Having just bought a £225 trailer, a friend recommended I buy a hitch lock to prevent an opportune thief towing it away should it be left unattended during the day.
I had a quick look on t'net and was amazed at the range on offer.
Any recommendations please...obviously horses for courses.
Thanks for advice.
Last edited by: legacylad on Wed 11 Aug 10 at 19:21
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The hitch probably has either a little keyhole shaped hole that will take one of these
www.amazon.co.uk/Automotive-SWTT50-Trailer-hitch-lock/dp/B002JJPNFW
or a hole that you can put a long shackle padlock through. Either is intended to stop the handle being raised.
They are better than nothing. And when the trailer is hitched to your car, they stop it being uncoupled.
A wheel clamp is another option, or a more heavy duty hitchlock of the box type that covers the handle completely.
Trailers do have a habit of disappearing though. Hitchlocks don't stop a thief just wrapping rope around the hitch and tying it to the ball, which is enough to drive away with a small one, and small trailers can also just be picked up and put in a van or or the back of a lorry. Chaining it to something and/or the wheelclamp may be the best deterrent to casual theft.
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I verge on the paranoid about the caravan disappearing on me.
No-one can get it out from it's spot at home, but I do like to pull it up the drive the night before we use it. When it's far enough past the house to open the door, the first foot of the hitch is sticking out over the building line on to the pavement.
I have a homemade steel box which encloses the whole of the hitch, with a 6 inch bolt, 1 inch thich which passes through it between the hitch lever and the stabiliser lever. I drilled the end of the bolt to 10mm and a padlock goes through it. I protect pedestrians from tripping by locking two wheely bins to the hitch with a steel rope and padlocks. They also make a racket if moved.
The big danger time is when you stop somewhere away from home. A couple of minutes is all that's needed to whip your trailer off and attach it to their car and be away. I chain and lock mine to the towing bracket on service areas.
Theres not much, however, that will stop a large pair of bolt croppers.
See if you can insure it, probably not much of a premium...if you can.
Ted
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I'm afraid I can't offer specific about trailer hitch locks - but - if you need a padlock then the best you'll get will be an Abloy. The PL342 is closed shackle and has a 10mm shackle and the PL362 is 15mm. Having just researched padlocks in depth they're the ones to go for. The PL362 is BIG but and not cheap from a locksmith but it's unpickable, can't be bumped and the shackle needs a long time with a grinder to defeat and totally weatherproof.
If you look on Ebay you'll find a PL362 goes for about £45 - £65 new with 2 keys. The reason they're cheaper, generally, on Ebay is they have the previous generation of cylinders where the patent has expired but for non commercial use they're fine.
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Trailer hitch lock. Any recommendations - Manatee
