Insert pins

[Horsedoc]

Loaned my Ram 1500 to a relative the other day and upon return the insert from the hitch was in the bed but the pin was missing. I had a pin with a hole that a clip key slid into. I was pretty sure this would not come out as it was hard to pull w/o pliers. Not a big deal to replace but I needed to use the truck. Local hardware and the only thing he had was a Reese pin with a groove around the end that the hairpin style clip fits around. Is on style safer than the other? Just seems like the clip through the pin would be less likely to come out. Am I worried for no reason?

[Grit_dog]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
You need a straight pin without the curved end. Problem is the curved end will cause an egg shaped hole in the receiver. This has been discussed thoroughly on the TDR.

Which has nothing to do with getting the spring clip in or out. And won’t put an appreciable amount of wear n tear on the hitch receiver pin hole anyway.
Maybe after 30 years and 300 k miles of using the same pin or something….

[Grit_dog]

^You’re right. To the extent that there are some laws on the books requiring removing the stinger when not towing.
But it’s about as unenforced and frivolous of a policy as they get.
Furthermore, I don’t actually care about making the roads a safer place for the person that rear ends me. No retribution for making my life more difficult and costly due to someone else’s inattention if I could have prevented damage to my vehicle.
However fender benders which the stinger protects the vehicle from some body or bumper damage are not sacrificing anyone’s “safety.” And if it’s a forceful enough collision to get past the stinger and into the vehicle body, it’s a moot point by then for the vehicle in back, although it will still help minimize body damage to mine.
Once it’s bad enough that the rear ender is literally eating a trailer hitch and the rear ended vehicle gets the frame rails curled, it’s also a moot point as their engine is also probably in their lap. Unless they’re driving a Tesla! Lol

Heck I could make a case that it’s actually safer in big tall trucks. Keeps the rear ender from getting stuffed as far under the truck than if they had a clear path to the rear diff.

[JRscooby]

Grit dog wrote:


Personally living or driving anywhere in suburban or urban areas, I’d not forego the free tale gator protection of a trailer hitch shank if driving any vehicle with a hitch receiver.

Well for a few decades the manufactures have been designing vehicles so less chance of injury to occupants when vehicles bang together. Not sure if having a ball mount in place is in their plans.
I know the '85 F250 I bought wrecked would of let me pull the frame back in shape if had been hit on the end of rails, tied together by hitch, instead of the ballmount. As it was I had to cut both rails between the spring hangers, and splice together.

[Grit_dog]

For those wondering, hitch shanks don’t “rust in” in a few weeks or even a few months, even in the salt belt. And if they are trying to they make this stuff called grease, fluid film, antiseize for that purpose.
However locking hitch pins won’t make it through a wet winter, much less a snowy salty winter without freezing up. Just basic maintenance, keep ‘em loobed up.

Personally living or driving anywhere in suburban or urban areas, I’d not forego the free tale gator protection of a trailer hitch shank if driving any vehicle with a hitch receiver.

[Cummins12V98]

dieseltruckdriver wrote:
I always take the shin knockers out and put them inside the cab, under the seat. That way I always know where they are, and they aren't rusted in place.

A decent thing to do!

[dieseltruckdriv]

I always take the shin knockers out and put them inside the cab, under the seat. That way I always know where they are, and they aren't rusted in place.

[mkirsch]

Never had a shank disappear off my truck or had anyone mess with one. I don't often leave the shank in the receiver because they tend to rust in place after a few weeks, though.

I have been inconvenienced by a locking pin not wanting to unlock on multiple occasions. Had to get out the death wheel.

[Grit_dog]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
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.

Ha! I had to break down and get a B&W to haul our toyhauler (ex toyhauler now…) as the nice aluminum drop hitch I bought for the brodozer would allow the TH to scrub the taillights on the truck in tight turns. That extra “inch” made all the difference! Literally
But it stays in the shop. I leave a cheaper stinger on it for daily driving.

[Grit_dog]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
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.

Agreed, although I always leave the stinger on and facing out large and in charge.
It’s saved damage to more than a few of my/our trucks from other motorists that get a little too close!
It’s really nice when you get bumped and get out, pull the other persons front bumper cover off you trailer hitch and wish them a good day and leave without the collision taking up more than 2 minutes of your day. Also nice when the hitch and receiver take the brunt of the damage and you don’t have to go to the body shop thanks to someone else’s inattention!
Also makes for a nice “backup camera” in rigs that don’t have an actual camera…
Our 16 y/o commutes 400+ miles a week to hockey practice up in Lynnhood and Everett.
Got a beater old Tahoe for him to run the piss out of for that. It sports a big ole long shank pintle hitch that I had laying around. Keeps the tail gators a little more at bay!

[Grit_dog]

Yup always carry a torch in the rig in the winter especially when out with the Sno gos.
Often have to thaw the padlocks on the trailer ramp doors as well. Worse around here than up north where it goes from above freezing and rain at home to below freezing up on the hill.

[PA12DRVR]

"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.

[Cummins12V98]

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.

[valhalla360]

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.

[JRscooby]

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.