Do you lock or unlock the hitch while pulling your TT?

dedmiston wrote:
Latch = safe.

Lock = secure.

Except...

The locks aren't as secure as we think. I'll never forget the time I arrived at camp and my key was back at home. At first I thought I'd have to stay hitched, but the site wasn't level and I really needed to disconnect.

One whack in the right spot with a hammer and my lock fell off into two pieces. It was never secure. It was safe, but not secure against theft.

For the drive home, I used a couple of zip ties to keep the latch locked, but the trailer wasn't secured against roadside bantitos who might have wanted to hijack it from us.

Correct.

Locks can be defeated, but, it does stop causal thieves looking for a quick and easy score and the random folks who want to play mischief by unlatching the latch.

Otherwise a simple purpose made $1.30 pin works or even a $.10 1/4" bolt with nut can be used.

Using nothing on that latch, that's a first time green horn approach..

Huntindog wrote:

Gldetrailer wrote:
So in reality, only the TW was keeping the tongue on the ball and no WD is needed to keep it on the ball either and your whole premise of WD keeping it on the ball is not true.

Do you read what you write? Do you understand it?
You actually make my point quite well. That trailer did not come off the ball in spite of not being latched on. If he had used WD, it would not have mattered as it could not have come off... As it was with no WD, it sure could have. Think of WD as a huge multi layered very stout coupler pin.

No, you don't seem to understand, TWO "WRONGS" DOES NOT MAKE IT "RIGHT".

Weight alone simply cannot 100% guaranteed that the hitch will "always" stay on the ball.

WD was never, ever designed to "prevent" the tongue to come off the ball.

My illustration shows that absolutely no WD is required to keep the tongue on the ball but only if no freak accidents happen like someone pulling out in front of you, no sudden stops, no sudden changes in directions.. In other words a "perfect world".

Get real, there is no "perfect world", things break, accidents happen and a simple $1.30 pin can help keep your whole world from suddenly being trashed..

I don't trust WD, the bar and contact areas can and do wear out, bars can pop out, brackets can get bent, broken, damaged.. Some of those brackets are so cheaply made even the act of latching them bends them. People have lost WD bars while driving..

The only latch I can say has some sort of chance of not opening without a pin is a "clam shell"..


Click For Full-Size Image.

But, even that hitch has a hole for a pin..

in spite of what you may think, the pin hole is there, it should be used..

Latch = safe.

Lock = secure.

Except...

The locks aren't as secure as we think. I'll never forget the time I arrived at camp and my key was back at home. At first I thought I'd have to stay hitched, but the site wasn't level and I really needed to disconnect.

One whack in the right spot with a hammer and my lock fell off into two pieces. It was never secure. It was safe, but not secure against theft.

For the drive home, I used a couple of zip ties to keep the latch locked, but the trailer wasn't secured against roadside bantitos who might have wanted to hijack it from us.

Huntindog wrote:
This topic is a hot button issue.

Like many other subjects, some have an irrational fear of potential bad things.Lightening, towing with the propane on, guns, etc.,etc,, A common theme is that they do not fully understand how low the risk really is... I am more likely to have a heart attack while towing and crash into someone... Yet I doubt many would give up driving based on that risk.....
And standard fare for these discussions is someone making a imppassioned, overly dramatic argument, complete with name calling, telling some story that may or may have happened to somone.

I try to keeps risks in perspective. I tend to not believe I will be hit by lightening, and I do not buy lottery tickets.

Your WD does not "superseded" or "replace" OTHER safety items.

Manufacturers of tongue couplers provide (IE drill, punch) a hole through the tongue latch for some reason.

That reason is to ensure that the latch cannot flip to the open position at any time with a pin installed.

Manufacturers would never waste money drilling those holes in the manufacturing phase if it didn't serve a purpose. It does cost manufacturers money and time to drill holes in other wise perfect hole free material.

I have personally have had those latches flip open. I had several lawn tractors which used a simple bolt to hitch lawn trailers.. I added a ball to the tractors and on the lawn trailer I added a ball hitch. Best upgrade ever, no more fighting a lousy bolt.

The latch on the ball hitch had a hair trigger and without a pin installed in the latch would easily allow the lawn trailer to disconnect.

While not quite the same as a RV trailer the idea is the same.

I have also owned a variety of on the road trailers and some have had decent latches that would stay put and some that just defied anything short of installing a pin to stop it from popping unlatched around my yard.

I get it, you believe you are smarter than the folks that put that hole in the latch, go ahead and believe that. But please, lets be a bit smarter about telling others that it is safe to not use all required safety measures. That hole is there for everyone's safety whether you agree with it or not.

Pin the latch hole, lock is optional but pin you will find is going to be required by every state DOT.

You do realize that if you were to drop or lose your load you can be fined for failing to properly secure your load? Your trailer is your load and as a driver it is your responsibility to ensure you have taken every measure required to secure the load at all times.

I don't understand your position as to why it is so inconvenient to insert a $1.30 pin into the latch

Those simple pins I linked have the potential to prevent your good day turning bad and possibly ruining other motorists day or life.

As a side note, after that chipper accident, PA enacted tougher towing laws. Simple open hooks on safety chains are no longer allowed, all safety chains must be secured using self closing hooks or any device that can be fully closed to prevent the chains from accidentally disconnecting.

Hunting, don't be like this guy..

DRIVER SENTENCED for improperly hitching of a chipper..

"Last year (2006), a Cranberry man and two of his three triplets were killed when a wood-chipper broke free from a truck and slammed into their minivan on Route 8 in Richland Township. The driver of the truck, Bradley Demitras, 35, of Pine Township, was sentenced Tuesday to nine to 18 months in prison and six years of probation on involuntary manslaughter and other charges. Prosecutors said the chipper came free from Demitras’ truck and went into the opposing lanes, killing Spencer Morrison and his 4-year-olds, Alaina and Garrett, on April 13, 2006."

Fun fact.. I recently towed a "park model" trailer for my FIL and hr and half drive. I spent 4 hrs checking and repairing lights and brakes, added breakaway and safety chains. Since it was a park model those are typically not supplied with safety chains or breakaway switch. I added all items plus verified I had the correct ball size before I attempted to tow the rig..

All hitched up with everything verified and working I then proceeded to tow it an hr and a half with no issues.

After we got the trailer home, FIL decided trailer was not big enough so we ended up selling it to someone else..

They showed up and connected the trailer with a 2" ball (hitch required 2 5/16" ball, didn't use chains nor breakaway nor did they repair the one rear taillight that I temporarily bypassed with a LED module (I removed the chains, breakaway switch and the LED taillight module when I got it onto FILs land).

They towed it 200 miles with the wrong ball and zero safety equipment safely..

Would I do that?

Absolutely not.

If I was there when they picked it up, I would have made them at least go buy the correct ball but I was not there and it wasn't my responsibility to tell them since it was my FILs decision.

So in reality, only the TW was keeping the tongue on the ball and no WD is needed to keep it on the ball either and your whole premise of WD keeping it on the ball is not true.

Now, if for any reason those folks encountered any thing that would have given enough upward force on the trailer tongue they story would not have ended on the happy side of life.

Do you lock or unlock the hitch while pulling your TT?

Yes.. :)

Mitch

And now we’re past dissecting “Trailering 101” to death and on to the ole liability, “You’ll kill a bus load of nuns if you _____ or don’t _____.” and end up in a lawsuit and jail….

Once in a while some of y’all should go back and read what you write…..or not. The ridiculousness of it is great entertainment….and unfortunately good insight into how some people think.

PS, not saying that one shouldn’t pin their trailer hitch closed. Back to trailering 101.
But GDE, when’s the last time you were pulled over for an inspection of your camper trailer hitch? Lol

Yes...I want it attached solidly and a lock makes it more so.