Too much excitement

Yes, Grit Dog, you are correct. I almost never drive the truck in the winter, so hadn't given it much thought. It's on the list now. OTOH, I'm pretty disappointed that someone would sell me such an expensive tie down and not do a better job of rustproofing it. It's not the 50's anymore, people have long since learned how to make car parts that don't rust, at least in the first decade. I'm replacing them with the newer stainless/aluminum model.

SS pins are readily available from McMaster, about $6.50 each: stainless locking linch pin