Hitch Stolen. . . GRRRRR

[The Flintstones]

Well apparently when I had the front bearing changed out by my mechanic earlier this week he had the same issues (ouch). He called me yesterday and said he removed the hitch while working on my truck and forgot to put it back. YEAH!
Now I can put it back with a lock on it and a lesson learned.
thanks for all the input though.
James

[Jim & Susan]

Dang Rich, that was fast.

Jim

[Smokin Camel]

Didn't Pat Morrita say that in some Karate movie?

I vote with Doorgunner on removing the hitch. I have yet to walk into mine but I have observed the phenomena a couple of times. I see no problem with the propeller or reflector in the hitch . I just remove my bar as much from habit as from not wanting anyone to bark their shins on my hitch (old lady or otherwise) A pair of work gloves will handle a greasy/dirty hitch. I keep a set in my truck for GP. It only takes a minute to remove it.

If you are going to leave it in when then lock it. There are times when mine could be left in for a day or so, such as if I used a trailer twice or more in a day for some reason. That said I don't think it is a hanging offense to leave the bar in. A majority of the people I work with have trailer hitches and about half of them have the hitch bar pinned in.

[yukionna]

Originally Posted by Smokin Camel

A majority of the people I work with have trailer hitches and about half of them have the hitch bar pinned in.

Another reason to remove the hitch and anything else not needed in the tow vehicle is to save on gasoline usage. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2%. My hitch and weight distribution bars alone way over 50 pounds.

[safari62]

leaving your hitch ball on is just rude in my opinion. Weather in a dark campground or shopping area it is dangerous to others. I have walked into my own enough to know it is extremely painful and dangerous. Leaving the hitch ball on your truck as an extented threat to other's to stay clear sounds like many other excuses why some people own large trucks. Or maybe your truck just isn't as big as you need it to be.
If you really do not care about injuring other people leave your hitch ball on.
Like I said, it's just rude.
Gary

[jimmickle]

I agree that leaving the hitch in is not only rude but Dangerous.

Marlyn Collins, wife of the incoming WBCCI president, ran into one in a dark parking lot, fell and cracked her pelvis in several places. She was in the hospital over a week and had many weeks of painful recovery. Do everyone a favor and take the darn thing out.

If my 69 year old, 5'1'' wife can do it you can too!

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, when camping I leave the hitch ball assembly on the tow vehicle. I won't put it inside of my Navigator and there is no place to put it inside of my trailer and I won't leave it laying on the dirt in a camp ground. But, two things, when camping I put a 24" orange cone behind the hitch and when at home, with my trailer parked, the hitch assembly goes into the garage.

[Wabbiteer]

Tie the thing down if it comes into the passenger compartment - wrapping it will only make it camouflaged when stuff goes zero-gravity in car accident...

[The Flintstones]

I don't think its rude unless I intentionally park the tail of my tv where others will be walking but if I am back out of the way thats there problem. To say I'm rude because my hitch is in, I don't think so. My problem is people not respecting others camp sites and walking right through them. . .thats where I aim my hitch(not really).
We were at Garner last November and the people next to us set up their horseshoes so that they were throwing them towards our picknick table 10 feet away rather that setting up the other direction. Then got annoyed when we asked them to change it. Some people just don't get it. . .
JMHO.
James

[bhayden]

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, when camping I leave the hitch ball assembly on the tow vehicle. I won't put it inside of my Navigator and there is no place to put it inside of my trailer and I won't leave it laying on the dirt in a camp ground.

You can lock it back on to the trailer recepticle. The shank will rotate around back out of the way. No messy hitch in the vehcle, easy access to the back and the hitch & trailer are locked (you do lock the trailer tongue, right?) . The whole process adds about a minute to the hitch/unhitch process.

[Wayne Olson]

We were at a hotel in Bozeman, MT in May and our hitch was stolen overnight. It was MSU graduation that day and the lot was filled with cars and trucks with hitches to haul the college kids home. Our hitch had not been out of the truck in three years and I probably would have had a lot of trouble getting it out. But the scumbags were able to take it out as well as several other hitches in the same lot. We were able to buy a new one for over $250 on Sunday at U-Haul to get back to Indiana. But it sure ruined our day. Always use a locking pin!!!

[Boondocker]

Sorry to hear that Wayne, makes my blood boil that people are that way.

[gyandell]

Wayne, A locking pin will deter a lot of people. The scumbag that stole mine hacked thru the lock and took my hitch. There not cheap, and they know it. I'll bet we could visit a local pawn shop and pick ours up.

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by gyandell

Wayne, A locking pin will deter a lot of people. The scumbag that stole mine hacked thru the lock and took my hitch. There not cheap, and they know it. I'll bet we could visit a local pawn shop and pick ours up.

I'm curious what kind of lock did you have? Did they pick the lock through the key or did they use a saw? If it was a saw they obviously spent some time on it.

Jack

[Minnie's Mate]

Originally Posted by bhayden

You can lock it back on to the trailer recepticle. The shank will rotate around back out of the way. No messy hitch in the vehcle, easy access to the back and the hitch & trailer are locked (you do lock the trailer tongue, right?) . The whole process adds about a minute to the hitch/unhitch process.

Doesn't that make it just take a minute or two to steal the hitch and trailer?

As I said before, I leave my hitch in and I use a locking pin. Since I use a 3/4 ton truck as a tow vehicle, it's pretty obvious to see the hitch sticking out. You have to be pretty blind or walking or driving way to close to my back bumper to run into it. I've never had to, nor have I ever tried to, parallel park my behemoth of a truck so I don't think anybody should blame me if they hit it while it's parked.

[gyandell]

It was a saw. I was parked at a football game with my tailgate up against some bushes and a building. They had all the time in the world. No one could see them back there. The bad thing was I did not notice til I got back to my AS. I left deer camp to go to the game and then went back to camp. Bad day.

[EweMama]

My husband, being the gentleman that he is, started locking it into the trailer tongue (covered with a bag) so I wouldn't get grease on me when I'd get into the back of the van. We got a locking hitch pin when a friend had his stolen at a restaurant. I tend to lock up everything since our van was opened and all tools stolen in the time he had carried one tool box to the basement and walked right back up. Just like to decrease our risk.....
Ewemama

[Bambi4us]

do many hitches get stolen?

[azflycaster]

If you lock your hitch into the coupler of the trailer it is not really secure. If someone wants it all they need to do is remove a small roll pin and the hitch will fall out. I would also question the safety of hanging a monster weight like that with so little to hold it in place. If the hitch was to fall out of the coupler on to a small child or pet the results would be very bad.

When I unhitch, I clean the ball. We have a yellow lab that will have a stripe if we do not. I also back the truck towards the trailer to minimise the traffic past it. I will also leave the tailgate down which stop anyone from walking into the hitch.

I do not consider myself rude.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Isn't it true that in Florida you can get a ticket for leaving it in?
My shins and my wife and my dog told me to take it out, put it away and lock it up, no big deal!!