Hitch Lock

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Hi All,       Just a few pic's of a hitch lock I'v just designed and made for my daughter Andrea's double horse trailer, Dummy ball turned from 2" solid mild steel bar,and casing fabricated from  1/4" plate,All held together with a lovely puck type lock, Just got to make sure she uses it every time she unhitches, Best regards to all you wire burners,  Gordon, Attached Images
Reply:nice job, very nice. i wish someone would steal the receiver off of my truck. had a lil rust in the tube, cleaned it out in rush. pulled my camper with it now it won't come out. f-250 powerstroke.  tried attaching chain around the ball and other end to tractor. eased into but no go. sprayed rust buster for days still won't come out. guess i'll haft to heat it a wee bit and see if that works. but nice job.
Reply:That's really nice.   Great design.  I've never seen a lock like that.  Where do you get them?  Is it actually called a "puck" lock?I have to figure out something for my goosenecks one of these days."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:You didn't ask for a critique, so I'll just say "looks nice" and keep my mouth shut unless you give the go-ahead. Somebody has to be the Devil's advocate if you want an honest appraisal. -Matt------------------------------------------
Reply:wow thats neat
Reply:That's pretty a pretty neat design there, but it'd be a shame to render it useless with a lock that can be drilled with a 0.99$ 1/4" drill bit in fifteen seconds.If a lock has brass inards, it's really only for looks. But otherwise neat.http://www.medeco.com/products/produ...ategory_ID=29&These take some effort to drill. But if all you want is deterrence for the casual semi-honest thief, then your lock will work.Last edited by rat4spd; 10-17-2008 at 12:59 AM.
Reply:Originally Posted by HephaestusYou didn't ask for a critique, so I'll just say "looks nice" and keep my mouth shut unless you give the go-ahead. Somebody has to be the Devil's advocate if you want an honest appraisal.
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersammThat's really nice.   Great design.  I've never seen a lock like that.  Where do you get them?  Is it actually called a "puck" lock?I have to figure out something for my goosenecks one of these days.
Reply:Hi, Thanks for your reply, Yes by all means critique on any aspect of the hitch lock,  If my replies and listings do not appear in the correct place please be patient I'm learning to use a computer as well as trying to weld.  Thanks again. Gordon
Reply:Looks darn good to me. I've seen a lot of things come out of professional shops that didn't look as good.
Reply:Originally Posted by gordon stephensonHi, Thanks for your reply, Yes by all means critique on any aspect of the hitch lock,  If my replies and listings do not appear in the correct place please be patient I'm learning to use a computer as well as trying to weld.  Thanks again. Gordon
Reply:I'm not so sure recommending tubular locks is the best idea.Look up how to open a Kryptonite lock with a Bic pen.  Worse than bumping.BTW, I see that Master (and American) have come out with a method to prevent bumping.Those puck locks are based on an "American Lock" design.  The real ones (now, made by Master), have a plate covering the cylinder, which only exposes an hourglass shaped opening, to prevent drilling.  Yours appears to have an opening which exposes the brass to easily being drilled.OTOH, the real puck locks have a "bypass" issue.Anyway, I like your design.  Its more resistant to anyone with bolt-cutters or a hacksaw, than the "simple" one, and should be more freeze resistant than the one with the setscrew that turns up from underneath.
Reply:Those puck locks are based on an "American Lock" design. The real ones (now, made by Master), have a plate covering the cylinder, which only exposes an hourglass shaped opening, to prevent drilling.I haven't looked into those locks, but for all of our coin vault security we use Medeco puck and plug locks. They CAN be drilled with the right gear (I won't say how) but lets just say if you try doing it with drill bits they take a good hour of fumble farting around along with about $75 in drill bits. The average thief will not drill that lock. A pro will drop it in about 5 minutes.If you have a pro targeting you, all the security in the world will not prevent him (her) from taking what they want, so you have bigger problems.But like I said, that brass lock can be dropped in fifteen seconds by an amateur.
Reply:That's pretty a pretty neat design there, but it'd be a shame to render it useless with a lock that can be drilled with a 0.99$ 1/4" drill bit in fifteen seconds....
Reply:Boy, you sure wanna put me under pressure don't you?  I've got a spare lying around, but I'm not sure I want to risk a $30 lock to prove my worth.Here's on I'd definately take the bet on.http://www.lockitt.com/padlockdiscus.htm
Reply:Originally Posted by Hephaestus1- It's technically a coupler lock. The hitch is what's on the truck, the coupler is what's on the trailer.2- Because of the t shaped tab, the spring loaded pin is redundant.3- The spring pin can rust in place4 - the design is not freeze proof. The pocket where the T shaped tab fits into could be problematic if filled with ice/snow. I would switch to a 90 degree bent tab into a plain slot.5 - The lock  is impossible to shim, but it has no guard against picking or bump keys. You provided easy access for either method. (A Medeco has been mentioned, but a Medeco would cost 3X as much as making a a commercial coupler lock. I think in the UK Abloy makes a high-security puck lock Abloys aren't cheap either)EZ Lock already makes one that has a tubular lock (which I can't pick) for $35. It doesn't pay to reinvent the wheel.What you have is enough to "thwart temptation and keep the honest people honest" but so is this design and it's much simpler. $21 or make your own. Use a "bump proof" padlock.
Reply:Well Gordon that's a nice bit of work you've done here. Great design as well. I haven't seen one on this side of the pond like yours  How long did it take to do it? I bet it took a lot of time but I'm betting you enjoyed ever second of it.I think you got some pretty good welding skills as well to have it turn out like it did. Tip my hat to you sir. Keep posting as well and keep up the good work. Cheers. PaulMiller 302 Trailblazer/Custom TrailerMillermatic 350P/Spool gunMillermatic 252Miller Spectrum 875Miller Dynasty200DxHypertherm Powermax 85Tracker CNC 4X8 Pro Table (Down Draft)Visit us @ www.specialtyrepairscustommods.com
Reply:Hello Paul, Praise indeed from the "master of metal"(and everything else it would seem),Saw some of your work yesterday, truly awesome in every respect.Wish Ilived a few thousand miles closer,Would love to give you a hand with some of your projects in exchange for some aluminium welding tuition. Hitch(coupling) lock took about a day including measuring and a bit of trial and error to get it to fit snuggly on the cast steel socket.finished it off with a coat of primer and finally bight yellow Plastikote,Usually use Lincoln SP170, But used my new "toy" a Kemppi adaptive minimig, can be used manual or auto,just set material and thickness,was very pleased with it,only weighs about 9kilo's without the wire,but still puts out 200amps, Hope to be in touch again soon. Thanks again for your kind and encouraging words;    Best regards  Gordon,
Reply:I think that's some pretty good work Gordon. Lot of thought and effort had to go into that. It'll definitely stop the guy that's just gonna back up and take it because it was so dern easy to do. Any level of security much higher than that and we're talking a serious thief tooled up to get 'er done. Besides the fact it doesn't take any talent to buy a lock.
Reply:...it'd be a shame to render it useless with a lock that can be drilled with a 0.99$ 1/4" drill bit in fifteen seconds....
Reply:Ok, here's one for y'all Thief shows up with a wrecker, and a coupla pounds o' steak for the pooch Lock becomes a moot point, and Fido gets a good treat.  G'by trailer.It's a great lock that's been posted, but like ANY lock, it ain't thief proof.  It's honest people proof.  Keep at it Gordon, nice work.(running so slow, takes a can of beer to do one post,  fix my internet whoever ya are )"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Heck with a dog like that, you don't need no lock....We had a pro go through two (2), medeco hardened stainless barrel locks in five minutes. Well, actually, he got through 1 1/2 in five minutes. That kept him out. However, after spending two hours and a hundred bucks in bits, I removed what was left of the lock without destroying anything else, and replaced both plug locks. The  "expeltive deleted" thief came back the following day and had improved his technique enough to get through both in five minutes, and make off with all of the cash, quarters, and all the mechanicals inside that is worth more than the cash.Fortunately, we have a three layer system in place now. Next time it'll take 7 minutes. I hear the real pro's use plasma cutters and just remove the door. Like I said, if they want it, they'll get it.You still wanna hold me to that 15 seconds? I'm a little rusty right now.
Reply:Originally Posted by gordon stephensonHi,Everyone. Please feel free to critique away, Always trying to improve in any direction. I just enjoy making things and if they look nice,functional and strong i'm happy, Completely self taught and would welcome any advice on any aspect of my work.  Best regards  Gordon