I'm now considering whether I want to have the trailer hitch on my vehicle. At this point, it is very unlikely that I will tow anything, but then again I'd be laughing by butt off if someone told me ten years ago I'd be offroading, and putting it on after would be a much bigger pain than having it configured in, so there.

Based on the picture, it looks like the hitch intrudes significantly into the departure angle. On one hand, it might save some bumper damage if I land on it instead of the bumper (a big stretch assuming I land on it and not on the bumper corner), but on the other - I wonder if the underlying structures holding it in place are meaty enough to withstand that force? Done that once in my JKU, landed on the recovery hook, and only found that it moved the right side of the bumper about half an inch up a few months later

 

Don’t know about the hitch specifically, but I suspect it would take the weight of the back end without deflection. The factory installed hitch on my 2014 Jeep has been the point of first contact for many of my descents where I was dropping off a ledge and the rear settled onto rock before the tires hit ground. No damage other than paint scrapes and subsequent rust.

Also, I have lifted the whole rear of my Defender out of deep muck by attaching each end of a chain to one of the rear tow hooks, the chain being long enough to reach up to roof level, where I attached the middle of it to an excavator bucket so I could lift the thing. No shift, no damage, not even a paint scrape in that case. I imagine the hitch is attached to whatever they are attached to.

 

We have the tow hitch for a 1UP bike rack and also a hitch cargo tray that we use to transport stuff to a drive-on beach.

 

I have the factory hitch and put a 41.22 Inc. Hitch Slider with a Factor 55 Locking Hitch Pin on it when I off-road. I went with the Factor 55 hitch pin because it has a 50,000+ lb Shear Strength rating.
It has taken a beating and has definitely worked to protect from trail damage and it is a central recovery point as well. The hitch is intergraded into the rear crash bar and the tow loops are bolted to that...I installed the tow loops when I first got my Defender, I had to take to rear bumper off for the install. I have hit the hitch slider a bunch off-road and I have yet to see any damage or movement on the hitch receiver or bumper.

41.22 Hitch Slider:
https://41twentytwo.com/product/hitch-slider/

Factor 55 Locking Hitch Pin:
https://www.factor55.com/p-locking-hitch-pin-00037

 

Thanks for that Hitch Slider tip / link - Nice simple solution!

 

That rear crash bar is very strong. The RAV4 that hit me was totaled and I just needed a new bumper cover and heat shields.

 

You bring up an interesting point - I remember reading about the case when a Jeep with a stinger bumper T-boned a sedan, the bumper bypassed all the standard protection zones, went straight through the window and either severely injured or killed the driver. The Jeep driver was deemed liable even though it was the other person who ran the red, announced reason being "DOT unapproved vehicle modification".

I love the idea of the hitch slider and will get it for sure, though I guess I'll be extra careful not to have anyone that looks litigious behind me... Oh gawd, who am I kidding

 

I went the "protection" route with skid shield #31007 from the tow company Curt. I think this thing is originally designed to be mounted on vehicles with a front hitch to be used when they're not being towed, but it works perfectly on rear hitches as well. I drilled an extra hole so it would tuck in a closely as possible. It's small, cheap, and discreet.

Curt product page
Amazon link

Four positives with this option for me:

1- provides a little bit of extra bumper protection off road if/when the rear slams down on something.
2- the angle will hopefully help persuade a crashing car to slide under the expensive bits if rear ended as opposed to straight into them.
3- works as a step when I need to reach deep into the back cargo area
4- significantly cheaper than the specific off-road options I've seen.

 

Anyone serious about offroading is going to remove this and anything else changing your departure angle from the rear bumper.

I don't have a picture handy, but anything measured and specs stated by JLR for angles are without anything extra on the bumper.

The hitch-mounted shield shown linked above is perfect to put in place when you don't need a ball mounted! The rear bumper is more than adequately protected on the Defender but every little bit helps.

 

Maybe a little hyperbolic there? Anyone using a 663 Landrover as their off-roader isn’t very serious about offroading. That’s what I have my Jeep for. But when I do take the Defender out I’m kinda serious. And I have a hitch on both of my rigs. It doesn’t diminish anything. The departure angle is affected only in the sense that the receiver will hit sooner than the underside of the bumper. But nobody that does this cares about dragging their receiver on a rock. You could stack 5 more Defenders on top of your existing one and then drop off a ledge onto your hitch and you’re not going to damage that receiver. And even if you did, who cares? If the alternative is “no receiver at all if you’re serious”, then just pull it off when you damage it (which you won’t) and throw it away. The receiver is not unlike differential covers on the pumpkins; yes, a) they reduce the truck’s clearance by however thick they are, but b) you specifically don’t care because now you can just slide on the diff cover and not damage anything.

Departure angles only matter if you care about the limiting factor making contact with something, or if something about the hitch or the way it’s mounted would dig in and stop your forward progress. Yes, it’s possible you could be backing down a slope, get to the bottom and dig in a bit. Would require perfect circumstances but it’s possible. But everything’s a compromise. Having a bumper at all is just something that could hang up, and reduces your departure angle. Having differentials reduce your clearance; having fenders limits the size of tire you can run to 33-ish. A trailer hitch is waaaaay down the list of off-road compromises somebody buying a 663 Defender has already made.