Hitch pin security?

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Grizzled Skipper

Grizzled Skipper

Member
Posts
13
Location
Gillingham Kent
Hi all. Can anyone recommend a lockable hitch pin for a Dixon Bates style drop plate? I’ve seen one on another vehicle but I can’t find anything on the web that looks remotely like it. I know I could just take the hitch off, but that’s inconvenient and might entice some toe-rag to break in looking for it

This is my first post since introducing myself and my 1995 Defender 90 at Christmas. This forum has helped a great deal with the many initial questions that I had. Becoming paranoid about how vulnerable these vehicles are to theft! I realise all we can do is slow the buggers down and make it less attractive to the casual opportunist.
 
Grizzled Skipper said:
Hi all. Can anyone recommend a lockable hitch pin for a Dixon Bates style drop plate? I’ve seen one on another vehicle but I can’t find anything on the web that looks remotely like it. I know I could just take the hitch off, but that’s inconvenient and might entice some toe-rag to break in looking for it

This is my first post since introducing myself and my 1995 Defender 90 at Christmas. This forum has helped a great deal with the many initial questions that I had. Becoming paranoid about how vulnerable these vehicles are to theft! I realise all we can do is slow the buggers down and make it less attractive to the casual opportunist.
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Didn't take long, even used your own words for the search in Google:rolleyes:. Here is the first entry, probably others with some minor scrolling down the page:D
 
Excellent stuff Kwakerman. Although I cannot see your results, I followed your advice and used my own words! When I was searching earlier I omitted the crucial “Dixon Bate” so all I got was a load of other pin types. The Maypole item is very similar if not identical to the type I had seen: https://www.maypole.ltd.uk/index.php?route=information/findstockist&type=DIXON-BATE

Edit: Apologies, I can see your link now!
 
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I don't think somebody would break into your vehicle to nick half a tow hitch, unless it's clearly on display. They will probably assume one of their own kind has already pinched it.
 
Discokids said:
I don't think somebody would break into your vehicle to nick half a tow hitch, unless it's clearly on display. They will probably assume one of their own kind has already pinched it.
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I would be very happy if you were right Discokids, but the problem I perceive with the Defender 90 (Station Wagon) is there is nowhere to put stuff out of sight. If I cover up my gear in the back with a blanket or whatever, it simply emphasises that I am covering up something interesting! :oops:
 
Grizzled Skipper said:
I would be very happy if you were right Discokids, but the problem I perceive with the Defender 90 (Station Wagon) is there is nowhere to put stuff out of sight. If I cover up my gear in the back with a blanket or whatever, it simply emphasises that I am covering up something interesting! :oops:
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Tinted rear windows are very useful, I have a set of Masai ones and they certainly help to keep things out of view from the causal looker.
 
Grizzled Skipper said:
Hi all. Can anyone recommend a lockable hitch pin for a Dixon Bates style drop plate? I’ve seen one on another vehicle but I can’t find anything on the web that looks remotely like it. I know I could just take the hitch off, but that’s inconvenient and might entice some toe-rag to break in looking for it.
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Several years ago, I had a horse box and a caravan that needed different towing heights, I read in the Farmers Weekly about a caravan being pinched off the back of a 110 that had a hitch lock that locked the caravan to the 50mm ball but they just pulled the pins out of the DB and away she went, my own solution was to remove the top pin, mount it on the drill press, drilled it out to 7mm and put a cheap padlock on it, once the lock was filled with grease it stayed in GWO for years.

Cheap padlocks stop opportunists, if they really want it they'll come back with a socket set and pull the bolts and take the whole thing regardless.
 
dieseldog69 said:
Several years ago, I had a horse box and a caravan that needed different towing heights, I read in the Farmers Weekly about a caravan being pinched off the back of a 110 that had a hitch lock that locked the caravan to the 50mm ball but they just pulled the pins out of the DB and away she went, my own solution was to remove the top pin, mount it on the drill press, drilled it out to 7mm and put a cheap padlock on it, once the lock was filled with grease it stayed in GWO for years.

Cheap padlocks stop opportunists, if they really want it they'll come back with a socket set and pull the bolts and take the whole thing regardless.
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Thanks Dieseldog, I wondered whether this might be practical. Sounds like it’s worked well! :)
 
dieseldog69 said:
Several years ago, I had a horse box and a caravan that needed different towing heights, I read in the Farmers Weekly about a caravan being pinched off the back of a 110 that had a hitch lock that locked the caravan to the 50mm ball but they just pulled the pins out of the DB and away she went, my own solution was to remove the top pin, mount it on the drill press, drilled it out to 7mm and put a cheap padlock on it, once the lock was filled with grease it stayed in GWO for years.

Cheap padlocks stop opportunists, if they really want it they'll come back with a socket set and pull the bolts and take the whole thing regardless.
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That just reminded me of a horse Box incident round here a few years ago. Somebody parked there empty horse box in a layby after suffering a puncture. Took the wheel off and then to the garage to get fixed, came back - no horsebox. They'd towed it away on three wheels.
 
Grizzled Skipper said:
Thanks Dieseldog, I wondered whether this might be practical. Sounds like it’s worked well! :)
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My series was a 109 pick up, same as you, no real space to keep it secure, the padlock saved the day and I hate to have anything lose laying around as it will probably kill me in a roll over situation.

Discokids said:
That just reminded me of a horse Box incident round here a few years ago. Somebody parked there empty horse box in a layby after suffering a puncture. Took the wheel off and then to the garage to get fixed, came back - no horsebox. They'd towed it away on three wheels.
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My neighbor knocked me up one night at around midnight after spinning his car in the ditch on black ice covered in a layer of slushy snow, it was only at the bottom of Wash lane so he had a 45 minute walk back home, we jumped in the series to go pull his motor out and as we pulled up onto the main road we saw it going past us on a flatbed, we followed it to the services on the bottom of the A140 and challenged the driver who promptly dropped it off the bed and tried to fob us off that he'd been phoned by the cops, feckin chancer.
 
dieseldog69 said:
My series was a 109 pick up, same as you, no real space to keep it secure, the padlock saved the day and I hate to have anything lose laying around as it will probably kill me in a roll over situation.



My neighbor knocked me up one night at around midnight after spinning his car in the ditch on black ice covered in a layer of slushy snow, it was only at the bottom of Wash lane so he had a 45 minute walk back home, we jumped in the series to go pull his motor out and as we pulled up onto the main road we saw it going past us on a flatbed, we followed it to the services on the bottom of the A140 and challenged the driver who promptly dropped it off the bed and tried to fob us off that he'd been phoned by the cops, feckin chancer.
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Hope you gave him a good kicking.
 
Are thay a direct replacement or are they the complete back panel one's if so do you leave the existing slide Windows in sorry for the hijacke Grissel
 
Discokids said:
Cheeky bugger!
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Bear in mind that Ipswich constabulary at that time used a company called CATS recovery, this chancer was in an unliveried beat up ol flatbed, no chance he was called by the cops to recover a pile of horse **** let alone a car in a ditch!

But at least he saved me the effort of getting my tow rope out of the tool box :D bright side of things an all that.
 
Thanks guys for your valuable input. Thought you might like to see the outcome, pictured below! I did enquire of local Maypole suppliers. Only one really knew what I was talking about and he told me he no longer stocked the Maypole lockable hitch pin because the soft brass innards had a habit of breaking and jamming the lock! He recommended drilling out the clevis pin hole and fitting a small padlock - I wondered if he has been following LandyZone :D I drilled out to 7mm as recommended above and fitted a 6mm shackle diameter padlock. Incidentally, the rusty looking stuff is anti-seize copper brake grease that I pumped into the padlock for want of anything more appropriate.

FE264ADA-0C6E-4C81-BBEB-08272C979A6C.jpeg
 
Grizzled Skipper said:
Thanks guys for your valuable input. Thought you might like to see the outcome, pictured below! I did enquire of local Maypole suppliers. Only one really knew what I was talking about and he told me he no longer stocked the Maypole lockable hitch pin because the soft brass innards had a habit of breaking and jamming the lock! He recommended drilling out the clevis pin hole and fitting a small padlock - I wondered if he has been following LandyZone :D I drilled out to 7mm as recommended above and fitted a 6mm shackle diameter padlock. Incidentally, the rusty looking stuff is anti-seize copper brake grease that I pumped into the padlock for want of anything more appropriate.

View attachment 139960
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It was the way forward, you just needed encouraging.
 
Another Security tip.
Get a looped cable like for bike locks and bolt this onto both The drop plate & tow brackets. Use bolts/washers to secure.
You can use chain if you wish but can get a bit tight on the cross rails
 
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