Locking hitch pins for 5th wheel hitches?

[VegasBT]

I would like to secure my 5th wheel hitch in the bed of my truck using locking hitch pins. Are they universal? Does anyone have any experience using them? Any advice would be appreciated.

[filrupmark]

When I was in elementary school I saved my money to buy a 4 digit combination bicycle lock. When I finally got it I was so proud. I went to school locked my bike and when school was out I came to try out my new lock and someone had stole it. The bicycle was still there.

[attman6]

john&bet wrote:
We spent three nights in Portland in June and even went to a Wa-Mart. Nobody tried anything, even when we parked at a public park for a few hours. My pins have not been lock in the 9 years we have owned a 5er.

That's very good,I'm not wishing the theft of a very expensive Hitch on anyone....I like to keep my Karma on the positive side. However...Craigslist is full of stolen Hitch parts and people have their 5vers swiped off their property all the time. Saying just because it's never happened to you doesn't mean it never will is a little short sighted IMHO.You can say the same about a Heart Attack....

[sdetweil]

attman6 wrote:
You guys must live in a magical place where nobody has anything stolen, Amazing! I was parked with my fiver in a walmart parking Lot, Portland Ore. Buying some supplies for my stay in Mt. Hood. I was coming out to my Rig and 2 Guys popped out of the Bed of my truck and ran like Hell. They had the Landing gear down and the Hitch Plate half removed and All the Rail pins pulled....Another 10 min. and my hitch would have been gone.I have Locking pins all the way around now, and I don't leave my rig ANYWHERE without a chaparone now. If y'all haven't been hit yet, count yourself lucky.They'll find you.... Oh, yeah, this happened last month. Now you've heard of one.....

I saw two B&W companion heads on craigslist last summer. Not the base

[john_bet]

attman6 wrote:
You guys must live in a magical place where nobody has anything stolen, Amazing! I was parked with my fiver in a walmart parking Lot, Portland Ore. Buying some supplies for my stay in Mt. Hood. I was coming out to my Rig and 2 Guys popped out of the Bed of my truck and ran like Hell. They had the Landing gear down and the Hitch Plate half removed and All the Rail pins pulled....Another 10 min. and my hitch would have been gone.I have Locking pins all the way around now, and I don't leave my rig ANYWHERE without a chaparone now. If y'all haven't been hit yet, count yourself lucky.They'll find you.... Oh, yeah, this happened last month. Now you've heard of one.....

We spent three nights in Portland in June and even went to a Wa-Mart. Nobody tried anything, even when we parked at a public park for a few hours. My pins have not been lock in the 9 years we have owned a 5er.

[C-Bears]

Everyone does things differently, and there is really no exact right or wrong way when it comes to securing these hitches.

I don't padlock my release handle. I only run a clip through it to keep any type of debris from possibly smacking into it and causing it to release while going down the road.

The reason I don't padlock it is because if a fire would start in, or on my FW while hooked up I want to be able to unhook that sucker real quick.

[Cummins12V98]

I lock the head to the base with a small padlock on each side of my B&W. Also lock the handle closed with the breakaway cable attached. B&W head would be easy to steal.

Never have had mine stolen or the handle pulled when hitched because they are always locked.

[ReneeG]

attman6 wrote:
You guys must live in a magical place where nobody has anything stolen, Amazing! I was parked with my fiver in a walmart parking Lot, Portland Ore. Buying some supplies for my stay in Mt. Hood. I was coming out to my Rig and 2 Guys popped out of the Bed of my truck and ran like Hell. They had the Landing gear down and the Hitch Plate half removed and All the Rail pins pulled....Another 10 min. and my hitch would have been gone.I have Locking pins all the way around now, and I don't leave my rig ANYWHERE without a chaparone now. If y'all haven't been hit yet, count yourself lucky.They'll find you.... Oh, yeah, this happened last month. Now you've heard of one.....

Thanks for the report and glad you got out in time to scare them off. I posted the pic of the lock and we have them all the way around. Peace of mind. Plus, someone always chaperones the rig, not to mention the big black dog that goes with it! :B

[attman6]

You guys must live in a magical place where nobody has anything stolen, Amazing! I was parked with my fiver in a walmart parking Lot, Portland Ore. Buying some supplies for my stay in Mt. Hood. I was coming out to my Rig and 2 Guys popped out of the Bed of my truck and ran like Hell. They had the Landing gear down and the Hitch Plate half removed and All the Rail pins pulled....Another 10 min. and my hitch would have been gone.I have Locking pins all the way around now, and I don't leave my rig ANYWHERE without a chaparone now. If y'all haven't been hit yet, count yourself lucky.They'll find you.... Oh, yeah, this happened last month. Now you've heard of one.....

[Allworth]

While I have never locked my Reese to the rails, I DO lock the safety latch on the release lever whenever the trailer is on.

(I hook my breakaway cable to the padlock. I know, if the hitch came out of the bed the brakes would not set. I figure that by that point the trailer is a total loss anyway, so let it run off into the ditch and call the insurance company.)

[lakeside013104]

I enlarged the clip hole on two of the four security pins that came with my TS3 Hensley hitch. The holes drilled out easy enough (3 minutes labor for each pin) and I installed a case hardened padlock into each drilled out clip hole.

As others have said, probably not fool proof or necessary, but peace of mind is an individual preference.

Lakeside

[aruba5er]

Buy a hitch like my Trailer Saver too darn heavy for any One or maybe even Two to carry. I install it with a cherrypicker. Never heard of anyone stealing a hitch but there is always the first time. Plus the fact that if installed and not in use the tonneau cover is hiding it

[C-Bears]

I never really thought about trying to padlock my hitch in the back of my truck. Someone probably has stolen one before but I have never heard of it.

Like someone else already mentioned, a bigger concern is watching your release handle. I don't padlock mine but I do snake a clip through it while hooked up and traveling.

If we stop in a rest area or truck stop that is the last thing I physically check prior to moving my rig. I do this because I have heard stories about folks thinking it would be funny to release the handle and sit back and watch the unsuspecting RVer pull away and drop their fiver.

[bucky]

A man walks into a pawn shop carrying a 5th wheel hitch. The clerk says " what the heck is that? " The man says a bad back and greasy clothes.

[laknox]

Frankly, it's more of an issue with a-holes messing with the locking lever on the hitch than hitches growing legs...at least IMO. I've never locked the lever on my B&W, but I always do a quick check after a stop because it's so easy to see if there's a problem.

Lyle