@trubandloki 
Well that would be a PITA to remove!
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@2DogsFarm, for sure!
And I sure hope most people are not using that set-up for pulling a horse trailer.
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No, not that type of hitch
I wish. Got one for the other car, and it resides safely in the backseat floor board.
The hitch is directly attached to the bumper.
LOL, why not?
That thing is firmly attached to the vehicle with one big screw vs a skinny pin.
I hope to dog she isn’t a cop.
What an unprofessional way to approach the subject.
I guess that is why policing is under fire all the time.
I think the difference is that one hitch is connected to the frame of the vehicle (much safer for hauling something like a horse) and the other is simply a part of the vehicles bumper.
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Many local law enforcement offices partially fund themselves with proceeds from drug seizures, which incentivizes traffic stops. Also leads to a lot of unintentional profiling.
Some random things I have been pulled over for that weren’t problems until one day they were: an air freshener hanging from my rear view mirror (illegal in VA), a small crack in my windshield, having a license plate frame (from the car dealership), factory window tint…
If these things are illegal then why are you mad at them for pulling you over for them?
Like, just because the tint came from the factory does not mean it is legal in your state.
I am floored by people being so angry that they are being told what they are doing is actually illegal.
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@trubandloki I didn’t say I was mad.
The air freshener was on a cross country drive: I didn’t realize they were illegal because I was not a resident of the state. It was a small “yankee candle” style air freshener maybe 2” across.
The small crack in the windshield hadn’t been fixed yet because I was swamped at work. Newsflash, also had no idea it was “illegal” in my state to drive with a small crack.
The license plate frame came on a used car I bought from the dealer. I was driving a few towns over from my home. A local cop pulled me over and said it was too thick for their town. Am I supposed to know the specific local rules of every town I may drive through?
There was nothing wrong with the factory window tint at all. I was driving an old mini van. They cop pulled me over to tell me it was “too dark” of tint; it wasn’t. But funny how when he saw it was a young girl driving with nothing suspicious whatsoever, he suddenly said there wasn’t a problem with my window tint. I somehow don’t think the outcome would have been the same if I were a different age, gender, or race.
My husband worked in law enforcement for many years. I am well aware of why this happens.
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I have seen a lot of hitches, and some ways to attach it to the vehicle is mindblowing.
And while the hitch might be secured to the frame the ball is fastened with a 1/2 inch metal pin!
I suppose it’s safe.
Seeing that the vehicle in my drive is a model specified as ‘work’ and I did look under the bed to see where the bumper is attached I ahve to say I feel more comfortable with the bumper hitch
YMMV of course
angry?
No
Displeased with fishing expeditions? You betcha!
I guess ticketing speeders isn’t as profitable as catching a drug lord on a coffee run?
There are notorious corners everywhere where people just fly through.
And we have not yet covered the matter of forfiture, when police can seize your property without even charging you! So basically legal theft by cop.
If something is illegal, it is illegal
Not just when the cop is bored and has an empty blatter.
So, we need enough cops to ticket every little thing always?
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Policing is a thankless job. I am grateful to those who want to do it. But with that said, there are massive inconsistencies in how the law is enforced. There is a lot of room for improvement. I am glad the conversation has been started nationwide.
I think everyone is well within their right to be a bit annoyed when pulled over for inconsistently enforced, minor laws that have little to no impact on safety.
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Lucky for me it’s an annoyance and not a safety issue.
And like you noted, the driver is sometimes the deciding factor if the air freshener is suddenly a top priority.
Me and mine are not likely to end up dead from being pulled over.
well, which way do you want it?
It is either illegal, or it sn’t. I guess you have not been subject to a fishing expedition.
I am aware of my privilege.
I was just wondering how people in a community full of haulers with trailer hitches experienced this.
But I should have also realized that the community isn’t comprised of likely targets of such events.
You are guessing incorrectly, but…
Since we are not playing in the current events forum I did not assume that was the point of the thread.
I remove my hitch when I a not towing. I like my shins too much. I have the style that 2dogs posted a photo of. Like I said above, I think that is what most people have.
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Most horse haulers have frame hitches that sit lower than where a ball mounted on a bumper sits.
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I’m truly not trying to belabor a point. Just sharing what I’ve been taught about hitching to a bumper ball mount vs a hitch installed directly to the frame. Bumper mounted hitch is rated for no more than 3500 pounds. The bumper mount also sits several inches higher than a frame mount. 
perfectly fine for light duty hauling but if you are carrying live weight like a 1200 horse or two plus the weight of the trailer I would always choose a frame hitch. YMMV.
PS if you’re not hauling horses then obviously carry on!
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Continuing on the bumper versus frame hitch question. I was taught that there were a couple of reasons to prefer the frame hitch: one that ‘little’ pin is actually a piece of specialty steel rated for the load and you generally can’t replace it with something else ( mean you can, but you have to really Try to be that sort of idiot). It is either in or not in and the only way to screw it up is not to insert its cotter pin. On the other hand, it is easy to not screw on a bumper hitch all the way and to replace its bolt with a non standard bolt that isn’t rated for the load. Both of which can be missed on a visual inspection. Secondly, bumpers are notorious for rust issues, causing failure points at a much higher rate than frame rust (although you should also check that area of the frame for rust)
As for the cop thing…
Well. I got the talk from dad, until the last few years I assumed everybody got the talk?, anyway it went like this: "You will get pulled over. There will be some law you are breaking somewhere. It doesn’t matter. You say only Yes Sir, No Sir, No excuse Sir. Keep your hands on the wheel and your papers in the car. You are paying for your tickets.’
Yes, I’ve gotten a ticket or two for stupid things. Remember this is the country where it has been estimated that all people commit at least two felonies a day! We just usually aren’t caught.
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Hahahah ok I’ll need proof of this?
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