Need Advise - UPS truck rear ended me

[SJP]

2500 HD truck. UPS truck he me while I was at a dead stop. I had my hitch on and he hit it pretty square. Only noticeable damage is the rear bumper is pitched down a bit and it appears to have a slightly larger gap. I am concerned the hitch - receiver and frame may be damaged. Any recommendations on type or actual shops to get estimates. Thank you in advanced.

[YeLLowBoaT]

had that happen to me with a DHL truck( long story) make sure what ever shop you take it too checks the frame and does not just look at the body damage.

[Havasubum]

simons auto body in lake forest or pm pixilatedpussy on the boards

[brianthomas]

The hitch bolts are designed to shear off and are brittle. I would replace them. I hit a pickup from behind once that had neglected to remove his ball mount after towing. He was ticketed and his insurance paid for my car. It is a huge no-no in many states to leave it on.

[LUVNLIFE]

The hitch bolts are designed to shear off and are brittle. I would replace them. I hit a pickup from behind once that had neglected to remove his ball mount after towing. He was ticketed and his insurance paid for my car. It is a huge no-no in many states to leave it on.
What states? I have never heard of this:confused: Although all info is usefull:D

[brianthomas]

I was in Chicago. Seems the big issue is vehicles have millions of dollars invested in safety and security in case of accidents. Think about the crumple zones on the front of my car and the back of his truck. This damn ball mount completely negated all of it. I would not have been suprised if his insurance had said they would not pay for his truck since he failed to take normal precautions. And, leaving that thing on is so damned ugly along with being a perfect place to bang the crap out of your knee. I think we have all kicked them from time to time. It is just an issue of being lazy.

[SJP]

I was kind of happy he did not jack the whole back of my truck up. Also leaving your hitch on protects your bumper (cosmetically) when people do not know how to park.

[DelawareDave]

I hit a pickup from behind once that had neglected to remove his ball mount after towing. He was ticketed and his insurance paid for my car. It is a huge no-no in many states to leave it on.
I don't know what state you are in, but in the states I am aware of, if you hit someone from behind, it is your fault, and you get the ticket.

[redneckcharlie]

I was in Chicago. Seems the big issue is vehicles have millions of dollars invested in safety and security in case of accidents. Think about the crumple zones on the front of my car and the back of his truck. This damn ball mount completely negated all of it. I would not have been suprised if his insurance had said they would not pay for his truck since he failed to take normal precautions. And, leaving that thing on is so damned ugly along with being a perfect place to bang the crap out of your knee. I think we have all kicked them from time to time. It is just an issue of being lazy.
I can't believe you are referring to an individual who left his ball on as being lazy. Your whole situation would have been avoided if you hadn't rearended them! That is the exact situation why I keep a huge reciever on my truck all the time. Its for the knothead that isn't paying attention and wants to test the structural integrity of the rear of my truck. To have any malice directed towards someone that you just rearend because they had their reciever in, is absolutely absurd.:rolleyes:
Back to the main subject, make sure they put your truck on a rack(frame machine) and check all the alignment points for the chassis. That is the only way to make sure the integrity of the frame is still intact. Any reputable shop should be able to do that in a couple hours.:)

[NeverStop]

I would avoid simons auto body like a plague. My .02:idea:

[bikerboater]

The hitch bolts are designed to shear off and are brittle. I would replace them. I hit a pickup from behind once that had neglected to remove his ball mount after towing. He was ticketed and his insurance paid for my car. It is a huge no-no in many states to leave it on.
I've been in the autobody bussiness most of my life and I never heard of such a thing. The law is that you are to be in control of your vehicle. You ran into someone cause you were daydreaming and it's their fault?? Guess if you ran over me on my bike you'd say it's my fault for rideing a bike that you didn't see. Course then again, I hear of stupid new laws every day so nothing would suprise me.
On the subject. I did a Ford a few years ago & it tucked the frame down pretty good the last couple of feet and buckled the bed. Fixed it with a used bed and rear frame section. Any major frame damage will be apparent (buckled) If the bed fits on at all the mounting points and the gaps are even at the cab, you should be OK.

[lucky]

I leave my hitch in all the time :) its like an extenstion of my Penis :) :jawdrop: glad it's an 8" drop, not a 2"er like Demons :D

[brianthomas]

Many reasons for not leaving the ball mount on, serews up structure crumple designed into vehicles for safety, causes excessive damage and just really looks crappy. I hit the vehicle in front of me as our lane was ending and I assumed he would merge left as I was. As I looked into my mirror to make sure the lane was clear he got a bad case of the stupids and just locked up his brakes. That is why they call them accidents. I'm actually glad he was too lazy to remove the ball mount as I avoided having my insurance pay and possibly raising my rates. I may have had more damage without the ball mount being there as all it took out was the bumper, grille and radiators. Could have been a hell of a lot of sheetmetal. I have no idea what all was screwed up on his truck but the hitch was rolled up at a strong angle. I could only imagine what the frame looked like. Would have been a lot easier without the ball mount for him to replace a bumper and maybe a tailgate.
It is just not a good look on a truck to leave the thing hanging and I have seen little kids run into them more than once. The old no redeeming qualities thing.

[plaster dave]

The hitch bolts are designed to shear off and are brittle. I would replace them. I hit a pickup from behind once that had neglected to remove his ball mount after towing. He was ticketed and his insurance paid for my car. It is a huge no-no in many states to leave it on.
I have never heard of that before. I would have dropped my insurance company so fast if it was my fault.

[redneckcharlie]

Many reasons for not leaving the ball mount on, serews up structure crumple designed into vehicles for safety, causes excessive damage and just really looks crappy. I hit the vehicle in front of me as our lane was ending and I assumed he would merge left as I was. As I looked into my mirror to make sure the lane was clear he got a bad case of the stupids and just locked up his brakes. That is why they call them accidents. I'm actually glad he was too lazy to remove the ball mount as I avoided having my insurance pay and possibly raising my rates. I may have had more damage without the ball mount being there as all it took out was the bumper, grille and radiators. Could have been a hell of a lot of sheetmetal. I have no idea what all was screwed up on his truck but the hitch was rolled up at a strong angle. I could only imagine what the frame looked like. Would have been a lot easier without the ball mount for him to replace a bumper and maybe a tailgate.
It is just not a good look on a truck to leave the thing hanging and I have seen little kids run into them more than once. The old no redeeming qualities thing.
If you rearended a vehicle, especially a truck, hard enough to roll the reciever under the vehicle, you were moving at a very good clip. With that kind of force you would of most likely ended up all the way under the truck, back wheels included. If the reciever wasn't installed. I'm sorry, but the only reason people get rearended is because the driver behind them is going to fast, following to close, or isn't paying attention. I've been doing collission repair for twenty years and have never seen an insurance company pick up a tab on a rearend collission because their customer had a reciever in. What company was that? I'm going to make sure all my customers get insured by them, because I could make mint off them!:jawdrop:

[ChumpChange]

It is a huge no-no in many states to leave it on.
Yes this is true in some states and you can get a ticket for it. That is pretty much all I know about the law though.

[brianthomas]

Yes this is true in some states and you can get a ticket for it. That is pretty much all I know about the law though.
You pretty much need to get in an accident to get a ticket for leaving it on. It's that ticket that throw the insurance co's into convulsions.
My car in this accident was a '99 SubTub.

[bikerboater]

So what about those carrier thingys that attach to the receiver? Or a bike rack on a car? What if it's a welded on hitch? I do know you have to flag anything sticking out of the bed but a drawbar?? Way too many dumb laws in this country and it gets worse everyday!

[brianthomas]

So what about those carrier thingys that attach to the receiver? Or a bike rack on a car? What if it's a welded on hitch? I do know you have to flag anything sticking out of the bed but a drawbar?? Way too many dumb laws in this country and it gets worse everyday!
Seems if they stick out more than 18 inches they are required to use a red flag or marker of some kind. I assume bike racks or ball mount rules fall under an "in use" rule. Permanent hitches like class I would likely be ok as they are permanently mounted but I don't know for sure. The big issue with the ball mounts is that they are temporary and removable.

[Xlration Marine]

Whats up with this stuff. I was nailed i the rear by an f150 on the 28th. I went under the truck and niticed the frame was bent and the hitch was moved forward. I could tell because the nuts and bolts were moved forward exposing fresh metal. And the noticed the frame was bent as well. With out this the damage is about 3K. I was hit so hard that the bed was pushed up into the cab, small dent to prove it. Jack off didn't even slow down, guess would be about 30 +- mph. Once they get under it and see the frame and hitch it will pass the 4K mark.

[al03sc]

2500 HD truck. UPS truck he me while I was at a dead stop. I had my hitch on and he hit it pretty square. Only noticeable damage is the rear bumper is pitched down a bit and it appears to have a slightly larger gap. I am concerned the hitch - receiver and frame may be damaged. Any recommendations on type or actual shops to get estimates. Thank you in advanced.
Make sure you see what Brown will do for you.

[SJP]

All ended well as could be - the truck is fixed. Replaced the receiver, brackets, hardware, and hitch. 1200 dollars - done.

[ddevore]

When a Nissan sentra nailed my F250 on i-215 the CHP officer told me I was lucky to have my drop hitch in - I drove home with similar damage as you described and his car was done (would have been done with or with out the hitch). Still with the hitch the minor scratches and other little things did add up - it was nearly $2500 damage that I almost did not bring in to the shop. I used Faith Auto body in Temecula and had great results.

[Sherpa]

I puposefully leave a hitch with ball on all my trucks just for the whole thing
about people not being able to park without bumping into my cars....
and it does help protect the back of your truck when if some dumbass
rearends you.......
--been there, had it happen..
--Sherpa

[brianthomas]

I puposefully leave a hitch with ball on all my trucks just for the whole thing
about people not being able to park without bumping into my cars....
and it does help protect the back of your truck when if some dumbass
rearends you.......
--been there, had it happen..
--Sherpa
I think we are talking more about receivers and ball mounts here rather than a hitch and ball. The ball mount left on is the issue in the damage it can cause and the "look at me I'm way too lazy to pull the pin and stow the mount" people out there. They are totally different things.

[BenchRacer]

I think we are talking more about receivers and ball mounts here rather than a hitch and ball. The ball mount left on is the issue in the damage it can cause and the "look at me I'm way too lazy to pull the pin and stow the mount" people out there. They are totally different things.
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[Sherpa]

okay there mrbrianthomas,
maybe I miss-worded it here.....
I am talking about a "frame-mounted reciever" & removable-hitch w/ball...
and yes, I leave it there ON PURPOSE. it helps to protect the back end of
my truck....
it's been hit 3 times........... 1 nissan.....front end ruined. 1 minivan hit-run
in a parking lot..... no damage to my truck. 1 53 foot semi trailer......
amazing, no damage once again......... (had to hitch not been there, my
tailgate, and bedside would have been toast........
--Sherpa............ with the ball & hitch waiting for the next wanker to hit.