Stolen Hitch

[Lisa M.]

So I got everything loaded up, truck, trailer, dog, backed the truck up pretty close to the trailer to hitch up and got out of the truck and went back see how close I was. Stood there and looked... square pipe at truck... round coupler on trailer... square to round...round to square...looked at it for a couple seconds, thinking to myself, "It's only been a couple months since I've been out, why can't I remember how to hitch up?" And then I suddenly realized my truck hitch was gone! Now, I realize most of you are smart enough to store yours everytime after you return from a trip, but I wasn't. I live in a small town where people usually leave things alone. So, unload the dog (who is very confused by now) and put her in the house, pull up the truck, close the gate, and off to Auto Zone for a new hitch. My neighbor suggested that hitches are heavy enough to be worth stealing for scrap metal, or maybe for reselling at the swap meet. So, now I'm taking mine off every time.

[Doug & Anna-Marie P]

We have an equalizer hitch now, so too darn big to leave on. SO it comes off every trip.
But with our Boler we left the hitch on always. BUT, it was locked on to the vehicle.... So they would have to try harder to get it off--would at least take more time.. Just a good quality padlock and then I felt more secure with the hitch too.....

[Donna D.]

Grrrrrrr, I HATE thieves. I never take the hitch and ball off my truck, but it's locked on. The lock is not only to keep the receiver from growing legs, but it's to help prevent anyone from messing with the trailer hitch area when I'm under tow and parked someplace... like stopping for lunch! I of course, check the coupler before I pull out anyway.

See if there's anything here to help. You can buy this stuff at any RV parts place, WallyWorld or at a lot of auto parts stores: Trailer Hitch Locks

[james kent]

I use both a hitch lock and a coupler lock. I lock them when hitched for safety reasons and when separated for security reasons....and peace of mind.

[Alf S.]

Hi: Lisa M... Too bad someone felt they needed your "Stinger" more than you. I just hope they weren't on their way to steal someones unlocked trailer!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[BOBSMITH]

I use a hitch lock and a coupler lock, too. It's the only way to go--you never know what someone will steal.

[Darwin Maring]

Trust Jesus but Lock Your Stuff Up.

[Weinel, Alan]

I ALWAYS took the ball mount out of the receiver (before we went to the 5'er.)

AND I keep a spare ball mount and ball (and pin) too - **just in case**

[Bill MacDermod]

Get the locking hitch pin from Wally World, about $15.00 bucks, like all locks its just a deterrent but it works well. I leave mine on my Odyssey as a safety net for rear end collisions and also I don't have a lot of storage space.

[Dan Meyer]

A nut and bolt of the proper size will deter most thieves as effectively as a locking pin, at a much lower cost.

-- Dan Meyer

[brian m.]

I hope they bump their shins on it really hard!

[Weinel, Alan]

Dan is actually right - MOST of the thieving is "opportunity" - if you toss even a SMALL obstacle to many, many of the bad guys, they will just move on to easier pickings.

AND the BEST lock will not deter the bad guy who is REALLY intent on success.

A nut and bolt of the proper size will deter most thieves as effectively as a locking pin, at a much lower cost.

-- Dan Meyer

[Gene Masse]

I quite using locks. They have a habit of getting dirt & other crud in them and I ended up cutting them off. Not worth the hassle.

[Rick kl]

If it sticks out from the bumper more than 8 1/2" here in Sask. you can get a ticket, although I have never heard of anyone getting one. If you leave it in over our winters with the snow and salt it will rust in and nobody can get it out!

[Craig B.]

A nut and bolt of the proper size will deter most thieves as effectively as a locking pin, at a much lower cost.

-- Dan Meyer

Nuts and bolts are not rated (even grade 8 bolts) for that kind of shear load and should [b]NEVER be used, only hitch pins with the proper rating should be used!! Don't cheap out, buy the proper stuff. a 30 cent bolt may cost you a $5000 trailer and possibly someones life.

[BOBSMITH]

If it sticks out from the bumper more than 8 1/2" here in Sask. you can get a ticket, although I have never heard of anyone getting one. If you leave it in over our winters with the snow and salt it will rust in and nobody can get it out!

Snow? What's that? Salt? Why would there be salt around?

[Rick kl]

Road salt (Sodium chloride) is used to melt the ice on roads up here in the great white North it also rusts cars .

[james kent]

Snow is rain in a frozen state. It falls from the sky in tiny little particles. BUT usually enough falls at a time so that it piles up just like the stuff you see outside of a hockey arena.
HOCKEY ..... a game played by Canadians up here in "The Great White North".

[Dan Meyer]

Nuts and bolts are not rated (even grade 8 bolts) for that kind of shear load and should [b]NEVER be used, only hitch pins with the proper rating should be used!! Don't cheap out, buy the proper stuff. a 30 cent bolt may cost you a $5000 trailer and possibly someones life.

I can't believe that there is anything different in the metal between a hitch pin and a nut and bolt. A hitch pin isn't anything special. It is the same metal stock as a bolt, but instead of a head and threads it has a 45 degree bend and a hole punched for a retaining clip.

-- Dan Meyer

[Mr. W.]

True, it is just steel stock, bent and punched. I guess the question is, what grade of steel? Grade 1 might be too soft and shear too easily. Grade 8 might be too brittle and risk snapping. I dunno. If you know what grade of steel they use for hitch pins, you could surely match it up in a bolt, and be perfectly safe.

However, I guess the issue might be that a bolt is not approved for use as a hitch pin. In the case of a problem, if you are using the "wrong" stuff, you become liable through negligence. If you use the "right" stuff, the manufacturer shoulders the liability in case of failure.

I use R-clips for local short-term towing, and a brass pin-lock for non-local or longer-term towing, and remove the stinger when I'm not going to be towing. I lube the lock once a year or so, and have never had problems with it binding up. Years ago, I left a stinger in over a winter, and never did get it back out, even after beating the snot out of it with a mallet. Now I take it out if I won't be towing again within the week.