Lwiddis
Death Valley NP
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Joined: 08/12/2016
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I check everything...tires, hitch, bike rack, electrical, break away etc...AFTER the potty break! At 29 with my first TC I had the same order of importance!
Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2020 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, 300 watt solar-parallel & MPPT, Trojan T-125s. TALL flag pole. Prefer USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state & county camps. Bicyclist! 14 year Army vet-11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad
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Boomerweps
Hills of PA
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Joined: 04/30/2018
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I always use a locking hitch pin to prevent casual theft or pranksters.
I only use a basic hitch pin for short term, that day, use.
I never leave my mounts in my hitch overnight, shin busters and longer term rusting in place are no fun.
2019 Wolf Pup 16 BHS Limited, axle flipped
2019 F150 4x4 SCrew SB STX 5.0 3.55 factory tow package, 7000#GVWR, 1990 CC Tow mirrors, TBC
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JRscooby
Indepmo
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Joined: 06/10/2019
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Lwiddis wrote:I check everything...tires, hitch, bike rack, electrical, break away etc...AFTER the potty break! At 29 with my first TC I had the same order of importance!
Well I always found a warm tire will cool pretty fast when you stop. I have decided a tire was hot, gone in to restroom, come back out and had to trust memory to know which to suspect. (never on RV)
It's yours, you can do what you want.
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BarabooBob
Baraboo, WI
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Joined: 12/28/2015
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My wife and I do what we call "the dance" before we pull out ofof any place that we have parked, even for a short time.
We start at the rear of the truck, check electrical connections, chains, tongue jack, coupler lock, insert lock, circle TT clockwise checking storage door, stabilizer jack, front awning arm, steps, entry assist handle, door locks, tire pressure valve cap, rear stabilizer, rear awning arm, bumper cap, spare tire, and all the way around the TT.
We do this every time and talk our way around the TT tour. We say what we are looking at and agree that it is correct.
As soon as we pull into a parking area, we both go to the trailer tire on our side and carefully touch the hub and tire. If we feel that it is warm, I grab my infrared thermometer.
We are picky about this "dance" to avoid problems on the road.
Bob & Dawn Married 32 years
2017 Viking 17RD
2011 Ford F150 3.5L Ecoboost 420 lb/ft
Retired
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Duane4238
North Tonawanda, New York
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Joined: 07/28/2013
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Easiest thing I've found is a Grade 8 bolt and a nylok nut. Only way someone's gonna mess with that is if they're carrying a socket set, and that's still going to take them a few minutes minimum to get the nut off. This is a cheap and easy solution.
Duane
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whjco
Lexington, KY
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Joined: 01/26/2007
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Gdetrailer wrote:Old-Biscuit wrote:Guy Roan wrote:My worry has never been the hitch pin, but I always have worried about the safety pin that holds the hitch pin from sliding out.
Guy
There is virtually no side load/pressure that would cause clip to fail
Operator error 9not installing it correctly) ------ YES
May not just be an "Operator error" if the clip "disappears" via a third party "prankster" that happens along when you are away from your vehicle..
Have heard of that happening, fortunately have never had that happen to me.. But I do typically do a quick walk around and check to make sure everything is in it's proper place as it should be when taking rest stops and such before I get back on the road..
As far as strength of the hitch pin goes, don't know exactly, but the same diameter pin is used for 2x2 and 2.5x2.5 hitches.. Just the length of the pin is longer for the 2.5 hitches.. Can't say for sure on the 3x3 hitches but I suspect most likely the same diameter to allow compatibility for using an smaller hitch accessory like a bike rack or lighter weight hitch via adapter sleeves.
I have a friend who had someone remove the pin from his insert while his enclosed car trailer was hitched to it. He traveled some distance and the equalizer bars held enough tension on the insert so that it stayed in place. That is, until he was exiting the Interstate and the trailer brakes made a heavier application causing the insert to slide out of the receiver. Thankfully, the safety pin pulled on the breakaway switch holding tension on the safety chains and he was able to safely get stopped. Since his incident, I always do a walkaround just before hitting the road and I pay special attention to the insert pin and the key that keeps it in place.
Bill J., Lexington, KY
2006 Starcraft 2500RKS 25' Travel Trailer
2015 Ram 2500 Big Horn 6.7 Cummins.
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CavemanCharlie
Storden,MN
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Joined: 03/01/2012
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My pin is the locking type that requires a key to remove it. Made by Masterlock. I was a little worried about it at first thinking that it would get rusty or frozen in the winter time but, it has held up for 3 years now with no problem.
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GrandpaKip
Flat Rock
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Joined: 06/18/2013
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CavemanCharlie wrote:My pin is the locking type that requires a key to remove it. Made by Masterlock. I was a little worried about it at first thinking that it would get rusty or frozen in the winter time but, it has held up for 3 years now with no problem.
Yep, I have the same and also don’t have to worry about somebody making off with the hitch.
Kip
2015 Skyline Dart 214RB
2018 Silverado Double Cab 4x4
Andersen Hitch
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