Trailer locks

[jc836]

Happy holiday everyone!
In an effort to find a way to secure our car and trailer both at home and on the road, i went shopping for locks. There are a number of possible solutions and some depend on the hitch class or drawbar size. Wal-Mart is your friend when it comes to a reasonably priced solution. They offer Master Lock units to replace the drawbar pin that works on both 1/2" and 5/8" setups ($18). Gorilla also has one but it has a fixed pin diameter . I also wanted one for the hitch, but our trailer uses a 2-5/16" ball (Class 4) and most of the retaining pin locks simply do not fit. Master Lock has an adjustable version that will work fine for virtually every hitch on the market ($7). Being that we have an open trailer the next item may well be something to insure the car stays put.
Race safe


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Grandpa's toys-modded suspensions and a few other tweaks
'89 CRX Si-SCCA ITA #99
'99 Prelude=a sweet song
'03 Dodge Dakota Club Cab V8-Patriot Blue gonna tow

[joeg]

Just want to point out that depending where you live, trailers are generally stored outside and exposed to harsh elements promoting CORROSION.

Likewise would be any security components thereon.

Be aware or you may not even be able to steal or use your own trailer!

Cheers.

[88YB1]

I use a Master tongue lock. It slides under the tongue opening and prevents use of the tongue. I have used it for fifteen plus years, and it's just like new. For economy users a length of chain through the whhel and around the axle works great.

Chuck

[Quickshoe]

I use the Master-lock receiver pin.

The ball shank and nut are welded.

You can have the receiver and hitch securely locked, the trailer securely locked to ball, but if all the thief needs to do is unbolt the ball the locks aren't doing much good.

Search a little harder for an adequate lock for the trailer tongue pin thingy...I had the master with the multilpe stops to accomodate various widths. One day the key stopped working and I was able to grab the lock with my hand and pull upwards and break the lock shaft pretty darn easily. I could probably get the pin lock off with my hand faster than with the key. That type of lock is only adequate to keep the trailer secured while you are driving down the road.

[lateapex911]

Your mileage will vary, but I had 7 separate locks on my trailer, and it still managed to vanish with out a trace.

The wheels were locked, the tongue was locked, and so on.

They just dragged it away. Some cop probably saw them draggin' it down the street and said to his partner, "Look at those idiots...they don't even know their brakes are all locked on the trailer!" Sheesh!

Point being, where you store it is very important.

[This message has been edited by lateapex911 (edited April 11, 2004).]

[jc836]

Thanks for the informative replies. Our trailer is kept either in front of the garage door or next to the house (grass and trailers don't mix). As to corrosion-aluminum tends to take a very long time to fail. I am seeing more evidence of 'rust' on the jack than anywhere else. In my case the truck blocks the trailer when I'm home. I will agree that any serious/enterprising thief can steal most anything. I do like the suggestion of welding the ball to the drawbar in some way. I was unaware of the Master pinlock being questionable in its durability-for now it will do until something better is available.

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Grandpa's toys-modded suspensions and a few other tweaks
'89 CRX Si-SCCA ITA #99
'99 Prelude=a sweet song
'03 Dodge Dakota Club Cab V8-Patriot Blue gonna tow

[Dick Elliott]

What I found along the way, was if you do not cover the opening in the hitch, the theif will use a smaller ball on his truck, and simply drop your trailer hitch down over it and drive away with the tongue weight keeping the two together. I took an old trailer ball and cut off the shank, so all I had was a 2" dia ball. I then placed this into the hitch when it not being used. Worked for me. DICK

[jc836]

That is a neat idea.

[x-ring]

I have a lock, Gorilla brand IIRC, that goes into the ball recess and has a U shaped bar that locks over the top of the hitch.

I still like to remove two wheels and leave one side on jack stands for longer term storage.



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Ty Till
#16 ITS
Rocky Mountain Division

[lateapex911]

Originally posted by x-ring:
I have a lock, Gorilla brand IIRC, that goes into the ball recess and has a U shaped bar that locks over the top of the hitch.

I still like to remove two wheels and leave one side on jack stands for longer term storage.

Good Idea, but they might just take one wheel off the other side and go on two!

I think we all need to get a crane and hang our trailers like they hang construction site compressors!




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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]

[x-ring]

"Good Idea, but they might just take one wheel off the other side and go on two!"

Yeah, I thought about that and considered getting some locking lug nuts for the right hand side, the side I leave on, but I figured the day I have a flat on the interstate (at rush hour) will be the day I can't find the damn key.




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Ty Till
#16 ITS
Rocky Mountain Division

[Dick Elliott]

Had a friend who had a speed shop in Dallas. He had a sign on wheels out front, that was taken two different times. Third time he put a wheel on it half filled with concrete. The cops found his trailer along with the back bumper of the theft's car two blocks away from his shop. A little over kill but neat. Bet that trailer went 10 feet in the air.