Hitch coupler lock

mandt
mandt Member Posts: 158
seems like when we stop at reststops, restaurants, grocery stores it would be too easy to pull the coupler pin and drive away with the trailer. Would a coupler lock at least slow them down a bit? How about this one: 
https://www.amazon.com/Husky-38958-Coupler-Lock/dp/B0085IJ0BY/ref=sr_1_11?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1493989982&sr=1-11&keywords=rv+hitch+pin+coupler++lock

Mickey & Terri
2016 Max S
Kalamazoo Michigan
«1

Comments

  • Ratkity
    Ratkity Member Posts: 3,770

    mandt said:

    seems like when we stop at reststops, restaurants, grocery stores it would be too easy to pull the coupler pin and drive away with the trailer. Would a coupler lock at least slow them down a bit? How about this one: 
    https://www.amazon.com/Husky-38958-Coupler-Lock/dp/B0085IJ0BY/ref=sr_1_11?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1493989982&sr=1-11&keywords=rv+hitch+pin+coupler++lock



    Make sure it's made for your coupler. If I remember, the Atwood coupler needs a longer pin than that lock. You can go to one of the big box hardware stores and get a single keyed hitch-to-reciever lock and coupler lock that is long enough for where your coupler pin slot.
    2017 820R Retro Toy Hauler from 2015 Tabitha T@B from 2009 Reverse LG Teardrop (but a T@Bluver at heart)
  • TaBinSC
    TaBinSC Member Posts: 2
    Yea, I'm not sure that one will fit the t@b coupler. Plus unless your hitch pin is locked (ssuming you have a hitch / receiver rig) it wouldn't slow down the would be thief, they'd just move your hitch to their tv. We bought a keyed alike set off amazon (3794DAT). It has a coupler lock for when the tab is disconnected, a locking coupler pin and a locking hitch pin. 
  • Teardrop
    Teardrop Member Posts: 2
    Just as easy to take off the nut on your trailer ball.

    I ended up with one of these as well

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YZ56RJE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • Sharon_is_SAM
    Sharon_is_SAM Member Posts: 10,035
    Us, too.  We have so many keys to lock up this trailer!
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
  • TerryV6
    TerryV6 Member Posts: 1,101
    We put small labels on each one, with a label on what they open...  Only way it works for us...
    Terry & Jody...  2025 Honda Ridgeline RTL
    2016 NuCamp 320 T@B Max S
    T@bbey  Road   
    Appleton,  WI





  • ontheroad
    ontheroad Member Posts: 489
    this appears to be what NuCamp is now using on the 2017 T@G 'sand onward, someone said that they believed is what is already on the T@B, looking for locking suggestions, have tried 2 so far ..no go....
    Former 2017 T@G Max XL
    2021 T@B Boondock CS-S
    2018 Nissan Pathfinder
    Ontario, Canada
  • Sharon_is_SAM
    Sharon_is_SAM Member Posts: 10,035
    Ontheroad, we have a 2017 Tab and we just bought this lock from Amazon.  Not sure if your coupler is the same or not, but ours took a 7 mm pin and 2.5 inches.

    https://www.amazon.com/Trimax-SXTC2-Premium-Stainless-Coupler/dp/B000W0RPYW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495412420&sr=8-1&keywords=trimax+sxtc2
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
  • Michigan_Mike
    Michigan_Mike Member Posts: 2,858

    SAM said:

    Us, too.  We have so many keys to lock up this trailer!


    The multiple keys on a caribeaner or key holder should be added to any checklist for the trailer.  God help us if any of these keys are left at home when traveling or we could be in deep do-do!!!  This is one of my biggest fears as inevitably I do seem to always leave something behind after heading out in the road.   :o=)
    Mike - Elmira, Mi / 2019 T@B 400 / 2021 Chevy Silverado LTZ
  • Bayliss
    Bayliss Member Posts: 1,517
    Does anyone have any updated suggestions for a good lock set (coupler, receiver/hitch and 2" ball locks)?  Many of the reasonably priced locks I have looked at have mixed reviews or complaints that they do not hold up or are easily defeated.  Thanks!
    2019 T@B 320 S Boondock Lite2025 Toyota Tundra CrewMax 4x4
    (Alde: 3020; Refrig: Isotherm Cruise 65 Eleg; Battery: BB 100Ah LiFePO4; Solar: Renogy 220W Portable Suitcase w/ Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15 Controller; Victron BMV-712 Battery Monitor w/ Shunt; Pwr Cntr: PD-4135KW2B; EMS: PI-HW30C)
    Greg & Marlene (Tucson, AZ)


  • N7SHG_Ham
    N7SHG_Ham Member Posts: 1,261
    2019 T@B 400 Boondock Lite
  • Sharon_is_SAM
    Sharon_is_SAM Member Posts: 10,035
    RJ ball lock, Brahma wheel lock, Proven Industries coupler lock.
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
  • ChanW
    ChanW Member Posts: 3,165
    I'm thinking, is it even possible for a bad guy to get that ball nut off while the Tab is hitched up? Much less at a rest area, or while eating lunch or getting groceries?

    I have a hard enough time getting it off when it's clamped in a vise! Maybe I don't have the right tools... 
    Teardrop said:
    Just as easy to take off the nut on your trailer ball.

    I ended up with one of these as well

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YZ56RJE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    Chan  -  near Buffalo NY
    2014 S Maxx
    2011 Tacoma 4cyl ... edit: 2022 Tacoma 6cyl - oh yeah! 

     A_Little_T@b'll_Do_Ya
  • Sharon_is_SAM
    Sharon_is_SAM Member Posts: 10,035
    @Chan, it is probably more useful for someone who leaves their TV parked somewhere a long time unattended.  But, apparently, removing that ball nut and stealing a trailer of some kind has been done.  Maybe heavy equipment trailer?
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
  • NCNative
    NCNative Member Posts: 95
    I have a proven industries coupler lock, and a Brahma wheel lock For my 400 when it is unhitched. I use a coupler pin lock when I am in transit, and of course I have a hitch lock on at all times. 
    N@VENOTSE
    2019 T@B 400 Boondock Lite   
    SF Bay Area
  • ChanW
    ChanW Member Posts: 3,165
    Heh! I can imagine a professional group of thugs (maybe only a pair) parking next to my outfit, and (quickly?) unscrewing that ball, hand-jockeying the Tab away from my truck over to their truck, reinstalling the ball on their hitch, and driving off.... 

    But it's only my imagination!  =) (Hmmm. I think)

    I suppose if I was boondocking somewhere really remote, and some of those thugs came up there in the boondocks... 

    Heck, now you got me imagining! Where do you get those locks?  :s

    (I think I got to go camping. Get my perspective back in line... Starting to get cabin fever, I think)

    Chan  -  near Buffalo NY
    2014 S Maxx
    2011 Tacoma 4cyl ... edit: 2022 Tacoma 6cyl - oh yeah! 

     A_Little_T@b'll_Do_Ya
  • tabiphile
    tabiphile Member Posts: 472
    ChanW said:
    I'm thinking, is it even possible for a bad guy to get that ball nut off while the Tab is hitched up? Much less at a rest area, or while eating lunch or getting groceries?

    I have a hard enough time getting it off when it's clamped in a vise! Maybe I don't have the right tools... 
    Teardrop said:
    Just as easy to take off the nut on your trailer ball.

    I ended up with one of these as well

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YZ56RJE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    Even with the correct tools it can be almost impossible to get the nut to turn. Once the ball has been properly tightened and seated on the lock washer it practically welds itself in place. The odds of anyone successfully getting it loose while the trailer is coupled are about zero....not enough room to work and too hard to turn......the tool is a monster wrench with an extension for more torque and a monster vice.....  if you have those and have actually tried this to would not own a lock for it.
  • Sharon_is_SAM
    Sharon_is_SAM Member Posts: 10,035
    We remove the ball and mount each fall.  Maybe if you leave it on year round it may become almost impossible to remove.  
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
  • ScottG
    ScottG Administrator Posts: 5,674
    I've swapped out hitch balls a few times using a couple large adjustable wrenches, a good tug, and few curse words (and maybe a little PB Blaster).
    Granted, I only put the ball mount in the receiver when I am actually towing, but I suspect I am not alone in this practice.
    2015 T@B Max S (320)
    2015 Nissan Frontier SV V6 4x4
  • Homebodyatheart
    Homebodyatheart Member Posts: 2,516
    I took the hitch, ball, nut and locking washer to my car guys and had them tighten the everloving out if it. I also run a master lock through the tow chains which I wrap around the jack post when I'm not towing. A good friend suggested it, as it would make using my chains to tow my Tab more difficult. And yes, I know that just about anything can be pried off. I also don't leave my Tab alone for long periods of time when I'm out camping. I've got the Trimax wheel lock if I do leave camp along with my other little locks. Someone would make a lot of noise to get it all off.

    @ChanW I'm suffering from the same fever...I put a great pic from a trip last summer on my work pc screen today just because!
    2017 T@B 320 Max S silver and cherry red, L@dybug ("Bug" aka my esc@pe pod), TV 2015 Toyota Highlander aka Big Red
  • dinzzy
    dinzzy Member Posts: 182

    Tow with a 2016 Tacoma TRD Sport, 2016 T@B CS-S Max


  • jsinc363
    jsinc363 Member Posts: 5
    Anyone know if I have a 2" or 2 5/16" ball on my 2020 T@B 320 S? Im trying to fit it to a Proven Industries trailer coupler.
    2020 T@b 320 S | 2019 Chevy Blazer V6 | Indiana
  • Dalehelman
    Dalehelman Member Posts: 2,414
    2”
    1. Hash  T@B Fun
  • rh5555
    rh5555 Member Posts: 536
    edited September 2020
    I have a simple, and relatively cheap solution:  I bought a quality hitch lock which comes with a long enough shackle to fit my TAB

    and a 2" diameter steel ball that gets locked inside the hitch.
     
    It is simple and not obvious, so potential thieves only figure out what's wrong when they try to drop my hitch onto their 1-3/4" ball.  Final modification was to make my security chains removable by using a locking shackle like this to attach the chains to the trailer (also allows easy length adjustment)
      
    Roger and Sue Hill | 2020 T@B400 Boondock (Cryst@bel) | 2022 Land Rover Defender 110 - P400 | San Juan Island, WA
  • ginsbuj
    ginsbuj Member Posts: 54
    Stop being paranoid. Yes you should use a little bit of deterrent when leaving the trailer parked however most what if's are just silly. We have a glass door on our house and of course lock the door however a brick will bust it and you are in. A guard dog will usually make someone consider a different house but a steak will put them out of the picture. Alarms are supposed to help however the police are often so busy that by the time they would investigate the thief is long gone. Live life today and not what might happen. That being said I'm not planning on sky diving anytime soon. Enjoy! 
    TAB 360 Black Canyon
  • JanandDave
    JanandDave Member Posts: 119
    Hi @ginsbuj

    "That being said I'm not planning on sky diving anytime soon."

    You should, especially next to the Great Salt Lake, at 19,000 feet.

    Me: "Isn't it hard to breathe at that altitude?"

    Instructor: "You won't be there that long!"

    Never too old.   =)




    2016 T@B 320 Max S  "T@BsentMinded"
    2009 Subaru Outback R 3.0
    2022 Ford Ranger XLT Super Cab

  • PNWtabber
    PNWtabber Member Posts: 492
    This is a very interesting thread.  I've been looking at coupler locks and was going to ask for suggestions.  The ones I've been looking at online generally run $50 or less.  I just looked at the Proven website, wow, >$200!  But sounds like they are really good locks.  Now to figure out which model fits my 2018 T@B!
    2018 T@B 320 S Boondock  |  2015.5 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD  |  Seattle, WA, USA
    "Blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventures.”― Lovelle Drachman

  • Bayliss
    Bayliss Member Posts: 1,517
    @PNWtabber, here is a discussion that may help you out:

    https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/114609#Comment_114609

    Just match the lock to the coupler you have on your trailer, as depicted on the Proven Industries website.
    2019 T@B 320 S Boondock Lite2025 Toyota Tundra CrewMax 4x4
    (Alde: 3020; Refrig: Isotherm Cruise 65 Eleg; Battery: BB 100Ah LiFePO4; Solar: Renogy 220W Portable Suitcase w/ Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15 Controller; Victron BMV-712 Battery Monitor w/ Shunt; Pwr Cntr: PD-4135KW2B; EMS: PI-HW30C)
    Greg & Marlene (Tucson, AZ)


  • Tinkerkaye
    Tinkerkaye Member Posts: 9
    N7SHG_Ham said:
    Which one would be the one for a 2021 tab-400 ?thanks in advance 
  • bergger
    bergger Moderator Posts: 1,077
    2021 T@b 400 BD  "Vixen Gail" 
    2018 Nissan Titan Pro 4X "Big Bird"
    Leadville Colorado