Removing Tow Hitch

[Anonymous]

Can an under mount trailer hitch be removed? And if so, can the bolt holes be filled?

Or how best to do it to retain the integrity of the underbelly of the vehicle?

TIA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can an under mount trailer hitch be removed? And if so, can the bolt holes be filled?

Or how best to do it to retain the integrity of the underbelly of the vehicle?

TIA

A trailer hitch is optional and removable - does not affect the cars structural integrity

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can an under mount trailer hitch be removed? And if so, can the bolt holes be filled?

Or how best to do it to retain the integrity of the underbelly of the vehicle?

TIA

A trailer hitch is optional and removable - does not affect the cars structural integrity

Thanks so much!

[Anonymous]

Why do you want to remove it? Even if you never tow anything it’s still nice to have it there in case you get a hitch mount bike carrier or cargo tray.

It helps with resale value, also, usually worth a few hundred more dollars.

Also, the hitch is a substantial piece of metal, and can help dissipate/absorb impact energy in a crash, which makes you ever-so-slightly safer.



Keep it. There’s literally no reason to get rid of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do you want to remove it? Even if you never tow anything it’s still nice to have it there in case you get a hitch mount bike carrier or cargo tray.

It helps with resale value, also, usually worth a few hundred more dollars.

Also, the hitch is a substantial piece of metal, and can help dissipate/absorb impact energy in a crash, which makes you ever-so-slightly safer.

Keep it. There’s literally no reason to get rid of it.

Wrong, it is NOT safer. "The trailer hitch (and ball joint, if attached) act as fixed, non-impact absorbing hardware that transfers the energy of a rear-end collision more intensely to the vehicle occupants, resulting in a 22% increase in whiplash- with women and children being most adversely affected." Google this online and you will find articles about it. Given most people buying SUVs rarely if ever use them, there is a compelling argument to have it removed if you have no need for it.

https://www.mylegalneeds.com/faqs/how-trailer-hitches-impact-rear-end-collision-injuries.cfm

[Anonymous]

There’s a pin for most of them. Super easy DYI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do you want to remove it? Even if you never tow anything it’s still nice to have it there in case you get a hitch mount bike carrier or cargo tray.

It helps with resale value, also, usually worth a few hundred more dollars.

Also, the hitch is a substantial piece of metal, and can help dissipate/absorb impact energy in a crash, which makes you ever-so-slightly safer.

Keep it. There’s literally no reason to get rid of it.

Wrong, it is NOT safer. "The trailer hitch (and ball joint, if attached) act as fixed, non-impact absorbing hardware that transfers the energy of a rear-end collision more intensely to the vehicle occupants, resulting in a 22% increase in whiplash- with women and children being most adversely affected." Google this online and you will find articles about it. Given most people buying SUVs rarely if ever use them, there is a compelling argument to have it removed if you have no need for it.

https://www.mylegalneeds.com/faqs/how-trailer-hitches-impact-rear-end-collision-injuries.cfm

rule #1 of having a trailer hitch, never leave the ball joint in. You will hit your shin on it every day.

[Anonymous]

I got rear ended in my Jeep which had a tow ball mounted in a receiver hitch. When she hit me (she was texting at the time and not paying attention), the tow ball punched through the top of her car’s front bumper/bottom of the grill, and stuck there, with our cars now hooked together at the bumpers. They couldn’t be separated while she tried backing up and I tried pulling forwards.

She wasn’t hurt and I wasn’t either, and I didn’t have any damage other than some scratched paint on the back bumper, but I was in a hurry. So I put the Jeep in low-range and dumped the clutch, and lurched the Jeep forward. The whole front clip of her car came off, lolz!!!bumper, grill, headlights, everything! I was then able to pull the ball mount out from the receiver and pull the whole thing out backwards through the hole in her bumper the tow ball made.

Then I left, with the front end of her car sitting there in the road. That was like 15 years ago and I still chuckle about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do you want to remove it? Even if you never tow anything it’s still nice to have it there in case you get a hitch mount bike carrier or cargo tray.

It helps with resale value, also, usually worth a few hundred more dollars.

Also, the hitch is a substantial piece of metal, and can help dissipate/absorb impact energy in a crash, which makes you ever-so-slightly safer.

Keep it. There’s literally no reason to get rid of it.

Wrong, it is NOT safer. "The trailer hitch (and ball joint, if attached) act as fixed, non-impact absorbing hardware that transfers the energy of a rear-end collision more intensely to the vehicle occupants, resulting in a 22% increase in whiplash- with women and children being most adversely affected." Google this online and you will find articles about it. Given most people buying SUVs rarely if ever use them, there is a compelling argument to have it removed if you have no need for it.

https://www.mylegalneeds.com/faqs/how-trailer-hitches-impact-rear-end-collision-injuries.cfm

rule #1 of having a trailer hitch, never leave the ball joint in. You will hit your shin on it every day.

Np- I won’t tell you how I know this firsthand but you’re completely right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got rear ended in my Jeep which had a tow ball mounted in a receiver hitch. When she hit me (she was texting at the time and not paying attention), the tow ball punched through the top of her car’s front bumper/bottom of the grill, and stuck there, with our cars now hooked together at the bumpers. They couldn’t be separated while she tried backing up and I tried pulling forwards.

She wasn’t hurt and I wasn’t either, and I didn’t have any damage other than some scratched paint on the back bumper, but I was in a hurry. So I put the Jeep in low-range and dumped the clutch, and lurched the Jeep forward. The whole front clip of her car came off, lolz!!!bumper, grill, headlights, everything! I was then able to pull the ball mount out from the receiver and pull the whole thing out backwards through the hole in her bumper the tow ball made.

Then I left, with the front end of her car sitting there in the road. That was like 15 years ago and I still chuckle about it.

OMG I can’t stop laughing picturing this happening

[Anonymous]

I thought this was a post I wrote and forgot about! Exact same thing happened to me but she was driving a civic or sentra. I was eventually able to separate without removing my ball mount though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do you want to remove it? Even if you never tow anything it’s still nice to have it there in case you get a hitch mount bike carrier or cargo tray.

It helps with resale value, also, usually worth a few hundred more dollars.

Also, the hitch is a substantial piece of metal, and can help dissipate/absorb impact energy in a crash, which makes you ever-so-slightly safer.

Keep it. There’s literally no reason to get rid of it.

Wrong, it is NOT safer. "The trailer hitch (and ball joint, if attached) act as fixed, non-impact absorbing hardware that transfers the energy of a rear-end collision more intensely to the vehicle occupants, resulting in a 22% increase in whiplash- with women and children being most adversely affected." Google this online and you will find articles about it. Given most people buying SUVs rarely if ever use them, there is a compelling argument to have it removed if you have no need for it.

https://www.mylegalneeds.com/faqs/how-trailer-hitches-impact-rear-end-collision-injuries.cfm

I wouldn’t rely on a random personal injury lawfirm website for advice about crash safety engineering. They’re citing some study from two decades ago with no details and a dead link. Almost every manufacturer offers an OEM hitch option for their vehicles. They wouldn’t do that if there was some significant degradation in safety. And companies like Curt would find it cost prohibitive to stay in business due to liability issues. There are also several types of hitch designs, including bolting to the bolting to frame rails, bolting to the unibody or adding a more robust support bar to the bumper assembly itself.

If you choose to remove the hitch assembly you likely can just reinsert the bolts. If they’re too long take one to a local hardware store and buy shorter ones. Bear in mind in some models that a tow bar replaces rear tow/tie down hooks so make sure whether this is the case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got rear ended in my Jeep which had a tow ball mounted in a receiver hitch. When she hit me (she was texting at the time and not paying attention), the tow ball punched through the top of her car’s front bumper/bottom of the grill, and stuck there, with our cars now hooked together at the bumpers. They couldn’t be separated while she tried backing up and I tried pulling forwards.

She wasn’t hurt and I wasn’t either, and I didn’t have any damage other than some scratched paint on the back bumper, but I was in a hurry. So I put the Jeep in low-range and dumped the clutch, and lurched the Jeep forward. The whole front clip of her car came off, lolz!!!bumper, grill, headlights, everything! I was then able to pull the ball mount out from the receiver and pull the whole thing out backwards through the hole in her bumper the tow ball made.

Then I left, with the front end of her car sitting there in the road. That was like 15 years ago and I still chuckle about it.

You were on a mission!