I drive a big truck. You know where my hitch stays when not in use? The fucking cab. I've never understood why people leave them on their trucks. It's not convenient to leave it on because it makes it harder to back up without hitting something.
As a former mechanic in the rust belt, I hated the fuckers who left them in. Why? I’m the one who had to remove the drawbar once rusted solid to the hitch.
I frequently remove them and put them in the truck bed. I have a blind family member and a close friend who is in a wheelchair so when I’m with them it’s justice time
That’s fair, I was only ever at dead stops in parking garages and red lights, so it was all low speed collisions. Fortunate enough to never have experienced one at high speeds.
I don’t tailgate anyone. I keep a decent distance when I pull up behind someone that’s stopped. I was just saying that other people don’t and a hitch sticking out could be the difference between being hit or not.
My neighbour has an insane amount of tools. Massive guy too. It took himself and me over 12 hours to remove the hitch off my vehicle one day. We torched, freezed, drilled etc.. Eventually cut about 1 inch of the mount hole and finally got the damn thing off. It was on there for years and was my other friend's vehicle originally and he never took it off at all. We greased the hitch so much after that.
My brother bought a used Trail Blazer and the hitch was so rusted in we tow-strapped the ball to a large tree and tried to drive away with no pin and we still didn't free the hitch.
Just a heads up, if it's in your cab make sure it's secured. I worked as a paramedic for a few years and people roll their trucks a ***LOT*** here. It wasn't uncommon to find tools, hitches, chains and all sorts of shit embedded into occupants.
For lack of a better word. Impaled usually implies some sort of sharpness, heavy objects with enough mass though will just push through until the skin gives away
I guess I was just thinking “car accident” and not anything extra like unsecured shit floating around causing a head injury. I’ll be thinking twice about throwing canned goods in my front seat for real.
I knew some people who would leave them in, with the only reason being that if they were rear ended the other car would get totaled by having their radiator get punctured by it. Ignoring any possibility that a small fender bender might damage their truck's frame or they could be the one backing into someone.
You know, typically asshole truck driver things.
Saw a Saturn SL rear-ended a RAV4 with the hitch sticking out. Didn't damage the Saturn much as I drove by but the hitch frame had bent and punture the RAV4's gas tank! It was leaking all over the road!
Lots of people put bike racks on small cars with a 1.25 inch hitch. I’ve run a bike rack on my trucks for 25 years, I ride several times each week. But it was only a couple of years ago that I realized what an impediment it was to others, particularly people on wheel chairs, so I only park like that if I’m the in the last spot in a row.
This happened to by buddy. He bragged about how it destroyed the Prius that rear ended him and his truck was fine cause the hitch took all the damage. I told him he should take a look at the frame before he hooked his cattle trailer up to it again. He got under the truck and the frame had been bent like an inch forward. The truck looked and ran fine, but as far as heavy towing goes, it was effectively totaled.
Where I’m from, it’s illegal to leave your hitch on because of this. Also, even if you’re 100% not at fault for someone read ending you, insurance could deem you responsible for some damage if you leave the hitch on illegally
I had a dead battery on some equipment at work and my boss told me to grab the jumper box from his back seat of his huge diesel truck. I was looking all through his truck tool box and he asked me what I was doing, 'its in the back seat on the floor.' Later I mentioned how sketchy it was to have a 30 pound battery just sitting in his cab and asked why it wasn't in his tool box instead. He basically looked at me and walked away like I was an idiot for even asking that.
Because they need everyone to know they tow something with their truck once every 2.5 years, which obviously totally justifies their purchase of a truck
Dude same, I've backed into something with mine because I forgot I had it on and never again. When I drop my trailer it goes in the truck or in the RV.
How will everyone know that you occasionally haul a trailer or have a boat at home that’s not currently hooked to your truck if you don’t have the hitch attached?
These trucks also have backup cameras (you can see the camera bump near the tailgate handle). They'd be lying if they say they can't estimate their rear when they can actually see the rear 🤦🏻♂️
Hitch aside, the beds are still encroaching onto the sidewalk. That last truck is blocking more of the sidewalk with it's bed alone than the other two with the hitch
In some states it’s illegal. People generally like to seem harderworking or more outdoorsy than they actually are. A coworker of mine leaves his hitch on his jeep because he said it makes it look “rugged and capable”. Whatever the fuck that means.
If you don’t tow something daily then right in the cab it goes. Otherwise it’s just never not hooked up. Theres less time not towing than towing. Folks just don’t even think about it when the trailer isn’t on. It’s not malicious- it’s practical. Also it’s clear you don’t tow often it’s called a ball mount. Not a hitch. Makes sense why you’re taking the high road here as a “big truck driver.”
The difference between a ball mount and a hitch is semantics. It's literally impossible to not think about when you unhook the trailer because it's literally right there.
Two of those tow hitches look entirely unused and likely never will be. I think they’re for decoration only. I’m willing to bet the 4x4s will never be off-road either.
Yep. With a camera it's extremely easy to never put the hitch in a walkway. If any truck has a hitch and a camera and still does this, it was done on purpose.
I remember back when I had a small car, I left the hitch on when parallel parking so nobody would hit my car. I heard too many people openly saying how they use the other car's bumper to know when they've pulled up or backed up far enough. No thanks!
It is convenient when you do alot of towing to just leave it in. Also it works as a great proximity sensor when backing up to a wall or barricade of sorts. Also a pretty good anti tailgater device
My European ass doesn’t understand pickups anyway but we leave them on in case we get rear ended or bumped in a parking lot. Never had a car with a hitch tho.
I have a truck, but my local lumberyard has free delivery no minimum order size.
And it’s not like most people are buying 2x4s and sheets of plywood every day. You always rent a truck or trailer if you have a project or pay for delivery.
If I had to rent a truck or trailer every time I needed to move furniture, or buy a shrub or tree, or a single sheet of ply or move my kids to and from school..
Would be sooo nuch money.
I agree that you shouldn’t leave it dangling over a sidewalk, but I like that if somebody pulled up behind me too close while parking, it would stop them from hitting my bumper. If they manage to hit your bumper and you have a hitch, they have a fucking home through their radiator.
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u/BeardedSeagul 5h ago
I drive a big truck. You know where my hitch stays when not in use? The fucking cab. I've never understood why people leave them on their trucks. It's not convenient to leave it on because it makes it harder to back up without hitting something.