99LX Read Ended - How much space between and Hitch? (1 Viewer)

[Tahomatom]

My wife was rear ended yesterday and the damage was minor. 2 small scratches to the rear bumper and and really worried about it but the trailer hitch poked a large hole in the minivan license plate.

I checked it last night when I got home and I am afraid the tow hitch might have been pushed forward as there is almost no room between it and the spare tire. It was too dark to take a picture but my guess is less than an 1/8 of an inch between the hitch and the tire.

I think there was a little more room in there on my old 99 LC's but never got under and looked on the LX. I am still sporting stock LTX's and stock bumper on this one. Just worried if the wife gets a flat she wont be able to get the spare out as it is that tight.

Here is a pic. There seems to a little crease on the drivers side but cant remember if that is normal as it makes the bend.

Can anyone tell how much room theirs has between the hitch support and spare.

 

[TXLX100]

The clearance is going to depend which hitch you have. Hard to tell, but that doesn't look like a factory or port installed hitch you have. If it was moved at all, it might be evident around the bolts or if there is any crinkling of paint. If it was a low speed impact, I wouldn't worry too much. Someone hit my truck hitch going 30 and it didn't budge.

The clearance on my factory hitch is almost zero with a oversized tire under the truck.

 

[Tahomatom]

Ok thanks, I will take a better look tonight. If it is not damaged the two little scrapes are not really worth going to her insurance company. But if the hitch is damaged than I might as well get a new one and the bumper painted or a real bumper depending on the estimate.

I also wanted to fit a full time spare once I go to 285's but have been waiting for winter to get closer before pulling the trigger on new tires.

 

[txtortoise]

Check where the hitch mounts to frame and be sure you don't have frame damage.