang my knee on a hitch, that is on me too. I personally am keenly aware of hazards. I believe that no one is more concerned about you, than you.

Do I remove my hitch at times? Yes, when it benefits the situation I am in. As a rule, i have a big weight distribution hitch hanging off the back, About 50 pounds worth.

It has my 2 5/16 ball, the one I use the most.

It also discourages people following too close.

 

[dieselcrawler]

I tow regularly, use a pintel hook, and it has a step plate incorporated into the whole heavy mess. I live in the country, where a lot of trucks will be found with a hitch in the reciver. My truck sits high and my kids use it as a step to get in th the tool box on the truck when I send them after something. To each their own... it hurts my shin when I forget but even I use it as a step daily.

 

[cqaigy2]

I guess i never realized that hitches were such a divisive subject. I figured people that left them in, used them a lot, and or didn't bother to take them out, and people that took them out, didn't want them stolen, or didn't want to run into them or like the looks of a clean silhouette. But mostly didn't think anything one way or the other. It didn't occur to me that some people think of them as a badge of independence and manliness or defense. I believe im slightly in the camp of don't want some jerk to steal it, so if im going to the "big" city, i'll usually pop the pin, pull the insert out and throw it in the job box in back of the pickup.

 

[brin]

I guess i never realized that hitches were such a divisive subject. I figured people that left them in, used them a lot, and or didn't bother to take them out, and people that took them out, didn't want them stolen, or didn't want to run into them or like the looks of a clean silhouette. But mostly didn't think anything one way or the other. It didn't occur to me that some people think of them as a badge of independence and manliness or defense. I believe im slightly in the camp of don't want some jerk to steal it, so if im going to the "big" city, i'll usually pop the pin, pull the insert out and throw it in the job box in back of the pickup.

Same here...and if you ever crack your shin on your hitch or someone elses you won't soon forget it...

 

[bcp]

Soften it.

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Soft Hitch Trailer Hitch Ball Cover



Bruce

 

[hawkeye08]

I use my truck for what I want, sometimes I tow a trailer, sometimes not. Sometimes I pull the stinger out, sometimes I leave it in. It is my choice, not yours. There is no reason to be cutting through the parking lot between cars, that IS the LAZY part, not me leaving my hitch the way I want it. If you hit my hitch with your shin or car, it is you being LAZY, not me. Next thing will be running boards that stick out, you will need to have the ones that retract so no one can bump into it.... years ago, I had a front mount bike carrier on my pickup, guys at work gave me crap because someone was cutting through and ran into it... seriously, they ran into bright orange bike rack.... we went camping every weekend back then in the summer and it took 20 minutes to install the rack, I chose to leave it on.

I read a sign recently, "I don't need anger management, I need people to stop pissing me off".....

 

[Soundguy]

Come on, people... Do you really abdicate personal responsibility in lieu of the government taking care of you? Really? May you never have to think for yourself again... If you walk so close to my truck, that you stub your thigh on my hitch, well, lesson learned. That being the case, you're too close... If my hitch wasn't there, maybe I should sue you for scratching my truck... You're so close, if you didn't hit my hitch, you've scratched my truck, right?

yep. the hitch or bike rack or carrier back there is no different than any other obstacle.

navigation should avoid obstacles.. car / truck or walking.

if you have to walk so close to my truck.. then you might want to look at the ground now and then.. otherwise you might fid a curb or tree limb.. or root.. or bottle some person tossed. IE. there are plenty of things for people that don't pay attention to trip on!