Hitch -- leave on or take off?

[eagletoo]

If you don't have the welding skills or equipment, you can buy this at Amazon for $30 bucks.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cover it with a plastic bag and it's waterproof.

[majorairhead]

As I stated earlier, in my situation, to remove it can be a pain in the posterior. I do so if absolutely necessary, but otherwise the behemoth stays put.

[VT Wanderer]

We have an Equalizer hitch and leave it attached to the truck for the entire travel season. We use a locking pull pin to avoid theft. I keep it well greased and put a split tennis ball over the hitch ball to avoid hitting my shins. Prior to hooking up the Airstream, all nuts and bolts are checked for torque. While the trailer is parked, the bars are stored in the back bumper - LOCKED. All the connector pins, etc. are stored in my toolbox in the cap of my truck within easy reach. I found that taking off the hitch was a pain in the butt.

[911Airstream]

I have the Blue Ox. I remove it not just to save my shins but to keep from ruining clothes when I walk into the greased ball! I put it in a heavy duty plastic case and keep it locked in the bed of the truck in the camper shell.

[AirMiles]

We have a Blue Ox Swaypro and always leave the heavy hitch attached to the Airstream. I just loosen the chains, adjust the tongue to a neutral height, pull the pin, then drive ahead leaving the stinger and bars dangling from the ball. (practicing to own a propride). The stinger remains "securely" locked to the tongue which makes it somewhat difficult to steal the Airstream or hitch. I always store my Airstream in this same configuration.

To reconnect, I remove the bars and tongue lock, release the ball latch then reconnect the hitch. This way I only need to lift the heavy stinger when connecting, not when disconnecting. Here is a picture of how it hangs from the ball.

[Jim Lee]

I am 70 years old and have been towing trailers since I was old enough to drive.

In 1974 I walked about the back of a truck and cracked my shin on the hitch head. To this day when my blood pressure is up, that place where I knocked it swells up like a golf ball. I showed it to my doctor, he poked and prodded and said, "Don't worry about it". I don't.

Now, I just leave the hitch in, it's too dam heavy.

[leeshome]

We stumlbed into a great solution. As a last minute add when buying our AS, we had the dealer add a 2" hitch receiver to the back of our trailer thinking this would be a solution for hauling bikes. Via after the fact research, we were dismayed to find that this was a frowned upon way to travel with bikes, so we were stuck with a receiver and nothing to hitch to it! That is until our first camping trip. The first day we left the Equalizer attached to the truck which resulted in banged shins and a dog with hitch grease all over it. At the second stop we removed it and nervously placed it under the camper hoping it didn't disappear over night and ended up with a sandy / greasy mess after it tipped over. Finally, the smarter-half of the team said, why don't you just stick that thing on the back of the camper?! Its been happy camping ever since! We get to camp, use one of those orange hitch handles to move the Equalizer from truck to camper, lock it up and place the weight distribution bars in the AS's bumper storage compartment.

[billrector]

Originally Posted by Tater

I bought the bolts at a place called Rural King (similar to Tractor Supply) I did drill two holes in bumper hitch to line up with bolt spacing. I use long shank padlock to lock.

I love this solution too! I too have Rock Tamers. What size extension did you need to allow the Rock Tamers to fit?

[Tater]

I use 2 12" to clear the side of the trailer.

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by RJJ

I leave it on. Too heavy for me to lift every few days. Hard on the shoulders... [emoji30][emoji53]

Getting that way for me too, but there are a lot of adaptive devices that can help including a little truck bed crane that help lift stuff. Added one my big spring maintenance project.

[Steamguy]

I'm in the club that leaves the hitch in. My Trekker head weighs a LOT, not sure how much, but that thing is H.E.A.V.Y. I tried to pull it one afternoon at the car wash and almost - almost wrecked my knees in doing so. (I have a little dolly at home where I can pull it and drop it immediately should I need to do so.)

I think if anyone tried to steal it, all the cops would have to do is check the ER for the guy with the new hernia.

[azflycaster]

In 2018 we spent 200 days on the road and stayed at 65+ different campsites. The hitch comes off at the house and stays on when on the road. The Blue Ox is heavy and with the Rock Tamers it is too heavy.

[Overstreet]

Originally Posted by stevejones

.....
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......

A class five locking hitch pin takes the scrap metal thing out of the equation.

Knee bumping? ....surrender your man card.

[Life is a Highway]

Originally Posted by 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.

A great idea I just returned from Lowes with the pipe to make up two.

Thanks!

[5150mike]

Originally Posted by SteveSueMac

Dang that’s genius!! Any part numbers? I also assume the u-bolts were a separate purchase?

That is so damn smart! I’m copying this!!!

https://m.harborfreight.com/automoti...ver-67159.html

[SteveSueMac]

Thanks tater, eagle and mike!

[Night owls]

I personally leave mine attached after disconnecting from trailer. I place the bars under the A frame and drive around with hitch attached. I guess I never have a problem hitting my shins but I do wipe off the grease off the ball as my daughter has rubbed her pant leg against it and left a nice grease spot. Everyone's personal preference I suppose.

[ke6gkv]

leave it in, only time i've taken it off was to use my 2'' hitch to to friend's trailer. kurt

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, take your hitch off. Working at Ford dealers, I have seen truck frames bent down after being hit from the rear because they have left their hitch in. The hitch serves as a lever to bend the frame. Once your frame gets bent down, now how are you going to get home.

[stevejones]

Thanks for all the posts on this topic. Lots of good info here! I think we're going to get one of those hitch mount gizmos to put on our tongue and perhaps a cable lock.

Thanks,

Steve