I thought about welding the hitch in place, but this way I can still easily remove it later if need be. The nuts that are welded to the back of the hitch are about 1" by themselves. Cuting the bolts to the nuts will give you about an extra inch, but removing the bolts and nuts will give you 2". I don't tow anything so for me the hitch is only for recovery. It just depends on how much room you need. I was trying to squeeze a tall skinny tire in there, so I needed as much room as I could get. If you don't have a hitch then it is easy!