My friend claims that he was pulled over last week in St. Paul and given a fix it ticket for having his receiver hitch in when he wasn’t towing a trailer. He has a Tahoe and just had the regular hitch and ball in his receiver. Is this true or is there something he left out of the story? I tried to do some searches, but I didn’t come up with anything.
I saw a post over on WC saying there was a proposal in Mich to do this. Never heard of it in Mn.
I asked our IDO LEO deertracker if he could find an answer. I really need to know it!!
-J.
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I really need to know it!!
-J.
No kidding , I don’t even know that I’d be able to get mine out 
Not only that but what’s the difference if I have the receiver in MY truck or not 
I have read/heard that there is a law on the MN books about having your hitch and ball in the reciever.
I can see where there is issues: no rear crumple zone so you get a bigger impact, the car that rear-ends you also ends up with much more damage as the hitch goes right into their radiator. Please don’t ask how I know, TWICE.
Yet, I still leave mine in….
Ron
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I really need to know it!!
-J.
No kidding , I don’t even know that I’d be able to get mine out
Not only that but what’s the difference if I have the receiver in MY truck or not
YOUR knees wouldn’t hurt so bad when you came over to see me. 
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I really need to know it!!
-J.
No kidding , I don’t even know that I’d be able to get mine out
Not only that but what’s the difference if I have the receiver in MY truck or not
YOUR knees wouldn’t hurt so bad when you came over to see me.
…….that’s what she said. 
-J.
I think it’s because the bleeding hearts think when tinkerbell is texting and runs into you, the hitch will do more damage.
Personally I thought that’s what they were there for… 
Al
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I really need to know it!!
-J.
No kidding , I don’t even know that I’d be able to get mine out
Not only that but what’s the difference if I have the receiver in MY truck or not
YOUR knees wouldn’t hurt so bad when you came over to see me.
…….that’s what she said.
-J.
I’m pretty sure there isn’t a law on the books, but I would suspect there’s some big insurance dollars behind creating one…
Trailer hitches cause alot more damage to vehicles that run into them versus a vehicle running into a bumper.
I personally leave mine on at all times and look at is as a way to save my truck from extensive damage in the event someone does rear end me.
Mine is so rusted in I’d have to torch it off then set up a new one 
I’ve seen this come up on boating forums before in numerous other states.
I’ve noticed two things about these claims:
a) It’s never a firsthand report. It always happend to somebody else and so details can’t be confirmed or clearified.
b) People claim it’s true, but they can NEVER cite a state statute even when there are claims of an actual citation and fine(not just a “fix-it” ticket”).
I’d love to hear back from Deertracker or anyone else that can provide a info or an actual MN stat.
I wonder if there isn’t some statute that covers “temporary accessory attachments to a motor vehicle” so reciever hitchs aren’t specifically referenced, but a more vague/general statute can be interpreted as applying to them?
Grouse
Only one way to prove it, Let him show you the ticket…….
I live in Michigan. Had a young girl run into the back of my truck, and run my hitch receiver and ball about a foot up the hood of her sports car. Zero damage to my truck….probably new grill and hood for her car. Police said nothing about my hitch….so I am guessing it is OK here in Mich.
Unless it sticks out enough to warrant a red flag or covers any of your license plate numbers/letters when viewed from the rear, your safe in MN 
Here in Illinois it is a law. It went into affect Jan 2011.
I see an awful lot of people that don’t know the law exists though. Still alot of folks with there ball & hitch in. I’m not taking a chance I take mine out when not pulling the Ranger. And I don’t have to pull up as far into the garage now to shut the door !! 
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I think it’s because the bleeding hearts think when tinkerbell is texting and runs into you, the hitch will do more damage.
Personally I thought that’s what they were there for…
Al
Maybe they shouldn’t run into me.
I always pull mine anyways im too afraid of someone stealing it…
Wasnt there also some talk a while ago to out law truck nuts hanging off the back of the truck?
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Wasnt there also some talk a while ago to out law truck nuts hanging off the back of the truck?
They must be human and from Wi.
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My friend claims that he was pulled over last week in St. Paul and given a fix it ticket for having his receiver hitch in when he wasn’t towing a trailer. He has a Tahoe and just had the regular hitch and ball in his receiver. Is this true or is there something he left out of the story? I tried to do some searches, but I didn’t come up with anything.
Fife, when you get a chance ask your friend why he didn’t take it out at that point the officer was writing the ticket.
Fixed. No ticket.
Just spoke to a good friend in law enforcement…NO it is not a law.
Several states do have a 4″ max from the rear bumper but MN is not one of those states.
Just asked a friend of mine that’s a officer in the north metro and he is unaware of any law in MN other then if the ball blocks any part of the license plate at all it technically becomes an obstructed plate and reciever hitch must be removed if not pulling a trailer.
Ask your buddy for the ordinance and/or statute number off of his warning so we can now what it was for.
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{clipped}I personally leave mine on at all times and look at is as a way to save my truck from extensive damage in the event someone does rear end me.
X2
With my Jeep Liberty I noticed without it
IDIOTS
would tailgate much closer. With it in, however, they stay a bit further back. If they did hit me without it, they crush my spare tire first and hence my back door/gate, etc.
Mine is locked and likely rusted into place. If there was/is a law, I’ll pay the fine.
Few years back a young lady wasn’t paying attention and hit (Rear-ended) me, lightly. Put a nice baseball size dent 
in her bumper; No damage on my tank. 
How did you turn a little jeep liberty into a tank?
Sorry I missed this one. There has to be more to the story as I have never ever even heard this brought up as a possibilty of a new law.
DT
was he driving a school bus?
HRG
Boy would that be a pain….I have one of those mudflap setups for towing my boat or atv. It is attached to my 8″ drop receiver hitch… the whole thing is unwieldy, dirty and must weigh 40#.
is this the next step in the fight in AIS…..
On more than one occasion, I have walked up to my truck in a parking lot to find plastic on the ground beneath my hitch. I vote for leaving it in!
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