TRUCK BASHERS, PUT UP YOUR DUKES! For Real Work, Like Towing, We Need The Great American Trucks! By Tom Balek

All right, we’ve had enough. We’ve been bad-mouthed, trash-talked, and maligned. We’ve been blamed, pilloried, and called every nasty name in the book: "gas guzzler," "tank," and "road hog." Well, we’re not gonna take it anymore! We’re the Great American Trucks. And it’s about time we get some respect! Who’s going to pull that trailer load of sheetrock to the jobsite? A car? Ha! What do you do when your saddle horses are here and you need them to be there? Call a taxi? Hey, let’s see you pull that 27-foot travel trailer with your new car!

Despite what you hear every day in the media, we still need trucks. And because we rely on our trucks everyday for work and play, we need innovative products to help us tow, lift, and carry. Fortunately, some of the most creative minds in manufacturing are solving many of the towing challenges that have perplexed truck owners ­ and finding a surprising number of other uses for truck hitches.

No truck or SUV is complete without a receiver hitch, because even if the owner has no intention of towing a trailer, a hitch has so many other practical uses. Since the receiver hitch is actually an extension of the frame of the truck, it is the most accessible rigid attachment point to the vehicle ­ an ideal way to carry additional cargo, mount mud flaps, or even grill your favorite barbecue ribs at the tailgate party.

• a fancy hitch plug to show your loyalty to your truck brand, your favorite team, or your hobby
• a hitch step to make it easy to reach in the bed or up to the cargo rack
• a tool box that swings out of the way, allowing the tailgate to be opened
• a load extender for carrying items longer than the bed will allow
• a wheelchair or scooter lift for easy loading of heavy mobility units
• a backup camera or backup obstacle warning system
• a locking security box for stashing keys and other valuables
• an LED lighted plug for . . . well, for more lights

In my store we even offer a platform that can be inserted into the receiver hitch to make it easier for a big old dog to jump into the cargo area of an SUV. Who’d have imagined that?

A receiver hitch at the back of a truck or SUV is the cat’s meow. But truck owners are also discovering the many advantages of front receiver hitches.

For example, at one time most winches were permanently mounted in a heavy-duty steel front bumper. Lately most of my customers have preferred to install a front receiver hitch and use a winch "basket" ­ a heavy plate with grab handles and a 2" tube that mounts in the hitch. Now the winch can be used at the front or the rear of the vehicle, and since it’s portable, it can serve multiple vehicles or be loaned to a buddy for his weekend outing.
Use of a winch at the back of the truck will require a long heavy-gauge power cable.

Towing a trailer requires an electrical connection for lights, trailer brake, and trailer battery. Fortunately, trailer manufacturers are phasing out the old six-pin round standard connector, and none too soon. How many hours and dollars have pinout confusion cost truck owners and hitch installers? (Does the trailer brake wire go on the center pin, or the auxiliary pin?) Maybe some day the old six-pin and four-pin connectors will be banished from the face of the earth, but until then accessories dealers will have to stock vehicle ends, trailer ends, converters, and adapters to accommodate all the different possibilities ­ not to mention an assortment of locks to protect hitch accessories and trailers from theft.

Predictions of the demise of the Great American Truck may be premature. As long as we choose to enjoy outdoor recreation, travel with trailers, pull livestock, and haul loads for work projects, the future of the truck is secure. And we can rest assured that our towing and accessories manufacturers will come up with more great new products to make towing safer, easier, and more fun.