D-ring

After being rear ended by a small Honda Civic and my hitch taking most of the force, I decided to get a cheap D-ring on the back in case I get rear ended again. This should give enough space so that my bumper doesn't take any damage the next time that happens.  I surfed the Harbor Freight site and found a hitch insert with the D-ring. The ring is not like the others that you see, which screw into the other side but rather a bolt/nut combination.  The screw had a drilled hole where the pin went into so you dont lose the bolt/nut if it unscrews. Everything looked quite bulky when I bought it so I made some modifications. First I painted the D-ring in red. Once dry, I put it all together and instead of a pin sticking out from the end of the bolt, I used a black zip tie. This seemed to work and the nut/bolt is not going anywhere.  I also had a hitch pin from my old Ridgeline, which I used to hold the D-ring insert in the hitch.  It doesn't look too bad and the reviews on the site said that it is kind of bulky, but it does the job and has never broken. The pin/holder combination is rated for 10,000 lbs.  Not bad for $8!