Trailer hitch pin

bigdeano · Jul 3, 2017

kf4uda said:
Just for kicks, I did a google search for "where to store your receiver hitch". The first result was this Introducing Stor-A-Hitch It shows mounting in the bed but I guess you could mount it anywhere (in the cab, under the hood). This would stop the loose hitch from killing me but what about the other 30 things in there

"Quick and easy to mount-uses only two #10 mounting screws" Doesn't seem like it would help much in a wreck, but a good idea if it was stronger.

Creamer · Jul 3, 2017

Two #10 screws hold a lot more than one hitch even in an impact situation. The key is to never let relative momentum get started. Once that hitch starts moving the energy is 1/2 x mass x velocity squared. that is when it gets hard to stop.

I knew a guy that put a small mold - about 200 lbs - in the back of a pickup once. this is when the pickups had the gas tank behind the seat. The mold was at the back of the bed but he had to make a quick stop and that mold hit the dash right beside him - you got it right, through the front of the box, the backwall of the cab, completely through the gas tank and through the seat, and planted itself in the dash. he was just ecstatic that it didn't slide at a slight angle.

FTG-05 · Jul 3, 2017

When I used to drive my Toy rock crawler out west, I exclusively used a 5 1/2" Gr8 bolt with locking nut, never a Grade 2 bent pin. Unless some thief came up with 2 15/16" wrenches, he wasn't getting my ball mount.

Now that I live on a farm in BFE, I don't worry about theft as much, plus I'm constantly changing from 2 5/16" to 2" and back all the time; I use the bent pin now.

FTG-05 · Jul 3, 2017

bigtiller said:
I'm not sure how well a locking pin would work this far north.

With the bolts, I was conflicted with grade 5 vs grade 8. Is 5 hard enough or is 8 to hard.

Go look under your truck and see what the factory used to attach the hitch to the truck. For both my Ram 1500 and F-350, they used Gr8 (or the 10.9 Gr8 metric equivalent).

On my F-350, I replaced them with ASTM-A574 socket-head cap screws (150ksi vs 120 ksi for Gr8).

gsganzer · Jul 3, 2017

I bought one of these "learning key" locks. It uses your ignition key. Saves me from having to mess with another key, or losing the key.
Receiver Lock

bigtiller · Jul 3, 2017

FTG-05 said:
When I used to drive my Toy rock crawler out west, I exclusively used a 5 1/2" Gr8 bolt with locking nut, never a Grade 2 bent pin. Unless some thief came up with 2 15/16" wrenches, he wasn't getting my ball mount.

Now that I live on a farm in BFE, I don't worry about theft as much, plus I'm constantly changing from 2 5/16" to 2" and back all the time; I use the bent pin now.

That was another thing i was trying to find on the internet. The grade of my bent pin. You say it is a 2. Is that factual or are you being a little jovial?

FTG-05 · Jul 4, 2017

McMaster part number 90146A213 shows them as "Unrated". McMaster-Carr

To me, that's at best, Gr2.

There was another source that talked about the rating of standard bent pics and they showed them as Gr2, but I can't find it right now and it's time for bed, maybe later.

aczlan · Jul 4, 2017

bigtiller said:
That was another thing i was trying to find on the internet. The grade of my bent pin. You say it is a 2. Is that factual or are you being a little jovial?

It is most likely a grade 2 as if it was something heavier they would be bragging about it and a 5/8" grade 2 pin in double shear is good for a lot of weight...

Aaron Z

PILOON · Jul 4, 2017

LOL, in our Quebec winter climate leaving your hitch in all winter will assure that no one steals it.
The road salt assures theft prevention.
I have witnessed hitches so well corroded in place that a 3/4 ton 4 x 4 using a graded chain to tie the hitch to a tree could not pull the hitch free after 3-4 attempts. That rust will do a great weld job.