receiver hitch tow hook

[NETim]

Picked up a tow hook that mounts in a receiver hitch today for a little more than nothing. Don't know that I'll ever need it, but the price was too good to pass up.



Anyway, I'm wondering how much of a side load a guy dares to put on a Class III hitch. Straight on I'm not too concerned, but if a guy is pulling on something off to the side and not directly in line with the truck I'm concerned about how the hitch will stand up.



Thanks and Merry Christmas!



Tim

 

[klenger]

You mean like pulling a large trailer around a tight corner using a hitch ball?

 

[NETim]

Hitch hook

No, actually what I had envisioned was the following:



Say a car is off the road and being a good samaritan with the means to help, you attach your tow strap to the receiver hitch hook and to the other vehicle. Now if it's possible to get a straight shot while pulling, no worries, but say it's not possible to pull straightaway and you end up pulling a little from the side (thereby putting a side load on the hitch).



I'm wondering if it's possible to bend the hitch mount up if a guy gets to jerking around in that situation.



Maybe I'm just worrying about nothing here.



Tim

 

[QRTRHRS]

I would think that unless you have a lot of weigth on the truck, it will just pull the back sideways.



If it does bend, time to upgrade anyway. You can find the Putnam XDR class V for 130.



By the way Tim, not to preach here but watch your backside being the good guy. This topic was hit on a few weeks ago. I forget the thread though. Good discussion though.

 

[DennyDay]

Pulling

Seems like all anybody knows today is "LAWSUIT" You can be held responsible for any vehicle damage to whoever you pull doing a 'favor'. Your insurance probably won't cover it, let the pros do it, one of their major costs is insurance.

Denny



I'm NOT in the tow business!

 

[NETim]

You're right!

Hate to admit it but you guys are probably right. Just can't be too careful nowadays. Such are the life and times we live in.



In a very roundabout way, this reminds me of an old memory. A few years back, I was parked alongside a lonely stretch of highway (they're all lonely out thataway) in the middle of the Nebraska Sandhills taking a few photos of the fall scenery. As I was reloading film in the car, a middle aged woman, alone mind you, stopped, got out of her car, walked over to my vehicle and asked if I needed any help. Where would that happen but in the middle of that country?



Anyway, my question was more academic anyway. I just was wondering what kind of side load the typical class III hitch might be able to take. I know mine is no heavyweight.



Thanks!



Tim

 

[klenger]

My comment was refering to the fact that when you are manuerving a large trailer, you are putting side loads on the hitch then also. Therefore, a reasonable sideload with a tow strap should not be a problem. The shorter the bar with the tow hook is, the better. That would put less leverage on the hitch.

 

[SpeedBump]

Re: Pulling

Originally posted by C. D. Day

... Your insurance probably won't cover it, let the pros do it, one of their major costs is insurance...

Man that's for sure! Zero claims in 3 years and mine runs about $23K a year on 5 trucks. My agent's been warning me for the last 3 months that's it's going up at re-newel time.



My uncle in the trucking business always said, "if it was'nt for taxes we could probably make a little money. " I'm gonna lump insurance in their with that statement also



Just passing the time.



Eric