Checking hitch after getting rear-ended
 

My wife got rear ended this morning. Very slow and the ball was on the truck so only the ball and attachmet got hit. No apparent damage. Poked a nice hole in the front bumper of the other car. Wife said it looked like plastic damage only. Just wondering if the other parties insurance will pay to have it checked if there is no damage. I cant get under there myself so Ill have it checked either way, just dont want to pay for it! Anyone else been through this?

Damn glad I had the ball in there or I would be looking at alot more damage. Someone should make a reciever with a flat steel plate on it for protection when not towing.

If it was a slow impact like your wife says, I don't think I'd be too worried about it. Probably not much more stress was put on it than a good hard emergency stop when towing. But I'm sure if you took it to a hitch place (where it was installed??) they would check it for nothing.

"Someone should make a reciever with a flat steel plate on it for protection when not towing."

Didn't they call that a bumper long ago?

Yes, long ago. But it has been replaced with a piece of chromed tin. Have you ever picked up a truck bumper. They weigh nothing. You would think it was carbon fiber.

It should be fine, but like Mike said, the installer would be able to look it over.
I like the tri-ball on mine. Had a honda something hit me in hte arse last year. By the time the police unhooked the two there has not much left of the front end :)

I have a hitch on the front of my truck for pushing the boat up my driveway and keep the hitch on both the front and back at all times. This has saved my truck from damage in the past, and has caused significant damage to the other vehicles that have hit me as well.

They make a little nerf bar that goes into your receiver when not towing. It looks kinda trick.

I also keep my reciever in at all times. I have gotten rear-ended with it in as well... I pulled ahead after getting hit to move from the traffc lane, and tore the other guys bumper off!.... He was PISSED that it happened, and was yelling at the police to try and make ME pay for it. They just looked at him and said "well you did rear-end HIM you know"... Man if looks could kill.....

Im going to pull the pin when she gets home and see what it looks like. If the pin shows no damage then I'm not to concerned. Just dont want to be going down the highway and have my wife say "Hey, that boat going by looks just like ours!"

It will most likely be ok, but if it was my hitch I would replace the ball, just to cheap to take a chance!!!!!!
Mark

I would crawl under the vehicle and take a look at the attachment to the vehicle and make sure everything is still tight and in its original position. You may not be able to see anything wrong without looking at the hitch itself and where it attaches to the vehicle. Even though the hitch looks undamaged, it could have moved, even a 1/4 inch. I would want to make sure it had not moved and all the bolts were still properly torqued.

I got rear ended (hard) however there was no visual damage to the reciever or hitch. I MADE the insurance company replace the thing. I told them if they did not want to replace the 200 buck hitch that they wouyld have to give me a letter stating that they will accept any and all responsability if any of the parts failed. Once they heard that they paid up. :D:D

Jon

What you need is a HITCH STEP...It comes in chrome or powder coat black...It goes into the receiver & protects the rear end & looks WAY KOOL doing it...I have one on my DURANGO & it was the best $90 dollars I ever spent...The DURANGOS have just a "plastic" fascia bumper cover & they are easily scratched...I personally think having the hitch ball installed all the time looks too gooberish anyways, not to mention wacking your shins on the damn thing every time you put something in the back...SYDWAYZ is right...it DOES look like an oval nerf or step bar...CHECK EM OUT....

My wife drives the tow vehicule in our family and we do not take the hitch out. They make much better bumper than anything GM can conjure up on the back of those Tahoe's. Some lady rear ended her a month ago and I think she made a 1/4 inche scratch to the chrome on the hitch with her front bumper, front cowling, hood, radiator and maybe even radiator fan...

Thats what I was thinking,,, that would be your biggest tell tale of how hard she was hit.

Hows your back by the way?

Chris

A young lady hit me last year and my hitch pin made a nice hole in her plastic bumper. The hitch looked alright at first but latter I noticed many loose bolts that attached it to the frame. I have duel exhaust going out the back and that was damged. It broke a hanger and twisted everything. I didn't see that and let her go without getting any information from her. It cost me around $150 to get things right. Not a big deal but before she hit me, everything was perfect. Take a look at more than just the hitch.

Roger