What to do with hitch?

[Craiger]

Having just transitioned from 15 years in a motorhome to my first travel trailer, I realized that I have never paid attention to what people do with the weight-distributing hitch while in a campground. How much of it do you leave connected to the truck while driving around? Do you leave any of it attached to the trailer? Do you have a storage compartment in the trailer that you keep it locked up? If you have a hitch lock, can you just disconnect from the receiver and leave it hanging from the tongue?

[Salomon]

I leave the hitch attached and toss the sway bars in the outside storage on my trailer.

[TWP723]

ALWAYS remove the draw bar. Store everything inside the truck or trailer. Those Equalizer draw bars are EX-PENS-IVE!!!

[newbold1]

I installed a 4" PVC pipe mounted to the upper area of my storage bay. I use that to slide the distribution bars into when not in use. That keeps them "put away" and prevents grease from getting all over my other stuff that is in there.

I leave the hitch on the truck so I don't have to fool with it later when it is time to leave the campground. When the trailer is being stored I put the hitch in the storage bay.

I have a ball cover so that when the hitch is on the truck I don't have to worry about bumping into it and getting grease on my clothes and such.

[newbold1]

This is what I installed to deal with the distribution bars.

[Jagiven]

Very personal, with what you do with it. My issue is my back is not as strong as it used to be, so I do not want to move it any more than I have to. For us if it is just a typical weekend campout, I leave the hitch assembly on the TV. I will put a Solo cup over the ball to keep from getting grease on our legs. I think a 15 oz solo cup fits perfectly, and will stay on while driving down the highway. If we have lots of kids with us, I typically place the hitch under the A-Frame of the trailer. I will then put the bars on top of the a-Frame behind the propane tanks.

At home, I place the whole hitch assembly on a piece of plywood that is up on a couple 2x4’s under the rear of the TT, it is out of sight and out of the way, and out of the weather.

[nunyadamn]

I haven't done it yet, but I plan to bolt a receiver to the frame of my trailer near the batteries. It will allow me to leave it with the trailer and I only have to move it a couple feet. I plan on spot welding the bolts so it can't easily be removed and that should allow me to lock the hitch onto the trailer. I will just tie a garbage bag over it to keep it dry. I too am planning on using the pvc pipe for the bars.

[Bookemdanno]

Originally Posted by Salomon

I leave the hitch attached and toss the sway bars in the outside storage on my trailer.

x2

[joe in calif]

I leave the hitch on the tow vehicle with a keyed pin and put the sway bars in the storage compartment or sometimes I just lay them across the frame behind the battery, depends on where I'm at.

[Hitch Pin]

Originally Posted by joe in calif

I leave the hitch on the tow vehicle with a keyed pin and put the sway bars in the storage compartment or sometimes I just lay them across the frame behind the battery, depends on where I'm at.

Same here.

[Bsikes]

Remove all the way and store in bed of truck or TT. That way I can take TV out and about and don't worry about it. Part of the campground setup and tear down list.

[NVGun40]

Originally Posted by newbold1

This is what I installed to deal with the distribution bars.

I like what you did here. Looks really nice and neat. Would you mind sending me a few more pictures of the set up.

[newbold1]

I had not taken many photos of this but here is one more that I had on hand. The tube is really meant to be for the sewer hose. Each end already has the mounting holes and I just mounted this up to the aluminum frame at that top of the storage bay with some bolts.

It really was a fairly easy job.

[pawpaw]

Originally Posted by Salomon

I leave the hitch attached and toss the sway bars in the outside storage on my trailer.

x3

[Hattie]

Originally Posted by joe in calif

I leave the hitch on the tow vehicle with a keyed pin

For those of you wondering about 'keyed hitch pins' (picture is worth a 1,000 words). For sure, you don't want ANY of your hitch bits-an-pieces to take a walk while you are asleep ~ kinda makes it tough to leave the campground!

[annie oakly]

I painted my a very bright ( YELLOW) So I Do not walk into it on the back of the truck
I leave it on the truck, Use it to get the boat off the roof.
Bars go in the front storage .
I do sometimes leave then on the frame, It does depend where you are.

[SouthCo]

I leave the WDH attached to my truck. The bars I place in one of the storage compartments. I have never had a problem walking into my hitch...

[Camper_bob]

I stow everything in the front storage compartment. The street side of my front storage is used exclusively for travel tackle and hardware (hitches, bars, extra grease, manual crank handles, tools, etc. I'm planning to install some PVC to keep the bars up off the floor and clean. Right now I just use some carpet remnants that were left in the trailer.

I used to keep the hitch head locked in it's receiver on the truck, but it rattles around back there without a load on it and makes a ruckus. Never had a problem walking into it; I've walked into enough hitch heads in my life to know about giving the rear end of a truck a wide berth when walking around, now it's just habit...

[annie oakly]

Ok I forget that it is there. But it work well to get the boat down and for me to get in the back of the truck

[SouthCo]

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

I used to keep the hitch head locked in it's receiver on the truck, but it rattles around back there without a load on it and makes a ruckus....

Once we set up we don't typically move the truck but even when we do make a trip from the campground I can't hear my Blue Ox from inside the truck..