Locking Hitch Pin Review

Haul-Master Rotating Locking Hitch Pin Review

A good solution for an age old problem:

Because of what I do for a living, I’ve had an SUV for most of my adult driving days.  While there are the occasional days where I miss my Honda Prelude (especially when gas prices go up), on most days, I’m very happy with the choice because I need the space to haul tools and camera and video equipment.  And I have the occasional need for even more room to haul those types of things, so I also have a Class III/IV trailer hitch on my SUV.   You know the type… the ball is attached to a ball mount that is then inserted in the receiver and locked into place with a pin held in place with a hairpin cotter.

The Problem: Theft of the ball mount

When I had the hitch installed, the installer warned me to take the ball mount out of the hitch when I wasn’t using it because people like to steal them when you’re in a store and your car is in the parking lot, or even parked in the driveway.   So, I took his advice and started taking the ball mount out of the receiver after each use.  But, for any of you that have experienced this scenario, you know what happens.  Either you leave the ball mount in the back of the SUV and it drives you bonkers with the noise it makes as it moves around the back (no matter what you put it in, box, bag, nothing helps), or you leave it in your garage, but then you end up on a construction site (or just about anywhere) where someone needs that trailer moved and you say, “I can help, oh wait, I could help if my hitch were actually here with me and not in the garage”.

The Solution: Locking Hitch Pin

So I was pretty psyched when I got a chance to try out this locking hitch pin.  It’s pretty simple.  Remove the old pin with the hairpin cotter (which you have to admit you hated anyway because of scraped knuckles with almost every use), and then throw it in the trash!  Then slide the new locking pin through the hole through the receiver, through the ball mount, and back out the other side.  Now here's what's great about this little gadget, you can rotate the lock on the pin to a position that's comfortable for you to lock and unlock it.

Other Features:

Two keys come with the locking hitch pin.  And there is a little plastic cover that slides over the key hole so that water doesn't get into it and rust it, or debris doesn't clog it up.  It's also available in several sizes so that you can use it on a variety of hitch assemblies.  I found the one I got at Harbor Freight for under $15.  I think that's pretty cheap to keep your more expensive ball hitch and ball safe and sound and ready to use at any time.  I've only been using it for about 4 months, so I don't know how it will stand up over time, but for now, it's working great!

To purchase on Amazon.com: CLICK HERE