Any common sense logic on how the pins/clips face.

In aviation I was also taught to install fastener heads towards the front of the aircraft but I install my pins with the clips facing out because it is easier and doesn't matter as the only load is shear. One pin is padlocked to keep my hitch from being stolen. A neighbour had his stolen in daylight in a SoCal mall parking lot. I also padlock my release lever. It has to be safetied with something, so why not a lock.

korbe wrote:
With my slider hitch, I was told to keep the pins on the outside and not under the slider rail portion of the hitch.

X2

We have a saying in our industry, "Complacency Kills". Whatever kind of pin/clip/lock arrangement you have you should look at them every time you prepare to get behind the wheel. You may think your locks will stop any chance of shenanigans, but how much are you willing to bet on it? It only takes a second to make sure the pins are in place and the hitch is latched.

Once upon a time I had hour lockable pins...worked out great until I cut them all off because I couldn't find the key!

Anyhow-I'm a fan of putting the clips under the hitch so that whatever is bouncing around in front of or behind the hitch runs no risk of popping one of the clips off of the pin...

John&Joey wrote:

What do you use to make your hat? Alcan or Reynolds Wrap?!:B

Sounds like low self esteem is what I gather from a nasty comment like that.

Yeah, I agree. I too think Allworth must have low self esteem. After all, he started the tinfoil hat stuff. Quite rude and uncalled for IMO. That's why I zinged him! Zinged him good too!! ;) :B

NMDriver, that may be true, I've never tried them anyway other way.

WE-C-USA wrote:
Back to the OP, John's ??. Does it make a difference, I don't know.
But on my Reese 16K hitch, it has a warning sticker.
Quote--'Install 4 pull pins & spring clips as shown(clips on outside of base rails)' end quote. There's also a drawing on the sticker showing exactly that.
The only reason I can think for the warning is, you'll be able to see, clearly, that the spring clips are installed correctly.
I've always installed mine that way.

If you put them in the other way -with the clip pin under the rail of the slider-the slide rollers will not move all the way forward or back and you cannot lock the slider in maneuver or highway position. At least that is true on my slider, others may differ. The clip pin stops the rollers from reaching the end of the rail so the locking bar cannot come down into its slot on the rail.

At some point I stop caring what their warning sticker says. And that point closely coincides with the departure point from common sense. Which the lawyers who wrote that, sorely lack.

I'll add one of these, just for fun :)

I don't lock the pins or the release handle. I can see why some would lock the release handle. Locking the pins seems a bit paranoid, but heck, we're all paranoid about something or the other. So have at it. Locking the release handle does not sound paranoid to me, but I always try to balance odds (very unlikely) with inconvenience (not very, unless you forget to bring a key). I never liked receiver locks either, because they too easily get crammed with sand and mud and won't open. Not as likely on a fiver hitch, but probably about the same odds as someone pulling the release handle.

WE-C-USA wrote:
Back to the OP, John's ??. Does it make a difference, I don't know.
But on my Reese 16K hitch, it has a warning sticker.
Quote--'Install 4 pull pins & spring clips as shown(clips on outside of base rails)' end quote. There's also a drawing on the sticker showing exactly that.
The only reason I can think for the warning is, you'll be able to see, clearly, that the spring clips are installed correctly.
I've always installed mine that way.

Interesting, I install mine with the clips under the legs, out of sight out of mind for some joker! I can easily still see, I also install the clips from the center making it very hard to reach when the trailer is attached.

Interesting, for the past 35 to 40 years I have always been installing them on the inside of the base as did all the many guys I worked with as a professional RV Transporter for more than 10 years. Were we all wrong?