Self Locking Tow Hitch

[SNAFU]

hi all ,

after a incident today where i forgot to drop the locking tab back into place on my boat trailer tow hitch:'(, i am wondering if anyone knows of a "self locking" tow ball hitch on the market.
i am thinking of one that might just drop into place when the trailer is put onto the tow bar but have to be manualy unlocked to remove it.
i want to remove the current one from the trailer and replace it if possible.
any thoughts would be appreciated.

SNAFU

[thylacene]

I don't think you will find one. From my limited understanding, the locking tab is an ADR requirement. If it just slips on, it could slip off was the explanation I got when looking for the same type of thing a few years back for a bike trailer after a mate lost his and trashed a couple of bikes.

[timddo]

I use one of those tow hitch locks. If you forget to lock the tab , the trailer will not fall off. I have done it a few times. $19 I think

[Captain Seaweed]

I have done the same Tim, I have towed my Seafarer from Brissy to Fraser with the ball clip up and didnt realise till the beach. What saved me was a tow ball hitch lock, it wouldnt let ball fall off.

[John West]

Done that too got all the way to the ramp where it popped off while reversing down ,ended up launching while hanging off the safety chain .

Tow ball hitch lock sounds good.

[GBC]

http://www.trailerparts.net.au/

The one you want is the second one down in the unbraked couplings section. They are also available braked, weld or bolt on.
You can't lock them open, but they are spring loaded and automatically couple. The design is old as the hills and works well.

Funny you should mention it, I half loaded an excavator onto a trailer yesterday assuming it was coupled - you know what assumptions make eh.... I got away with it luckily.

[Dignity]

Been there done that. Rehitched the trailer a 4am one morning and it mosn't have gone on properly. Got down the road around a couple of corners and driving into the servo where the whole shebang had to go into the gutter then up again and that is when it decided to let go. The bowsprit smashed into the small window of the Jackaroo and fortunately didn't damage any panels in the process. Was the missus annoyed as it was perfect wether and the whales were playing off the coast which is all she wanted to see. Cost me around $400 for that mistake.

GBC, not sure what item you are refering to - what page is it on the catalogue as your link just takes you to the home page and does it have any other identifier.

[eyeskeenas]

you could try a 40mm ring feeder hitch. its just a smaller version of a semi trailer hitch and is what i used when towing implements when i lived out west. fool proof and super tuff.
http://www.hitchbros.com.au/Ringfeder-Pintle-Hook.aspx
check out the link. it should shed some light on what im trying to say.

[GBC]

Well that was a cock up. The link is different.
Go to page 7 of the catalogue, second down on the left. I tried to copy the pic last night but it wouldn't let me.

[FishHunter]

Well that was a cock up. The link is different.
Go to page 7 of the catalogue, second down on the left. I tried to copy the pic last night but it wouldn't let me.

right click on the pic and select "copy link location" then paste it in here using the img function.
Unless of course you have tried that then ignore me.

[finga]

I put my reversing camera right in front of the towball.
It makes it so easy to back onto the trailers and I've gotten into the habit of checking everything as I drive off.

Cost of the reversing camera setup was way less then $100 and 1/2 day to fit (I'm slow I know).

The camera even shoots under the trailer so I know when I'm down the ramp enough and it's relaly handy when taking the trailers a bit off road watching for rocks and sticks that might decide to jump up.

Easiest way to not forget the lock tab is not to leave it up in the first place.
I always let mine down after taking the traile off and chuck a padlock in the lock tab.

[Noelm]

even though forgetting to lock the coupling is easy to do, I find that most of these "accidents" happen when someone wants to "help" get ready, if you have a job to do and do it EVERY time you go out, it makes life so much easier, now I am not saying I have not done it myself (I have) but I just find if I do my jobs, then it is never forgotten when we go out, my jobs are, reverse onto trailer, connect up lights, chain and coupling (and lock down the handle) no one else does any of these things ever, at ramp, I check bungs and ready the boat for launch, someone else gets the "hang on rope" ready and walks beside boat on the way down the ramp, their job is to unhook winch and safety chain, works for me all the time now.

[Roughasguts]

Get in to the habit of running your trailer plug chord throuh the handle of the trailer coupling! after attaching to the car.
Then you have a better chance of finding your trailer coupling is still up.

Then again you could use an "R" clip to hold the lever in, or a padlock for safer keeping.

Cheers

[Micadogs]

Hi, I have had my trailer "jump off" over a railway line. Skull dragged it off and then had some bystanders help reattach. Very scary.

Now, I simply tie a small nylon rope/string through the locking part. This way I know it is locked and it definatley cant jump out as the rope/string is holding it tight against the hitch.

It is just another safety procedure / check that I complete when attaching the trailer now and it has becoem habit and cost nothing.

Regards Adam

[oldboot]

If we are talking about the standard pull up self locking coupling...as per Tregg brothers and the coppies.

If you reshaps the little tab that goes over the padlock staple, and grease the hitch the handle will not stay up.

Ya just have to bend the tab out a bit at the bottom...you can do a rough job or a neat one.

cheers

[SNAFU]

hi all ,

thanks heaps for this info. the ring & hook set up might be the go.self locking and all . we use them at work for towing welding machines ect on back of forklift & ute . so simple and as you say ... "idiot proof". will look into it .
FYI . was starting 12 hr night shift and wanted to chase some spotties before hand that morning. was in a rush and out of my normal routine as i usually get all set night before. got to just down road and "bang"..... new glass in ARB canopy & new tailgate on NEW triton dual cab...... $600 policy excess....
will definately get new hitch setup. this never happened to the old piece of crap i used to drive..... Ohhhhh no! wait till i get the only new car i ever had.

SNAFU

[John Buoy]

I like using the ring and spring loaded clip, (Lynch Pin)
when hitching up i take the clip off and place it over my finger
and it will remind me to put it back on :)

Another good tip is to cross over your safety chains
which will create a basket if ever your hitch does comes off
it wont hit the ground and will sit in the basket !
Regards frank ;)

[oldboot]

I realy don't thing running a ring feeder on a domestic trailer is a good idea.....they rattle and thump and bag.......fine when you are dragging a big spool of cable or a couple of tonne of rocks with something the rides like a dray.

But not a small trailer towed by a pasenger car.


The single most important thing at the boat ramp and at home is the routine, ya gota stick with your routine.

OH yeh...... it is a requirement that the safety chain should not allow the drawbar to strike the road surface...the only way you will achieve this with most rigs is to cros the chain/s over the towbar..even with a single chain this is effective, it also shortens the swinging section of chain so the trailer does not dive and dart anywhere near as badly in the event of the coupling comming off or failing.

OH watch out for safety chains that are welded to the bottom of your drawbar.

A mate lost his fully loaded mowing trailer when the worn coupling jumped off going thru a 4 lane intersection.
The safety chain was too long and the drawbar struck the road..in less than 10 meters the chain had ground thru on the road and the trailer was no longer attached to the vehicle in any way....... he was very very lucky, it did not come out worse.

cheers

[Roughasguts]

Hmmm maybe ther should be a roller under the tow bar coupling on the trailer !!! So if it does come off there will be some reduced friction so the trailer and tow vehicle can come to a safer rest.
Got to be better than the trailer digging in! or comming off and turning in to a missile.

Cheers

[danners]

ive always just used a padlock and locked it in, that way no smartass kids can unlock it at the carpark while you're out fishing too

cheers
Dan

[oldboot]

In the past is was very common for boat trailers to have a hoop of steel under the drawbar....so that if you wanted to rest the drawbar directly on the ground the coupling did not sit in the dirt.

With low suspension and drawbar heights this is not practical on may combinations as it would drag on the ground going over dips and humps and getting in and out of driveways.

REMEMBER it is a legal requirement as well as there being a very good reason, that the safety chain/s should not allow the drawbar to strike the road.

Ya want to keep that safety chain as short as practical...remember if the drawbar can drop it can also rise.....it is certainly possible that a long safety chain can allow the drawbar to belt the stuffings out of the back of your car, by the time you bring it to a stop

As far as padlocks on safety chains.

It is illegal and impractical to use a padlock alone on a safety chain ( and always has been)......padlocks are very weak, if the are shock loaded they simply come open and with very little force.

If you want to run a padlock on your safety chain, ( which is a good idea) you must have a shackle securing the safety chain.

if the safety chain is long link chain (mild steel not rated, still legal) you can fit both a padlock and a shackle to the chain.

If you are using short link chain (most graded or rated chain) you can either use another chain or put a small padlock thru the shackle and the hole in the pin.

I know lots (probably the majority) use non rated shackles on their safety chains......but realy this is not a good idea.......and I have seen some very small shackles used........

The cheap chinese shackles you will buy at any hardware simply can not be relied upon to have any particular strength at all.... they are simply rubbish.

Rated shackles are pretty cheap these days and available in a variety of sizes at any decent bolt shop.

AND the shackle realy should be the largest that will fit thru the hole in the chain and the hole in the towbar.

As I mentioned before, shackles are much weaker than the same size and grade of chain.......so it pays not to skimp.

Couplings comming off tow balls is a far more common thing that a lot of people would like to believe, this is why safety chains are compulsory.

People also underestimate the amount of force and shock loading that a trailer can place on a safety chain.

Please take your safety chain serioulsy, and don't piss arround with cheap crapy hardware.

You boat is worth thousands, why not spend $10 or $20 on some good rated shackles.

Oh regarding this crossing the safety chains in front of the tow ball......this is recomended by hayman reece and is printed with every coppy of their fitting instructions...and is on their web site.

cheers

[SNAFU]

hi oldboot ,

thanks for your info. some good stuff there. i do use max size rated shackles and good chain. buuut the chain IS welded to the draw bar.the cross over idea is going to be my method from now on. i will be looking seriously at this set up now. the trailer i have only has ONE chain on it also. . this WILL change. i use a pad lock as well as a shackle. if i keep the drop catch set up i will also look seriousle at also locking it to stop the little darlings lifting it up at carpark . on talking to people at work about my probs , they said that at the last "river fire" event in brisbane, trailers left at the collomslie ramp had all their catches lifted causing mayhem that night. some big rigs were lost that night to the ramp and road way. as stated, you got to have a system and stick to it . i do this %99.5 of the time and it is that odd occasion that will get you. this is what happened to me . not happy at all , but it could have been worse. i will still look at the "idiot proof" hitches as i realy dont want to get caught again. if idont change set ups all the info given will be used for sure. i will posted on results.thanks heaps for your time.

SNAFU.

[Roughasguts]

I have a 4 bar weight distrubution hitch on me Caravan! I dought the coupling will ever jump off the ball with that attached.

Cheers.

[fishfeeder]

I use a small padlock on the clip on the coupling to stop it being able to be removed. Aswell as a large padlock on one of my safety chains (has a d-shackle also).
I had the police/scalies tell me to cross the chains years ago and have allways done so since and they never said anything about having padlocks on the safety chain to the car.

Cheers

[White Pointer]

G'day,

I have found that I need a checklist of what has to be done and how to do it. It is not because I made a mistake but that I was checking the same thing three times over.

So I made up the list that includes loading spare wheel and tyre changing tools and I made some idiot proof secondary measures, like putting a locking clip on the coupling and check tightening the chains with pliers.

Now I only check everthing twice.

Regards,

White Pointer

[Dignity]

Take a hammer and tap your padlocks, I would be surprised if they just dont part, they are only there for the honest people. I do use a good padlock but I did have extra chain added as the first point of contact is the rated shackle and then at the end of the chain the padlock is then added as a visible security mesure although anyone wanting to could overcome the one I have also if they put their mind and effort to it. I can't remember the brand but it is a round padlock where the outer surface rotates so that you cant get use vice grips or other such items and the lock itself is supposed to withstand anything short of a large sledge hammer.