Locking trailer hitch pins!

[Jaizzen]

Thought I'd offer a "Look what happend to me" story that may save someone a lot of greif.

Well, I've been rebuilding my Seacraft since Jan. 15th of this year and she's near complete. Worked on the boat all day on Sat. knocking out a few more systems and decided to check run it and check out how well everything was going to work.

With a friend, I get to crowded ramp, lauch boat, get underway. All systems work flawlessly, and I am very happy with the results, very, very happy

Back trailer down ramp, put boat on it, and start to pull boat out. Easy, done it a million times right!

Well, I've done it a million times with a hitch pin in my reese hitch. Boat is almost all of the way to the top of the ramp, and boat and trailer come out of the reese hitch and go down the ramp after straitening out the S Hooks. It seems, that someone decided to save $3.00 on a hitch pin and take mine out of my trailer. The tongue weight must have held the hitch in while I was backing in the trailer.

Well, it took about 10 min to get the trailer out of the water, and back on truck and start over. No money lost. Thanks to a couple of fellas and my good friend that helped out.

Now, if I would have caught someone doing that before this happened to me.
I'd just have explained how in considerate that it is, make them give back the pin and go on.

Now, if I catch some toothless redneck screwing with my truck or trailer, No questions asked, I'm just breaking bones. Period.

Not that it will ever happen again, I bought a locking pin.

I guess, the moral of the story is....There are people out there that have no problem costing you Thousands to save themselves $3.00 and some time.

Thought someone could learn from this one.

Jason

[Makanic]

Jaizzen, More than likely someone did it as a practical joke (I know, Not Funny) A buddy of mine had it done to him. Since then I put a lock on mine too. Should've looked around at the dock to see someone watching.

[Double Down]

Jason,

Sorry to hear it happen to you, that sucks. At least it ended okay after it was all said and done. And I'm glad to hear the project is coming along so good. I am working out of the house right now, so if you need a hand with anything, let me know. I'm just around the corner.

James

[Bill McIntyre]

I have a locking receiver pin just to keep the hitch from being stolen, but I never even thought about what you experienced. What a shitty thing to do.

You probably know this, but you can get a set of receiver pin and ball hitch pin with the same key. It cuts down the key clutter a bit.

[Jaizzen]

Originally Posted by Makanic

Jaizzen, More than likely someone did it as a practical joke (I know, Not Funny) Should've looked around at the dock to see someone watching.

No one around. Practical Joker.... You think someone was trying to take advantage of my Kind, Easy Going, Sweet heart type demeanor?

Jason

[bgbill]

Jason,

Most likely some punk was being a dick, it probably happened to other people as well.

Luckily you were not driving down the road when the draw bar came out of the hitch.

Did you just take a hitch pin from someone elses trailer?

[Johnoly]

Did the chains save it?

[kmoose]

I would imagine if Jason would of found the punk who did it he would of probably used a piece of the kid's radius for a hitch pin.

[Divin' fool]

yup....Gotta get the locking hitch pin..... nobody can screw with you or your trailer.

[KJNDIVER]

Originally Posted by Divin' fool

yup....Gotta get the locking hitch pin..... nobody can screw with you or your trailer.

That data is not entirely accurate.

Years ago my buddy bought a sea doo, had a cheap hitch installed on his ford probe to tow it with. Well, being the well minded citizens that we are, we wanted to teach him a lesson that he needed to secure his toys better before someone made off with them. One day while at the camp on the river for a day of fun we unhooked his doo and trailer and hid it in some tall grass. He thought someone had stole it.

Lesson learned, he bought a lock for the hitch.

Next time out, we took the pin out of the reciever and took his doo, locked to the ball and hitch, off into the grass again. Lesson learned. He then bought a locking pin for the reciever.

Next time out we took some tools and unscrewed the ball off the hitch and rolled his doo off into the grass again, still locked to the ball and reciever still locked in with the new pin.

Lesson learned, he doesnt hang out with assholes anymore.

Point being, if someone wants to get it, they gonna get it.

[Jaizzen]

Originally Posted by Double Down

Jason,

Sorry to hear it happen to you, that sucks. At least it ended okay after it was all said and done. And I'm glad to hear the project is coming along so good. I am working out of the house right now, so if you need a hand with anything, let me know. I'm just around the corner.

James

James,
You got moved in! You will love palm harbor. As far as the boat goes, I'm just pecking away at systems one by one. Almost ready for a long shake down run. Stop by anytime... I've got some grinding to do on the fishbox...Saved it all for you!

[lionfish]

Originally Posted by Jaizzen

after straitening out the S Hooks.

Jason

i have always used small shackles on my chains for this reason, run small zip ties through them for long trips so they don't un-screw. it's a bit of a pita for unhooking and hooking the trailer but it is worth it in my book

the first time a boat and trailer go rolling off into the woods on their own kinda gets your attention

[Mobile Diver]

Damn, that sucks!! So glad no serious damage was done.