Well I'm going to take the plunge and start taking my toad....just bought a blue ox tow bar and it was very easy to attach to the back of my motor home...so I thought if it is that easy to attach some theif can take it off in no time and be gone....I need some advise on how to secure it when unhooked from the toad to prevent theft...thanks for any advise/tips.

Mine slides into the reciever so I use a locking hitch pin to secure it.

X's 2 on the locking pin. I know of no other way, however I also use a (hitch tightener", which firms everything up very nicely and it requires a wrench to remove it.

royl wrote:Mine slides into the reciever so I use a locking hitch pin to secure it.X3

Blue Ox make a locking pin set.....I also have taken two gr 8 bolts and drilled 1/4" hole for a padlock to replace the stock pins to my vehicle if I get into a place I really don't like. Prevents someone from unpinning your car and silently pushing it away from you when asleep. Lock EVERYTHING while on the road. Last year while in a C of E campground a brand new bass boat and trailer were stolen in the night,,,,,,also a car had been stolen....some prey on campers....be alert

Thanks for all advise.....I was in law enforcement 42years and I know the criminal mind....I'll get that locking pin set.....

Securing Blue Ox Towbar to Prevent Theft | Good Sam Community

34 Replies

down_home
Explorer II
Jun 13, 2013
The only sure way to stop a thief is to be there yourself and prepared.
Most Folks are honest or too lazy to steal. The one time out, of one thousand or ten thousand, is what you have to be prepared for.
Taking chances by traveling into bad areas, not being locked down, and so on will increase the odds, of being victimized.
Jarlaxle
Explorer II
Jun 13, 2013
Which is why I don't use a regular locking hitch pin. :) You'll be all week (and about 50 blades) trying to cut mine...it's made of near-indestructible tool steel. The beauty of a buddy working in a metal shop who likes to show off the new CAD-CAM machine...considering towing mt F-350, I told him I wanted a hitch pin that was stronger than the Chinese junk I had seen. I didn't expect something you could use to lift a small house!
ClassAGeek
Explorer
Jun 09, 2013
Jarlaxle wrote:

I have several locks that cannot be cut that way...the shackle is not exposed.

Fear not. Cutting through the various shrouds and casings on these locks takes very little time with a Dremel tool + carbon fiber blade. When that is not convenient, the cable or hasp attached to the lock can usually be cut.

Locking hitch pins are exposed and softer than even modestly priced padlocks. They remain about the easiest locks to compromise in my limited experience. Even a Sawzall with hacksaw blade cuts them in a few seconds. A hacksaw can barely scratch a good padlock.
Goldencrazy
Explorer
Jun 09, 2013
JimM68 wrote:
I tried really hard to ignore this post, really I did...
But it's Friday, and late into a 2 margarita lunch (27 oz, not those wimpy things...) and I just cannot help myself…
You are hilarious and I wonder if you will hook anyone with the bait. You didn't write a post under a different name about dumbing clorox in the fuel tank? Margaritas can generate mischief.

Karma is the answer. Really. A good positive attitude is all it takes. People just don't f*** with people with good karma.

I live outside of chicago, and have worked as a field service engineer for 30 years...
There is no place I won't go.
I rarely lock my car.
I treat everyone as my potential friend, and am treated likewise by everyone I meet.

I know this is particularly hard for former LEO's, who've chosen to deal with society in a different way than most of us, but still...

No one has ever f***ed with me. Except for that day in 1986 when my brand new /monte Carlo SS was stolen...
But that is another story for another day.
Jarlaxle
Explorer II
Jun 08, 2013
ClassAGeek wrote:
Here is how a Dremel tool cuts virtually any lock shackle or hitch pin:

This high security lock took about a minute to cut. The locking hitch pin on my wife's truck took less than 30 seconds.

Don't sweat it. Just realize that locking pins are minor deterrents.

And here's a video I made a couple of years ago about wheel locks. They are even less of a deterrent:

I Have Wheel Locks. I'm Good.

I have several locks that cannot be cut that way...the shackle is not exposed.
Retired_VSP
Explorer II
Jun 08, 2013
ClassAGeek wrote:
Here is how a Dremel tool cuts virtually any lock shackle or hitch pin:

This high security lock took about a minute to cut. The locking hitch pin on my wife's truck took less than 30 seconds.

Don't sweat it. Just realize that locking pins are minor deterrents.

And here's a video I made a couple of years ago about wheel locks. They are even less of a deterrent:

I Have Wheel Locks. I'm Good.

I always knew if a crook wants something bad enough he can "try" to take it....just thought I'd make it a little more difficult and noisy for him/her.....think I'll just leave my wife outside.....I never lock the doors when she's at home anyway.....hehe...thanks for all the comments....and yes I do lock up at night....Karma doesn't work all the time....
ClassAGeek
Explorer
Jun 08, 2013
Here is how a Dremel tool cuts virtually any lock shackle or hitch pin:

This high security lock took about a minute to cut. The locking hitch pin on my wife's truck took less than 30 seconds.

Don't sweat it. Just realize that locking pins are minor deterrents.

And here's a video I made a couple of years ago about wheel locks. They are even less of a deterrent:

I Have Wheel Locks. I'm Good.
SRT
Explorer
Jun 08, 2013
royl wrote:
Mine slides into the reciever so I use a locking hitch pin to secure it.

Yup, same here.
gfs1943
Explorer
Jun 08, 2013
JimM68 wrote:
I tried really hard to ignore this post, really I did...
But it's Friday, and late into a 2 margarita lunch (27 oz, not those wimpy things...) and I just cannot help myself...

Karma is the answer. Really. A good positive attitude is all it takes. People just don't f*** with people with good karma.

I live outside of chicago, and have worked as a field service engineer for 30 years...
There is no place I won't go.
I rarely lock my car.
I treat everyone as my potential friend, and am treated likewise by everyone I meet.

I know this is particularly hard for former LEO's, who've chosen to deal with society in a different way than most of us, but still...

No one has ever f***ed with me. Except for that day in 1986 when my brand new /monte Carlo SS was stolen...
But that is another story for another day.

Talked to an old retiree down here in Texas the other day, who told a similar story of working in Chicago for forty years. Said he worked all shifts, in all areas of town, and never had a problem. I asked him what he did all those years. He said, "I was a tailgunner on a bread truck."
sowego
Explorer
Jun 08, 2013
The locking pins will help. We pull a fuse in our Malibu when towing, as required. With that fuse out...they would have to tow that car to get it outa there.