Insert pins

"To be fair, alot of my missing trailer hitch stingers are attributed to someone else on the jobsite "borrowing" it (and the primary reason I started locking them so I wouldn't have to do the trailer hitch easter egg hunt), but I've lost a couple to plain old theft....a long time ago, before I started locking my hitch onto the truck!"

Nothing quite as frustrating as getting multiple rigs set up to tow (either boat, sno-go's or ???) then on Friday evening find out that #1 Son has borrowed either the stinger, the hitch pin, or the hitch bushing because he couldn't find his.
It's equally frustrating to come back from a long day of sno-going ready to unhitch only to find that some part (or the whole part) of the locking hitch setup is frozen and I can't drop the trailer at the storage spot. ....so I've now come to the point where: a) on either boating or sno-go trips, I use locking hitch pins as well as locks on the trailer ball; and b) on sno-go trips, I carry a small butane torch (fits in a shirt pocket to warm it up) and a larger gas torch for thawing purposes.

I guarantee if I did not lock my B&W it would disappear.

OH and that is the proper way to leave it when NOT towing.

Don't know. I've never had one stolen either.

If we aren't towing for a week or more we usually stow it but that's more to avoid banging my shins on it.

Grit dog wrote:


You must live in a nice place and only visit nice places, or very lucky... by your logic, locking anything up is probably silly to you...

To be fair, alot of my missing trailer hitch stingers are attributed to someone else on the jobsite "borrowing" it (and the primary reason I started locking them so I wouldn't have to do the trailer hitch easter egg hunt), but I've lost a couple to plain old theft....a long time ago, before I started locking my hitch onto the truck!

Well, might be part of my unhook routine is pull up enough to work, remove ball mount from TV, put ball back in coupler, and lock that. Pin goes inside tool bag behind seat. This does 2 things, makes sure the right mount/ball is with trailer next time, and makes sure the coupler is open next time I hook up.
Jobsites? Most trailers I pulled into a jobsite would take some real work with wrenches and cutting equipment to get the pintle off. (When the trailer weighs sometimes over 45,000 you want to make sure the hitch stays in place)
As for locks, I don't carried a pretty big key ring for much of my life. But I have got to the point in my life that I don't need most of what I have, and have sold most of what would be of value to others.
But back when I lived in the valley locks, often where a sign of value where might not be noticed without.

JRscooby wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
How does a thread like this get past like 3 posts?
Rubber bands tape and zip ties? Lol

Y’all don’t generally use locking hitch pins?
Very trusting I suppose?

Never owned a locking hitch pin. Never had ball-mount stolen. I have lost some pins, normally have spares. But sometimes I have not had the retaining pin when needed.

You must live in a nice place and only visit nice places, or very lucky... by your logic, locking anything up is probably silly to you...

To be fair, alot of my missing trailer hitch stingers are attributed to someone else on the jobsite "borrowing" it (and the primary reason I started locking them so I wouldn't have to do the trailer hitch easter egg hunt), but I've lost a couple to plain old theft....a long time ago, before I started locking my hitch onto the truck!

Grit dog wrote:
How does a thread like this get past like 3 posts?
Rubber bands tape and zip ties? Lol

Y’all don’t generally use locking hitch pins?
Very trusting I suppose?

Never owned a locking hitch pin. Never had ball-mount stolen. I have lost some pins, normally have spares. But sometimes I have not had the retaining pin when needed.

Grit dog wrote:
How does a thread like this get past like 3 posts?
Rubber bands tape and zip ties? Lol

Y’all don’t generally use locking hitch pins?
Very trusting I suppose?

I always lock my B&W adjustable with a "straight" locking pin!

How does a thread like this get past like 3 posts?
Rubber bands tape and zip ties? Lol

Y’all don’t generally use locking hitch pins?
Very trusting I suppose?

bucky wrote:

mkirsch wrote:

bucky wrote:
They make them with a built in retainer as in the link

Can't lose the pin clicky

Those don't work well in this climate. A little salt and rain, and they seize up.

Good point, I didn't think of that as we are southern. I do remember having some that had a different kind of flipper but they seem to be off the market now. Maybe a bag of small rubber bands for back up when the pin is lost.

I can see how rubber band would work. I posted before I once used tape. (Guess too political?) A zip tie in groove or hole would work for RV use.

mkirsch wrote:

bucky wrote:
They make them with a built in retainer as in the link

Can't lose the pin clicky

Those don't work well in this climate. A little salt and rain, and they seize up.

Good point, I didn't think of that as we are southern. I do remember having some that had a different kind of flipper but they seem to be off the market now. Maybe a bag of small rubber bands for back up when the pin is lost.