Was backing into a parking spot, looking at the backup cam and said...
"Uh, where's the hitch?"

Got out and sure enough the 2" ball receiver and hitch pin was GONE.

Finished up there and went to the farm store to see an empty spot where the same one would be located.

I hope the thief rots in hell!!
Or busts a gut when they try to unscrew the nut which is locked on at 250' pounds with a split lock washer.
***It was put together as a rise in height, so it'll likely have to be changed.

If you do not need to change too often. A locking pin or a bolt and nut that takes effort will discourage future theft. I hate thieves. Camera's in the parking lot?

Not exactly sure when it was taken, so unfortunately, it'd be a needle in the haystack.

Not a fan of the locking pins... suppose a grade 8 bolt would do.
Thinking of threading a bolt in the back/side/bottom of the next one. If they want it, they'll have to get under the vehicle and unscrew it. I like the idea of hiding it in the back, so they'll be hanking on a solid (not stuck) receiver.

I have cheapo plug-in Bluetooth adapter that I use together with a charger cord on my bagger. Whenever I park it they are removed and locked in a saddlebag. My Jeep's front bumper has brackets to mount D-rings on for winch or tow strap use. If I'm not off-roading they are off there and secured inside the cargo storage area.

I had my 67 Pontiac 2+2 out at a cruise night. The rear wheel opening moldings are a three piece design, two year usage only and hard to find. Someone actually had the nerve to remove two screws to take the front piece off, no way it just fell off. Took me a couple years to find a used piece to replace it, most times they were only available as all three pieces in the two to three hundred dollar range.

For lack of a better descriptive way people suck.

Why not just put the ball on when you need it? Problem solved.

I've never understood why people drive around with a hitch sticking out all the time.

"1978 Chevy El Camino with a 2 inch reciever hitch till one day saw that some blankety blank blank had pulled the safety cotter pin and removed the drift pin but the slip in plug with ball still in place. After replacing missing parts started keeping hitch behind seat in the cab area. No idea as to when the pats were removed. .............................................. drill sgt.

quote:

Originally posted by Excam_Man:
Not exactly sure when it was taken, so unfortunately, it'd be a needle in the haystack.

Not a fan of the locking pins... suppose a grade 8 bolt would do.
Thinking of threading a bolt in the back/side/bottom of the next one. If they want it, they'll have to get under the vehicle and unscrew it. I like the idea of hiding it in the back, so they'll be hanking on a solid (not stuck) receiver.

Perhaps adding some Locktite if it's your intention to have it more permanent.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Why not just put the ball on when you need it? Problem solved.

I've never understood why people drive around with a hitch sticking out all the time.

You just don’t think of it. Plus they’re greasy so you have to find your gloves when you do think of it. By the time I find those dang gloves who knows why I need them.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Why not just put the ball on when you need it? Problem solved.

I've never understood why people drive around with a hitch sticking out all the time.

Because if you get rear ended, it protects your car to a fairly large degree.

I got rear ended 3 times in one of my trucks and once in another and in each case the other car got towed away and I had nothing but scratches on my hitch and bumper.

I keep mine on all the time.

I had trouble with my ball hitch being stolen, truck broken into and anything left in the bed being stolen. Solved that by moving out of Calif.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

I've never understood why people drive around with a hitch sticking out all the time.

I leave mine in to give a few more inches of extension to destroy who ever runs into me, maybe I’ll puncture a radiator or most definitely will ruin a fan and shroud.

The only reason I don't leave mine on anymore is that every time I walked around the back of the truck I'd bang my dang knee into it and then I'd cuss. You'd think that after the first hundred times or so a guy would learn. It is much handier to just leave it on though.

You could put a double nut on the bolt so someone would need tools to undo.
I remove mine each time as I don't use it much. Another reason to remove when not in use- I was hit in the back once and the hitch doesn't work like a energy absorbing bumper and it bent the rear structure of my car and sent a serious jolt to my back and head.

The locking pins might be more difficult to remove than a rusted bolt and lock nut, but isn't that the point? Storing the ball inside the vehicle is fine, most here leave it on, locked, put the spare key in the glove box, and done. The other key in the house as backup.

As for walking around and banging our knees, after the 87th time it finally sank in. We all have our tipping point, explore it. I find the ball is a handy step up to the bumper when crawling in the bed of the truck when I don't need the tailgate down. Truck beds are a good 12-16" higher than the 1980's - its ridiculous. But leaving the ball on and doing that beats dragging out the little step stool to get to the lowered tailgate. There is a reason why all the new (hideously expensive) tailgates that turn into a staircase like Wile E coyotes truck. Buyers kept pressure on the makers - who raised the trucks even higher and now charge for the fancy remote controlled stair gates.

I wonder what they will look like in ten years when it quits working? And has anyone priced a replacment when they got rear ended? Ok, thats why we leave the hitch ball in, with a lock on it.

For the most part if you use a 2" ball on everything and have a trailer you use more than a few times a year, we leave it in, secured. It's also a tow rope attachment when you need to do that, and having to mess with a hitch attachment in muddy or glare ice conditions usually brings a hint of inclement weather with it, not a good time to drop that clip or nut.

So maybe we are a little OCD about it. Yet we have only elucidated the time honored expression FUUUUUUUUUDGE just once in the discovery that small metal objects lost under a vehicle in snow or slush is an inconvenience. I's something that earns your Manly Truck Owner Card.

And we are proud of it.

Not that we haven't lost a hitchball now and again to reinforce it. BTW use the bolts with lots of marks or a big number on the top. And China isn't our best source.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

I've never understood why people drive around with a hitch sticking out all the time.

I leave mine in to give a few more inches of extension to destroy who ever runs into me, maybe I’ll puncture a radiator or most definitely will ruin a fan and shroud.

That's why mine stays mounted. It has served that purpose more than once. In those cases, they were mere dents and broken lenses rather than ruined radiators, but it kept my own bumper cover from taking damage.

quote:

Originally posted by JPD217:
You'd think that after the first hundred times or so a guy would learn.

You'd think. But do I bonk a shin on mine from time to time? Heck, yes! Have I forgotten to warn others about it occasionally? Sure thing.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Why not just put the ball on when you need it? Problem solved.

I've never understood why people drive around with a hitch sticking out all the time.

It makes a convenient step when you need to climb in the back of the truck, or on the bumper to get something out of the bed.

I take mine off when I’m done not to prevent theft but because I whack my shin on it when I walk by. Man that hurts!

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
If you do not need to change too often. A locking pin or a bolt and nut that takes effort will discourage future theft. I hate thieves.

I had a bolted hitch stolen while shopping in Harbor Freight. The thieves worked quickly since I wasn't in there long. Now I only use locking pins.

As for leaving mine on all the time, it's because I use it almost every weekend. My lower back thanks me for not removing and reinstalling it very often.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
I've never understood why people drive around with a hitch sticking out all the time.

You don't want your Truck Nutz falling off, do you?

Related, it makes me very nervous that I'm relying on a 5/8" pin to carry the load towed behind for over 1000 miles. Can anyone ease my mind?