Must remove the hitch?

terryknight · Nov 30, 2014

FTG-05 said:
Good grief, you guys are slippin'!

I'm still waiting for someone to post that video of that woman who walked right into a water fountain!

this gentleman wanted to see the video... so i posted it....

GGB · Nov 30, 2014

I recently in a parking garage and inadvertently walked too close to some *****'s truck and ran into his trailer hitch that was left in. Made me so mad I could have hit the jerk for leaving it in, but realized I would only be hurting myself......

Yeah, it was my hitch on my truck.

CobyRupert · Nov 30, 2014

No way there should be a law that you have to remove hitch. If you want to leave it in it should be your right. But I'm lobbying for a law it has to be covered with one of these just as soon as I buy stock in the company.

View attachment 166-455.bmp

166-455 DAVIS SHIN SAVER HITCH COVER

DT86 · Nov 30, 2014

I'll take my hitch out when I'm not using it as soon as my girlfriend stops leaving her d**n shoes where I trip over them, on the way to the head at 3am.

wawajake · Dec 1, 2014

timswi said:
If you are too lazy to remove your drawbar when it's not in use, I wonder what else you're too lazy to do when the trailer is in use.. Just sayin..

ya were lazy........we also don't wash our tractors evey weekend, and the truck might get one wax job every year if it is lucky...... sometimes I don't even recycle my beer cans...............I guess we are busy with other things, and don't have time worry about silly things that shouldn't matter to anyone but myself. So watch where your walking ! my dog is lazy too he might be sleeping behind the truck and one might trip over him.

Soundguy · Dec 1, 2014

timswi said:
I mistakenly believed that the people on TBN actually cared about someone beyond themselves..This thread proves I was very wrong. Lesson learned by me..

logical fallacy. this thread =/= that tbn'rs don't care for others.

Soundguy · Dec 1, 2014

two_bit_score said:
Tim, if you are walking through parking lots watching your feet all the time there is no telling what you would bump in to. I try to keep a look out for my own safety.

I think what tim is telling us is that his eyes only work in a single fixed position, thus he can either only look straight ahead, and for some reason not recall what he sees afar as he approaches it, resulting in him tripping over normal things like kids, sleeping dogs, potholes, edges of curbs, orange cones behind utility trucks, or srawbars when he is skimming the back of someones vehicle.

OR. he can choose to look ONLY down, to watch for the drawbars, potholes, kids, dog, curb, cones etc, but then he walks into other things

It would be great if he could scan his souroundings liek the rest of us do when walking. IE. look around and out and down every now and then.

With a disability like that he surely should qualify for one of those parking permits that lets him part in the 1st spot.

By parking inthe first spot.. he might just get away without out banig into anything, maybee.. unless they have curbs, or kids...

dieselcrawler · Dec 1, 2014

Aside from the fact there is no documented law that requires you to remove your hitch... it boils down to situational awareness and personal responsibility. I use my senses to be aware of my surroundings in all places. I never run my shins into truck (or any other vehicle) hitches unless I'm not paying attention, at which time I cuss myself for being a jacka$$. It's normally my own hitch. And I still leave that heavy sob in the reciever.

Ken · Dec 2, 2014

Maybe just leave the tail gate down then if walking to close to truck can run into a more sensitivity area of the body.

Used to have the problem of hitting the draw bar until learned of this method. It is a life time learning experience not repeated .

As to having to remove the hitch . Some will . some wouldn't who really cares.

Now the truck mirrors. I try to reposition if after towing a wide load to put closer to truck . Getting out of truck locking the door and turning into the mirror. Enough to scare anyone .
ken

sklunk · Dec 4, 2014

I stayed out of this thread because I don't care if you leave your hitch in or not (personally I take mine out and keep a separate hitch and ball stored with each trailer so I know I have the right rating for that particular trailer). But I will add this:

If you leave your hitch in you are responsible for knowing the length of your vehicle. It bugs me when I try to pull into a parking space and the person in the space in front of me has a hitch that is sticking over the line into my space. That shows you can't do something as simple as judge the length of your vehicle so it scares me that you could be towing 8 or 10 thousands pounds (or more!) on a highway near me. Earlier posts in this thread argued that if I hit your truck it's my fault for not being aware of my surroundings. I say it's your fault for not being aware of the length of your truck and not being able to keep it in your own space. I don't care if you leave your hitch in but be aware of your surroundings if you are going to drive around with it sticking out!

Walking into a hitch on a vehicle that is parked CORRECTLY is a different story ...

Diamondpilot · Dec 5, 2014

This was on Facebook this morning.

Chris

Ford850 · Dec 5, 2014

I leave mine in if I'm using it again soon. I use common sense and remove it when I want. But I've been pulling a trailer several times a week lately, and leave it in bewteen trips smost of the time. So, parked in the garage with the door down, there is about 12" of space to walk through. I haven't banged into it but my pant legs have brushed against it a couple times, leaving a nice large black grease smear. I had to chuckle both times, thinking of this thread.

I was at Rural King last evening and did a quick study of the 8 trucks in the lot. 4 had a hitch and 4 were empty.

Soundguy · Dec 6, 2014

You are required to know the length if you vehicle hitch in OR out.

sklunk said:
I stayed out of this thread because I don't care if you leave your hitch in or not (personally I take mine out and keep a separate hitch and ball stored with each trailer so I know I have the right rating for that particular trailer). But I will add this:

If you leave your hitch in you are responsible for knowing the length of your vehicle. It bugs me when I try to pull into a parking space and the person in the space in front of me has a hitch that is sticking over the line into my space. That shows you can't do something as simple as judge the length of your vehicle so it scares me that you could be towing 8 or 10 thousands pounds (or more!) on a highway near me. Earlier posts in this thread argued that if I hit your truck it's my fault for not being aware of my surroundings. I say it's your fault for not being aware of the length of your truck and not being able to keep it in your own space. I don't care if you leave your hitch in but be aware of your surroundings if you are going to drive around with it sticking out!

Walking into a hitch on a vehicle that is parked CORRECTLY is a different story ...

Soundguy · Dec 6, 2014

Rural king being a farm store may skey the odds, might look at a WalMart, then again, if in an ag town, that may skew the data too. Ag or contractor heavy... Etc.

Ford850 said:
I leave mine in if I'm using it again soon. I use common sense and remove it when I want. But I've been pulling a trailer several times a week lately, and leave it in bewteen trips smost of the time. So, parked in the garage with the door down, there is about 12" of space to walk through. I haven't banged into it but my pant legs have brushed against it a couple times, leaving a nice large black grease smear. I had to chuckle both times, thinking of this thread.
I was at Rural King last evening and did a quick study of the 8 trucks in the lot. 4 had a hitch and 4 were empty.

jejeosborne · Dec 6, 2014

Soundguy said:
Rural king being a farm store may skey the odds, might look at a WalMart, then again, if in an ag town, that may skew the data too. Ag or contractor heavy... Etc.

I thought the same thing when I read it. I also wonder how many people are aware they even have a receiver hitch or what it is for around the Metropolitan areas.

Soundguy · Dec 6, 2014

jejeosborne said:
I thought the same thing when I read it. I also wonder how many people are aware they even have a receiver hitch or what it is for around the Metropolitan areas.

I agree

mikehaugen · Dec 6, 2014

Saw a guy the other day in a new-ish f-350 diesel 4x4 parked in a handicapped spot at walmart with truck running. I was curious if he had handicapped plates so I checked, he was from Florida... go figure. (Sorry Soundguy)

Oh, and the point of the post is that he had the drawbar in.

Soundguy · Dec 6, 2014

A Floridian in il in a big truck with a hitch might be pulling a travel trailer. If he was in a handicap space, did he have a tag OR a rear view mirror hanger temp permit? If so I see no issue. He would be legally parked with sticker or permit, and if he does have a disability, he may not want to manhandle that draw at out for a trip to town.

mikehaugen · Dec 6, 2014

Soundguy said:
A Floridian in il in a big truck with a hitch might be pulling a travel trailer. If he was in a handicap space, did he have a tag OR a rear view mirror hanger temp permit? If so I see no issue. He would be legally parked with sticker or permit, and if he does have a disability, he may not want to manhandle that draw at out for a trip to town.

No such indication, that's the way we do it here, but I wasn't sure if Florida did something else.

mikehaugen · Dec 6, 2014

mikehaugen said:
No such indication, that's the way we do it here, but I wasn't sure if Florida did something else.

No offense to you Soundguy, and I have bordered the Chicago Suburbs for most of my life so I know that there are a lot of "different" people out there. I was just pokin a little fun.