Hitch -- leave on or take off?

[stevejones]

Hi all,

When you are On The Road, as you stop here and there, do you remove your hitch and store it until it is time to go? We have an equalizer hitch which is a lot of steel. Some guys at the dealership when we picked up the trailer cautioned us to remove the hitch when not traveling as it was a target for scrap metal hunters. Another reason to remove it is to save your knees from bumping into it...

If you remove it, how do you store it?

Thanks,

Steve

[wulfraat]

I have an equalizer as well.

I remove it.

I leave it under the trailer. If I’m worried I’ll lock it with a long steel cable through the spring arm receiver or simply put it on the airstream carpet mat by the front door and lock it in the trailer. But I rarely if ever lock it up unless for long term storage.

Without load it beats up your receiver bonking on down the road.

It also totally sucks when you are walking behind the truck and smash your shin into sharp heavy steel hitch.

It also sucks when you forget it’s still connected and you back into someone’s car destroying their front bumper when parking at the grocery store.

I’m not sure what the benefit is to keeping an equalizer hitch attached to the truck when not towing. It takes less than 10 seconds to remove and chuck under the trailer out of the way [emoji4]

[ROBERT CROSS]

...it is secured with a locking pin.
HaHa is much too heavy to screw around with with..🥴

Bob
🇺🇸

[moosetags]

We always remove our Hensley hitch bar when we unhook Lucy. We store it on a couple of leggos next to the tongue. We secure it to one of the tow chains with a pin lock.

We have always done this because the Hensley hitch bar sticks out so far that we are concerned that someone will trip on it in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

Brian

[Acheron2010]

Usually, anything longer than a 2 day stay in an area I take it off, put a trash bag over it and put it in the truck bed. Just being polite and saving myself from bruised shins. Seriously contemplating this solution - a local weld shop quoted me $140.

[Al and Missy]

Originally Posted by moosetags

We always remove our Hensley hitch bar when we unhook Lucy. We store it on a couple of leggos next to the tongue. We secure it to one of the tow chains with a pin lock.

We have always done this because the Hensley hitch bar sticks out so far that we are concerned that someone will trip on it in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

Brian

I put a battery carrier strap on the top bolt of my ProPride stinger. When unhitching I pull the truck forward a foot or two, pull it out, put it in the hitch on the trailer and swivel it to one side or the other. I only have to move it a couple of feet and it's at the same level. No bending and lifting required.

Al

[Mollysdad]

I made two (2") PVC tubes 36" long with caps and store the bars in those. They live in the truck. The shank and head I leave on.
At home, I remove the head and shank and drop it onto a small Harbor Freight furniture dolly, cover with an overturned Rubbermaid Tote and roll it into the garage.

[Hittenstiehl]

We have a regular (weight distribution) hitch and leave it on while camping. Take the wd bars and anti sway bar and put in truck or under trailer tongue in Campground.

At home we take it off, store it on cardboard in trailer and put a small shank ball on truck for everyday type use.

Recently we left it in the driveway as we were going to clean and lube it and forgot to tuck it behind the gate and it grew feet and walked away. Arrggg.

A few states require you to remove it while driving if not towing.

[majorairhead]

I let mine in unless staying in one spot for a week or so.

See R. Cross post above.

[GMFL]

Here’s what I did. Works great!
Here’s my blog post.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/blog...h-holder-2900/

[tbashin]

Originally Posted by Acheron2010

Usually, anything longer than a 2 day stay in an area I take it off, put a trash bag over it and put it in the truck bed. Just being polite and saving myself from bruised shins. Seriously contemplating this solution - a local weld shop quoted me $140.

Archeron, I get the receiver tube for storing the receiver but what's the rectangle steel tube for?

[sallye]

We always take it off. One, it keeps us from banging our shins on it. Two, we always check the torque on the nuts every trip, and you have to take it off to do that anyway since you mount it up-side-down to test. Three, it doesn't get stolen that way. Four, in some states (ours) it's illegal to drive around with it on and nothing hitched. I really doubt anyone ever gets ticketed for this small rule, but it does save our shins.

[jlandreth]

I leave ours in because we have the Rock Guard mud flaps attached to the insert and together it is too much to remove and find a place to store.

[labalope]

We used to worry about hooking those things up and taking them off Got a Anderson hitch, can be adjusted for weight distribution, no anti sway barsI drive 65-70 with absolutely no sway, labalope

[labalope]

An add to the last post, I am pulling a 31 classic with a 2500 dura max 2016 Chevy

[kamadeca]

We always remove the receiver. In some jurisdictions it is illegal to drive with the hitch on the back of the tow vehicle when not towing a trailer.
As a side note, it is also illegal to drive with tow mirrors (either add ons or extended mirrors) in some jurisdictions.

Just my 0.02 (0.03 Canadian)

[Life is a Highway]

As being very new to Airstream and a Tow Vehicle Hitch we asked why to they call this a Stinger? Easy to find out why when you bang your shins on it. PAIN!

Also if we left the Hitch on without the trailer attached our Ford F-150 Back up sensors were going nuts as the camera saw the Hitch as a object to be struck.

We now remove our Hitch at the site and these two items have minimized the storage and the heavy lifting.

To help lift it up into the bed with two people and to conceal it and minimize grease transfer
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

2:To safely remove and install the Equalizer Hitch
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Baby Zeppelin]

Unless it's a short stay at a campground we remove the hitch and put it under the toneau cover in the pickup bed. Fabricated a frame to hold it there and to use to help remove and install the >50lb assembly. (Blue Ox WDH with 2½" stinger.)

[GammaDog]

Originally Posted by wulfraat

I have an equalizer as well.

I remove it.

I leave it under the trailer. If I’m worried I’ll lock it with a long steel cable through the spring arm receiver or simply put it on the airstream carpet mat by the front door and lock it in the trailer. But I rarely if ever lock it up unless for long term storage.

Without load it beats up your receiver bonking on down the road.

It also totally sucks when you are walking behind the truck and smash your shin into sharp heavy steel hitch.

It also sucks when you forget it’s still connected and you back into someone’s car destroying their front bumper when parking at the grocery store.

I’m not sure what the benefit is to keeping an equalizer hitch attached to the truck when not towing. It takes less than 10 seconds to remove and chuck under the trailer out of the way [emoji4]

What he said!

[cazual6]

Short Answer: I leave it. I use a locked Pin.

Besides it is another form of bumper protection.