Slow speed 'fender bender' (rear ended) but the Adventure Hammock System took the hit...

[KayaPayaPigDog]

On my way to work today i got rear ended in traffic by a little SUV going maybe 5-10 MPH. Fortunately i had my Adventure Hammock system in the hitch receiver and it took the brunt of the impact, truck went forward maybe a foot. I'm adding a pic of the hammock stand for reference so you know what i'm talking about and i would appreciate your feedback as well to let me know if my thought process is sound. As it was pretty slow speed i have zero concerns about the truck frame / receiver hitch. My thought is that this mount is made of much weaker (but still plenty strong enough for a hammock) metal than the receiver and frame itself. All it did was crack a bit of the weld and bend the bar about 4-5 degrees. I have hit rocks out on the trails that jerked the truck to a stop faster and i equate it to having a trailer being towed with a loose load that slams forward under breaking... i did get under the truck to look and saw nothing concerning.

Final thought is that since the tube from the cross member into the trailer hitch didn't buckle or anything like that, there is no way it transferred enough energy to do any damage to the truck itself. it acted as a bit of an absorber that pushed the truck forward a little bit (extremely non violent). If you have any other thoughts i should consider i would greatly appreciate it. I already reached out to Adventure Hammock Systems and they are hooking me up with a discount for a new part and free shipping. they are an awesome US based company making cool hammock stands for vehicles.

One thing i haven't checked yet is the hitch pin holding the hammock stand in the receiver, it doesn't carry any load with this setup, it simply holds it in place but before i put in a real tow ball i think i will replace it with a new on just to ensure i dont end up pulling a several thousand pound trailer with a compromised hitch pin.

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[superj]

i wonder fi the speed is low enough that his bumper absorbed all the energy so all you ended up with is that slightly bent mount?

 

[KayaPayaPigDog]

i wonder fi the speed is low enough that his bumper absorbed all the energy so all you ended up with is that slightly bent mount?

i really think that is the case. the truck still rides perfectly and the fact that the weaker metal of that mount in the back didn't bend that much tells me it is highly unlikely that enough energy was transfered to the frame to cause any damage.

 

[Jason B]

That receiver is bolted to the truck frame. IMO, had he hit you hard enough to bend the receiver or frame, he would not have been able to drive away.

 

[KayaPayaPigDog]

That receiver is bolted to the truck frame. IMO, had he hit you hard enough to bend the receiver or frame, he would not have been able to drive away.

yeah, i have to agree with you on that one. No damage to my truck at all and he hardly had a dent in his bumper. just pushed me about a foot forward if that.

 

[Don Vandyke]

I have been thinking about getting a bumper guard that goes in the hitch. Thinking your hammock saved you some damage. Harbor Freight has 1 for 25 bucks. Maybe tomorrow

 

[KayaPayaPigDog]

I have been thinking about getting a bumper guard that goes in the hitch. Thinking your hammock saved you some damage. Harbor Freight has 1 for 25 bucks. Maybe tomorrow

I think you are right, and I'm getting it replaced for $150... that's lower than my deductible so no reason to deal with insurance. The crazy thing is that for the past 4 months I didn't have it in and I just reinstalled it for the nice weather... only bummer is that it always triggers the back up sensors and they go crazy beeping and stuff... but it is what it is.

 

[MattZ]

https://superbumper.com/superbumper...orbing-receiver-hitch-step-sp424-sparebumper/

I found this and it seems like good protection, but i am not sure how I would like the look of it on my truck.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

It doesnt stick out as far as your hammock, but on the Explorer people have bumped it before with just a standard ball on it, and its still fine. Maybe I should get a pintle stick out further!

 

[CACTUSGREYFX4]

I have been thinking about getting a bumper guard that goes in the hitch. Thinking your hammock saved you some damage. Harbor Freight has 1 for 25 bucks. Maybe tomorrow

I got the smittybilt one on mine. Works good.

 

[CarTuner]

https://offroadanimal.com.au/rear-p...6Wf3n6ZbKMD5yg3Q_lu6l8XM6jf3eqzMaAj13EALw_wcB
https://offroadanimal.com.au/rear-b...lVA4FpSrYp_FjgW67NDn27TNZgUCYxqMaAuJkEALw_wcB

Does this help?

 

[Don Vandyke]

I got the smittybilt one on mine. Works good.

Does it trigger your back up cameras

 

[CACTUSGREYFX4]

Does it trigger your back up cameras

No

 

[KayaPayaPigDog]

https://superbumper.com/superbumper...orbing-receiver-hitch-step-sp424-sparebumper/

I found this and it seems like good protection, but i am not sure how I would like the look of it on my truck.

That looks like it has some nonskid on it so it would make for a good step up to the bumper while the tailgate is up… says it is 24” long so you would probably be triggering the back up sensors, my hammock stand does and it can be annoying

 

[KayaPayaPigDog]

I got the smittybilt one on mine. Works good.

That looks really nice and doesn’t get in the way of reverse sensors!

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