So the other day I had a guy tell me I shouldn't have the ball mount in my hitch with no trailer hooked up. He said that he got rear ended and it ended up being his fault because he had his ball mount in. He claimed that his insurance ended up having to pay for the damage to the car that rear ended him.

Sounds like BS to me.

What do you guys think?

 

Sounds like BS to me too. Mine always stayed in my old truck. Haven't put one in this truck yet.

Regardless of whether or not he had his hitch on the truck, the driver following him has as obligation to maintain a safe following distance.

 

Total BS. If it ended up being his fault there is probably a lot more to the story. What if your pulling a trailer? A trailer is a hell of a lot longer than a drop.

I was along with my dad when his 03' CC was rear ended by a Hyundai car. He had his 4" drop inserted into his OE ford hitch as usual. Accident was ruled the Hyundai drivers fault. Felt like getting hit in the rear by a deer.

His truck took a new hitch because it was bent and a new ball mount to be on the safe side. He might have got a new rear bumper also but I don't remember. The Hyundai was a total loss. The drop ripped off the top of the bumper, plowed through the grill, through the e-fan, through the radiator and put a hurtin on the engine block and components bolted to it. And that is the damage that was most obvious. My dad drove his truck to where we were going and then home, the Hyundai took the rollback straight to the scrap yard. I will give the it to the Hyundai that it still ran after the crash. The moron cop started it and let it run for a while with coolant spewing everywhere.

 

Not all of us are morons.

 

+1. This guy wasn't giving you the whole story. My hitch stays on 24/7 to minimize any damage some jag may do to my truck. Comes in handy in the winter on icey roads. I check for damage to my truck and usually get sent on my way, bought a cheap harbor freight hitch & ball just for this.

 

That's what I was thinking, there must be more to the story.

 

My wife was driving our non-Ford truck and got rear ended. The ball mount was on and tore up the bumper of the car that rear ended our truck. Ball mount = buffer for the bumper. LOL

 

yea its bs.. i was rear ended with one in.. and yea buddy it totaled her car. she hit me hard enough to lift my rear off the ground. the hitch was in so far it was half way ontop of the accords engine. no damage to my truck either.. talk about a freaky situation lol.

 

A while back I heard that in at least one state, local, somewhere it was now against the law to have the ball mount in the receiver unless the hitch is in use. The OP may be speaking of this. Maybe someone will know where.
Edit: Just did a quick google. Lots of comments but no defined answer......????????

 

Well, this was in MN. I've never heard of such a law, but it wouldn't surprise me I guess. We have a law against everything here.

 

This thread was going on in the Trailer Towing forum for a while until they discovered that the law was non-existent.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...hitch-law.html

 

+1 for leaving ball mount in with* locking hitch pin.


24/7 ball mount = tailgater deterrent. See how close they follow when you 'tap' the brakes on that big beast. Most people around this area are surprised just how fast my hulk can slow up.

Seems unless UFO's are involved, your always at fault if your the vehicle in the rear.

 

I've bumped my knee enough times to know better than to leave mine in. I've also seen em get seized in from rust also. Just the way I prefer to do it.

 

My hitch has saved my bumper a few times in parking lots. One time I was actually sitting in my truck in a parking space (I was backed in) and someone pulled in behind me and put a nice dent in his license plate and bumper on his Mercedes.

 

I usually take mine out as well. I admit I have walked into mine once or twice too but the main reason I take them out is it allows me to get my nose back another 6" in parking slots.

I have not experienced too much problem with tailgaters other than Dallas Cowboys fans at the Texan's parking lot!