Yesterday my wife hurt her knee on a hitch on the back of someone's pickup in a parking lot. I don't know if it was a TT owner's truck but the lesson was clear. We need to be considerate and remove the hitch after we are done towing.

Lots of luck with this one. We have people who tow a fifth wheel south for six months, yet have hitch bars in place. I guess it is to protect their rear end from people like your wife.

Why was she walking so close to the back of someone's truck? My hitch weighs about 35 pounds, no way am I going to remove it!

I got an instant reminder to take mine off after banging my shin into mine. DOH!They even put up more lights where I work. Guy ran into someones in the dark and got hurt. So I second the motion. Take them off!

Sorry that your wife hurt herself but I would not put the blame on the hitch.

For those that like to leave it in place......you do know that with the thinking of "it will protect me if anyone rear ends me" is ridiculous! I work in a body shop and have seen frames damaged because the hitch acts as a lever and makes it very easy to fold a frame down when rear ended! many of them were totaled because it costs too much to replace a frame. I remove mine whenever it`s not being used. it protects it from the elements, and it keeps me or anyone else from running into it with their shin! plus it reduces potential damage to my truck in case of an accident. and it won`t rust in place! And yes sometimes it`s necessary to walk close to some ones truck, so don`t get upset when you are told it is unnecessary to leave it in place!

Please remove your hitch | Good Sam Community

Huntindog
Explorer
Dec 28, 2014
Education.This appears to be a house bill, that was allowed to die after spending about 2 years in committee. As far as I can tell, that was the end of it.

Lots of crazy bills are introduced all over the country.. All it usually takes is one legislator with an axe to grind.. Most don't go anywhere.
dewey02
Explorer II
Dec 28, 2014
cyntdon2010 wrote:
she need glasses

And shin guards :W
NinerBikes
Explorer
Dec 28, 2014
Leaving your hitch and ball in place defeats the purpose of having a 5 mph safety bumper, and constitutes neglect on the owners part. Yes, I pay attention when walking. Ever wonder why stairs are done in bright yellow paint? There's your sign.

Sure can tell who is lazy... a judge would pretty much ask "is it foreseeable that while not in use, someone walking through a public parking lot could get injured by leaving it in place?" Enough here have answered "yes, it is foreseeable". Standard test of reasonableness. Remove it when not in use.
cyntdon2010
Explorer
Dec 27, 2014
she need glasses
Butch50
Explorer
Dec 27, 2014
For the folks that are worried about them being stolen why don't you use a locking pin. I use one every time I put my stinger on my rig.

The ones that I don't like are the ones who back their rigs in and then they back over the sidewalk and now it is in the way for anybody that is walking on the sidewalk were they are supposed to be and with trucks when they back up till their rear wheels hit the curb or bumper on the ground have almost taken up the entire sidewalk. Those are the ones that make me mad.

Now the real good one is one time I went to an RV show and there was a full size dually truck parked in the parking lot and he had a 4' extended hitch, yeah I said 4' not 4, on the back of the truck and he was parked in a normal parking spot. He probably hauled a slide in trick camper and took it off and didn't bother remove the hitch and just came to the RV show and parked it. Now that one was really stupid.
kep5niner
Explorer
Dec 27, 2014
bfast54 wrote:
gchackett wrote:
Pretty sure it not legal to have a hitch receiver in when not towing here in Michigan. I see them all the time however but still don't make it right. I never drive around with one unless I am using it to tow. I have done that dance myself of getting a good shin buster from one. Don't recall ever doing it in a parking lot on someone else vehicle.

ARE YOU FRIGGING KIDDING ME?????????? Against the LAW???????

Please......educate us all.....Quote the statute........:S

Education.
dodge_guy
Explorer II
Dec 27, 2014
Rollnhome wrote:
I worked heavy construction for 40+ years. The hitch was left on my trucks for fourty years. Some days I used it a lot, some weeks I never used it it.
I left it on for two reasons. 1. It was a pain to take it on and off that often 2. It was a waste of time and it is only illegal if it blocked the license plate.
People need to be responsible for themselves and watch where they are going. Next they will be asking us to remove our side view mirrors when we park at the grocery store.

So you`re still using trucks from the 60`s and 70`s?!!!!!:E
Quick_trip
Explorer
Dec 27, 2014
TomG2:
I own a fifth wheel and DO NOT have any thing hanging out of the truck!
There are no hitch bars hanging from a fifth wheel set up.
A tow behind has hitch bars?
Correct me if I am wrong?
Huntindog
Explorer
Dec 27, 2014
TomG2 wrote:
Gdetrailer wrote:
Maybe the OP could invent and patent a hitch air bag for folks to install on their vehicles which would help cut down on the deaths caused by lazy folk walking to close..

Or perhaps a extremely loud siren with airport flashing lights which would go off whenever someone is within 20ft of the rear of the vehicle..

OP could make bunches of money by legislating some laws requiring all hitch owners to "retrofit" their patented "safety" systems for the lazy folks walking too close..

Perhaps we could sharpen them in order to maximize the damage to someone who happens to get too close or make them pointed so that they poke a nice neat hole in the event that you back up six inches too far.
How about poison on the sharpened tip? Lets improve the gene pool.:B
TomG2
Explorer
Dec 27, 2014
Gdetrailer wrote:
Maybe the OP could invent and patent a hitch air bag for folks to install on their vehicles which would help cut down on the deaths caused by lazy folk walking to close..

Or perhaps a extremely loud siren with airport flashing lights which would go off whenever someone is within 20ft of the rear of the vehicle..

OP could make bunches of money by legislating some laws requiring all hitch owners to "retrofit" their patented "safety" systems for the lazy folks walking too close..

Perhaps we could sharpen them in order to maximize the damage to someone who happens to get too close or make them pointed so that they poke a nice neat hole in the event that you back up six inches too far.