I know last year there was some discussion in the Minnesota government or DNR about driving around with the draw bar installed on you vehicle with out a trailer, will be a violation. Has this happened ? or is it still in the works?
Legal. Never heard that there was even talk.
Dt
Pretty sure that was one of those social media spoofs. Though im sure the car that rear ended me a few months back is glad I had mine off.
I can’t imagine how many tickets they’d be writing!!!
Quote:
Pretty sure that was one of those social media spoofs. Though im sure the car that rear ended me a few months back is glad I had mine off.
Pretty much the main reason I put a hitch on my minivan. Second only to that being the only way a minivan can be manly. 
DT
http://www.myfox47.com/story/15250139/sheriffs-disspell-trailer-hitch-rumor
Quote:
Sheriffs around Iowa are dispelling a rumor that a new law was passed requires drivers to remove trailer hitches when not towing a trailer.
Fayette County Sheriff Marty Fisher says law enforcement agencies across the state have received numerous questions about the supposed new law.
Fisher says no legislation was enacted in 2010 or 2011 requiring you to remove the ball and ball mount from a trailer hitch receiver when not towing a trailer.
“It is not now nor previously illegal to leave a ball or ball mount in a trailer hitch receiver,” Sheriff Fisher said in a written statement.He says the rumor began circulating in September of 2010 in southeast and south central Iowa but then lost momentum until recently.
Fisher says the rumor appears to be a result of a prank involving bogus homemade citations which were left on vehicles with the ball or ball mount left in a trailer hitch receiver when no trailer was attached.
But just an FYI, in many states you can be pulled over for having a ball or anything in front of your license plate. The cop can claim it is blocking them from clearly reading your plate.
Quote:
Pretty much the main reason I put a hitch on my minivan. Second only to that being the only way a minivan can be manly.
DT
Couldn’t you just put a hood scoop and some wide tires on it?
Grouse 
Shouldn’t you be rioting in celebration in St. Paul?
DT
Let that hit me, I won’t take it out after getting bumped once with it in on my Liberty.
Without it, I would have had serious damage to my spare and rear door.
As long as we’re talking about trailer hitch balls…
Last year a friend of mine lost his boat to the ditch because the ball broke off the threaded shaft.
(stop it Don)
On examination, the break was rusted indicating is had been cracked for sometime.
Since his accident I take the ball off each year to check it along with the rest of the receiver, pin and cotter pin.
I never heard anything like this before, but there’s a lot of force pushing on that ball. Might want to do the same if you think of it this spring.
No one was hurt and his boat received very minor damage.
heh
Another reason why safety chains are required on all trailers 
Bent the s hooks straight when the ball broke.
Don’t count on safety chain was what I got out of it. 
Sounds like the chains were too long, maybe too small, and not hooked up correctly. They should cradle the tongue and not allow it to hit the ground. If it hits the ground it can catch and dig itself in, breaking the chain in the process.
Glad it sounds like nobody got hurt!
On a similar note to BrianK’s, if you have an older, tilt-bed trailer, you MUST thoroughly inspect the bolt that holds the tongue to the trailer.
Over time, the bolt can elongate the holes in the tongue. The resulting slippage makes the bolt holes act like a guillotine and they can actually cut the bolt over time.
This actually happened to me and the trailer broke in half. Luckily, it broke when I was pulling the empty trailer out of the water AFTER launching the boat. If this had happened under heavy braking on the road, it would have been a terrible wreck.
Upon inspection, the elongated bolt holes had cold-chiseled the pivot bolt in half. The fix was to weld a pipe inside the tongue so the bolt has more contact surface than just the hole edges.
Inspect carefully. If you find signs the bolt is being damaged, get it fixed properly. Replacing the bolt is NOT a fix!
Grouse
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
