Harv - Appearances notwithstanding, I don't generally offer my opinion with the intent of dictating what you or anyone else should do, but merely to state I do. But since you asked...
In your particular situation, I wouldn't pitch them, but I would be mindful of how much stress I put on them. If you're using them in a situation where you're not putting anybody's health in harm's way, and they break, it's just an inconvenience and you can react accordingly by buying something better. On the other hand, you may never break them. As I've said before (many times), I'm a nut, and obsessive/compulsive about hardware to boot, so my preferences should be considered with that in mind.
Don't feel bad about the selection in your area, though. Your situation is very typical. That's why, as I said, I use mailorder - I can't find anything better locally, either.
If you decide to use them, and you break them, I would be interested in hearing how you managed it, though. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
MarkC
P.S. By the way, the device I use on my drawbar which I referred to as a "clevis" earlier is, I think, more correctly called a "shackle", and corresponds to item 'C' in your hardware menagerie, except for size.<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>
Edited by MChalkley on 11/14/00 05:11 PM.</FONT></P>