hitch step as rear bumber protection

[SIGer]

There are lots of those in my area of woods, thinking about getting one myself.

However, god forbid I'm rear-ended - will it cause frame to buckle?

I would rather fix bumper than total truck, but these steps are real protection from idiots who need to bump into you while parallel parking.

Another alternative is to use full-length rear bumper guards, but based on some opinions they will interfere (or use same mounting points as hitch). I don't have hitch installed yet.

Any opinions?

[deadrx7conv]

If there is enough force to cause damage, its not going to make a difference whether the hitch is there or not.

http://www.superbumper.com/
The above is overpriced but is probably the best bet.

[azonicdh]

I had a 2" hitch reciever with a trailer ball on it. One time I watched some guy trying to parallel park right behind my HL (the space was over two cars wide!). He kept bumping into the back of my of my car. I checked the damage afterwards and my car was fine while his bumper was cracked with a hole in it.

I started to feel bad so I switched to:
http://www.autoanything.com/hitch-be...A2434A0A0.aspx
Check out the follow thread
Rear Bumper Guard