N Y new hitch law?

[mudmaker]

Originally Posted by bunklash You really ought to think before you post. You are not portraying yourself in a favorable manner. "It is far better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." You make me laugh! Just because you disagree with someones point of view you try to degrade them. I just don't think it is my responsibility to make sure someone not paying attention does not hurt themselves on my vehicle. I mean going by this whole logic next we will have to fold our mirrors in when we park. I get tired of people constantly trying to blame their mistakes on everyone else. So you hit your shin or head or whatever! It hurts, you might yell, but why blame the object you hit. After all "you" hit it! It isn't like it jumped out and hit you. You typically learn from the experience and next time you are in a similar situation you pay more attention. It is just a difference in opinion I guess! Originally Posted by StanleyZ OK, I couldn't pass this up. Other than a hitch sticking out a foot or more at almost exactly shin level, name one. Cause I can't think of anything else that sticks out like that. I mean curb feelers went out in the 50s and they would only tickle your ankles. Mirrors have some give and don't hurt. If you happen to run up on a 59 caddy I guess those big tits that stick out on the front might get ya, but I think they were more like thigh high. So, I await some examples. As for how it can happen see my post above. In the end it comes down to this for me, I can think of at least two good reason to take mine out, safety and theft prevention. I can't think of any good reasons for leaving it in. Well, maybe laziness. I guess my hitch doesn't stick out a foot. Only 6-8" past the bumper. Front license plate brackets can be a pain in the shin. How about bumpers in general. I mean if you are not watching where you are going they come into play as well!LOL! The reason I leave mine in 99% of the time is I use it daily. For me it would be a nuisance to have to remove it to avoid a ticket from a bored cop. Just my opinion, doesn't mean it fits everyone's situation.

[bunklash]

You win. You've convinced me. Starting today, I'm turning over a new leaf. From now on, I'm going to be a better person by doing my best to disregard the safety or concerns of everybody except me. I'm gonna be the kind of man people look up to. And if there're any fools out there stupid enough to not recognize the value of a good healthy selfish attitude, well they can just go bang their shins on something!
Thanks for steering me in the right direction!

[95_Dually]

This is still going?

[ClydeSDale]

Originally Posted by 95_Dually

This is still going?

Yup.

The "Think US's" are still trying to convince the "It's all about ME's"
and some are not listening because they really don't feel it's about them.

I'm still awaiting the part about,

"I'll remove my trailer hitch when you pry it from my cold, rusted receiver"

but so far it hasn't come up yet ....

Oh, yeah, over on another thread there are a group of "ME's" still working out how to do it better.

[bunklash]

The "Think US's" are still trying to convince the "It's all about ME's"
and some are not listening because they really don't feel it's about them.

....and, "I'll remove my trailer hitch when you pry it from my cold, rusted receiver"

Too funny! I'm nominating you for the funniest profundity of the week!

Maybe this will be the last word, I know I'm out of ammunition.

[BPofMD]

Can we just get back to the subject at hand? Did or did New York NOT pass a law to make it illegal to leave the drawbar installed while NOT towing? I couldn't get to the forest for the trees in the way!

[MBDiagMan]

Whether is should be illegal or not is politics that I won't get into. I WILL, however, state how irritated I get when I see a long bed, crew cab truck taking up 1 1/2 parking places in front of a parking place behind it and THEN they have 10 or 12 inches of hitch hanging out the back beyond the truck.

I have gotten so irritated at this before that I've removed hitches and set them over in the back of the truck. Maybe I'll get my Butt whipped some day, but they need to have a little bit of respect for others with whom they share the parking lot. A low slung car could easily incur damage from these things.

[StanleyZ]

Originally Posted by BPofMD

Can we just get back to the subject at hand? Did or did New York NOT pass a law to make it illegal to leave the drawbar installed while NOT towing? I couldn't get to the forest for the trees in the way!

Check their state web site. They have a law for everything else up there so they probably have one for that. I know you can't drive on the parkways in NYC with an F350, it's too big. And I know its $32 to cross the outer bridge from Staten Island pulling my 5er. And I know you have to get off the Queens Brooklyn expressway at Atlantic Ave if your 5th wheel is over 12 ft 3 inches. And I know it takes an hour or so to get back to the Long Island Expressway from that exit. Now, guess where I spent my summer.

[TexasRebel]

When I'm not using it I take the hitch out. It's just one of those things I do for society, like not disabling my muffler or farting in the elevator. Some things I don't need a law to tell me to do

well said, but not everyone has common sense or courtesy anymore. When is the last time you saw somebody jump out of their way to open the door for somebody else?

I mean going by this whole logic next we will have to fold our mirrors in when we park

you don't? I guess when all is said and done, I'll still have my mirrors intact. I just don't need a law to tell me to...

[StanleyZ]

[quote=BPofMD;7966424]Can we just get back to the subject at hand? Did or did New York NOT pass a law to make it illegal to leave the drawbar installed while NOT towing? I couldn't get to the forest for the trees in the way![/QUOTE

OK, just cause I kinda hijacked the thread I feel quilty so I went to " Laws of new york" VAT (vehicles and traffic) Article 1, section 8: equipment. There I read through about an hours worth of BS. I read what I believe to be all the equipment laws. I found no mention of the "draw bar" law or anything close to it. I do however know how to hook up the lights on my snow plow. That will be invaluable information this year if we get snow in Naples. But, I administered an estate in NY a while back and their web site is not always up to date if there have been recent changes. Hope this helps you.

[slickrock01]

looking for something else on here this came up, no wonder with 5 pages of it, but this morning I was rear ended by an UNINSURED liberal puke in a "green machine" according to one of the many stickers on it and the only thing saved my rear bumper (and rear back up sensors, and built in step tailgate, and on and on) was my WD hitch still in place, there for that very reason, the State Trooper said he thought if every truck had a big WD in place they'd have lots less accidents, people fear the hitches ---this hippie numbnut was texting on his phone, what ever the hell that is.
and was very upset that no one blew the horn to warn him the traffic stopped!

I'm thinking were it a ticket in NY then this Trooper would have given me one on I-87. As it was the commie pinko lib cost me a WD hitch, it broke and bent pretty good and scratched my tailgate a bit too....no insurance on his hybrid, so what do you think I will get in court from him besides a lein on a guy who is riding the coattails of free society?

point being, that hitch was not said to be illegal, and it saved me a friggin bundle of repairs and money.

i suppose it can be looked at as I hurt his car more? than I should have?

course some people think its "shoot to kill" when most view it as "shoot to stay alive"

[95_Dually]

Man, I cannot believe that you didn't warn him with your horn that you were stopping. Maybe you could have pulled over to the shoulder to allow him more room before he had to make a complete stop. I am being sarcastic. I do not have my ball in the receiver right now. I almost always take it out so it doesn't get stolen. I just believe that it should be up to the owner to do what he wants. If you feel it gives you extra protection in the event of an accident, leave it in.

As far as the complaints about hitting your shins or hitting your car with the hitch installed, what are you doing so close to the truck to begin with? Now maybe where alot of you live it is congested and you have to hug the back of the vehicle you are walking past, but here in Northern California it really is not an issue.

So again, if you want to leave it in, do so. If you want to take it out, do so. Nobody is right and nobody is wrong.

[slickrock01]

I take it off when not on highway, it screws up my approach angle, always smashing it on the ground is not a good thing, as we all know, but this is not the first time I have been hit by an uninsured driver.

for many years in Vermont it was only a $50 fine if oyu had no insurance and were in an accident so no one carried it, SP told me that he was unregistered and uninsured had a suspended license...well, all and good but that won't put repair money in my pocket!

part of the year we are in Boulder UT and as anyone on Rt 12 knows it is open range, I would like to add a bull bar and front bars for the same reason I like my hitch in while in town, it should slow a cow down and maybe I won't have burger in my radiator with some protection up front.my wife has a busted up durango right now from a couple calves charging into the rear corner of her car, nothing much would have helped that.

hey, I forgot a funny thing the trooper said, he said the airbags, side air curtains, seatbelts all make people drive wilder, he said if they put ginsue knives on the steering coulmn and across the dashboard people would drive alot safer!

I had to laugh because he might be right!

[TexasRebel]

heck...why not?

[monckywrench]

"point being, that hitch was not said to be illegal, and it saved me a friggin bundle of repairs and money."

Score one for the team!

"no insurance on his hybrid, so what do you think I will get in court from him besides a lein on a guy who is riding the coattails of free society?"

If he doesn't pay up, see about repo'ing his car. Hybrids part out for good money. Find out where it got towed and if it is accruing storage. If it goes up for magistrates auction for the tow and unpaid storage, you can bid on it (they go cheap, let the towing outfit in on the story and they might not even bid against you) and get a clear title. This is a common way to get titles for towed vehicles, and I'd be delighted to go a little out of my way to make money off someone who negligently assaulted my truck.