I remember the saying, locks are for honest people. but I have realized the people making the locks are as crooked at the people they claim to keep out
True about the insurance, but most trailer hitches can also be locked with a $5 padlock, which unless it's a Master lock, it'll offer a little better security than this $20 trailer hitch lock that can't be used on anything else but a trailer hitch.
I don't believe that is true about the insurance. Insurance policies are generally pretty lenient. At most, a police report would be required, to satisfy an insurance payout.
Cameron Miller agreed. What most people don't know about insurance would fill the Atlantic and the misinformation about insurance policies spread about would fill the Pacific.
Crazy small world of things. Yesterday my neighbor asked me to pick his. He said, “I don’t care if it takes you all week.” ...and then he noticed I was handing it back to him open.
Average Picker yup, that’s a Fallout 4 style bobby pin lock. They can all be smacked with a rock to open them. Never seen an actual secure trailer hitch lock that wasn’t home built or at least $200.
I used to work at a nationwide outdoor retailer that also sold boats and we used these locks on everything that wasn't in our shop area. There were a few times a lock would freeze up and the key wouldn't turn so we broke the lock by taking a drill with a 1/2" bit to the core and in less than 30 seconds the lock would be open. That along with how every store across the country uses the same key for this lock makes me amazed that we never had a boat stolen.
I couldn't get this brand of lock off of my trailer after it sat for several months. After using lubricates, etc still no luck. After watching this video, I gave it a couple whacks with my hammer and it just broke right off. Cheap lock. Priceless video.
The fact that it is such a soft metal is why the ramset was less effective. It was able to take the compression by deforming the lock body instead of shattering. The core is embedded so shallowly a simple sledge hammer would probably have been more effective. But, as shown, why call that much attention when you can just rake it or shim it in seconds? To any passer-by not actively looking at what you are doing, it would simply look like you were unlocking it by key.
A. The Ramset is more fun B. Most likely a theft would be backed up to the hitch with a vehicle so a passerby won't think twice if they hear a noise while someone is hitching up
I think the Ramset would have been more effective toward the end of the cylinder than right at the base. Or maybe just a little toward the end - you want maximum torque at the base.
I have a feeling a 3lb weld breaker sledge would make extremely short work of the core as well. Easy to carry and hide, and probably quieter than the ramset.
"Today we are going to try this advanced tool on this lock. Oh, by the way, here are ten other ways you can easily open the lock. So let's start the testing by..." 😂
I have smacked off two similar locks. One we lost the key, the second the lock rusted and the key wouldn’t fit. One was smacked three or four times with a chunk of 2x4 and the other I used a 3lb baby sledge and gave it a glancing blow which knocked it apart.
I use one of these to secure a utility trailer, but from the start I figured it was mostly a visual deterrent. The second deterrent is a chain that secures the trailer tongue to the concrete slab on which it is parked. I also use a better-quality lock to secure the locking lever on the hitch, with an armored hasp that makes it hard to access with an hacksaw. Even if someone were to pick or destroy the Reese trailer coupler lock, the ball portion would remain locked in the coupler, making it difficult to tow the trailer away. The idea is to make it hard enough that a prospective thief would have to spend a long time trying to get through the layers of security, in plain view of traffic on the street, making the risk/reward ratio unattractive.
Hi Harry, Common trailer lock in Australia as well .... The best I've seen is a New Zealand Trailer lock. It's an alloy ball in two halves, the two halves are held together by a tension spring in a groove. The ball fits completely inside the round coupling. An Allen head expanding "screw" mechanism expands the alloy ball tightly inside the round coupling, using a simple Allen key. A small round 4 pin cylinder is then introduced covering the Allen head screw. This tiny brass round bodied lock cylinder has the tightest of keyways, and when the key is removed, it just spins. It sits completely within the Alloy ball. It can't be tensioned to pick or drill as it continually spins. Nothing protrudes from the coupling, so there is nothing to attack. Simple but extremely effective. Regards, Brian.
I'm not sure it did... Notice he didn't unlatch the hitch after the first attempt. I think it was broken, but he hit it again because he forgot to unlatch the lock from the hitch.
I worked for an equipment rental company that had a box of these. Fastest way to get it off a trailer is to back into it with a trailer ball on a truck... which is what you would haul a trailer off with anyway.
As always thank you for proper reporting and with proper demonstrations as most people never heard of a Ramset type device or Hilti or any of the other 30 different brands, plus a sledgehammer and a large chisel will also break off the lock due to the POT METAL type construction. Always remember locks only keep honest people honest.
With how much the body holding the core sticks out and how much wide open space you have to swing at it, I'm guessing even a regular hammer would take that core off one or two hits.
their is substantially more power in a good hammer hit than this ramset gun the difference is the speed, this would certainly crumble with a hammer strike or even a rock
poo: um.. no? If it were true that theres more 'power' in a hammer, then a ramset gun, people would just use a hammer. You should watch some videos of the gun being used for its intended purpose. I've never used a ramset and the way I have to attach things to concrete is 10 minutes with a masonry bit and hammer drill followed by a split lead or zinc concrete lag bolt anchor. I still honestly don't get how the nail pushes aside the concrete. Maybe *someone* can explain that.
@@htomerif ... the nails are made out of hardened steel and are fluted to push through the concrete..... a 22 rimfire round has relatively low energy (ft/lbs), only about 100 ft/lbs.... but it takes that 100 ft/bs of energy and applies it to the small diameter head of the nail in a fraction of a second, this creates a lot of force which is much more than the concrete....
Love your stuff, have watched dozens of your videos. I thank you for making them. I’m in atm and lottery machine business and mostly get brute force attacks, grinders or truck and chain yank it out approach. Lost my Yamaha rhino and trailer because of this weak lock a few years ago and that is what prompted me to find you. Everything I take care of is much more secure because of you. Thank you very much
I know this is 4 yours old, but.... I recently was returning from a motorcycle trip, when I had an issue that forced me to ride no further, about 120 miles away from home. Called my God son to see if he could pick up my trailer and save my ass, except I had the keys to the locks with me. One was a Master Lock, the other was this type. With the knowledge I gained from this channel, I told him to do it the LPL destructive lock picking method. He's a fan too, worked like a charm. He even had his 12 your old daughter do the Master Lock. He he he. 😉
Thanks for the video, had one of these stuck on a trailer for a year. Lost the key... Cut a piece of sheet metal, shimmed it couple seconds. It pulled right off. Way things go, the key will probably show up... Thanks again!
Haha, I just found this channel and I was wondering what a faster way to get into these things are than just taking a damn angle grinder to em. The keyways rust so easily so the keys never work, so we've gotta bust one open at least once a week when we sell a trailer.
I work at tractor supply and this is one of the most popular trailer locks we sell. I always try to subtly dissuade people from buying them because I’ve always felt they are low quality products. This video confirms those suspicions.
Trouble is, in my opinion, locks only keep the honest from removing your stuff from your possession. I use this lock on my trailer but haven’t changed to anything else because no matter what the receiver just bolts to the trailer tongue with a pair of bolts with a 3/4” head on both sides. Quick and quiet way of changing that all out.
My uncle runs a chain from the tires through the trailer and onto the boat (pontoon). He then pulls the chain taught and puts the padlock behind one of the pontoons. It's a very tight fit and you won't see the lock unless you know where to look. Something like that is probably what you're going have to do or make your own.
You could tack weld the bolts and make it infinitely harder. Even the red or green locktite would work fine. You won't be getting that off without noise and light producing tools. The locktite is cheaper and requires zero skill. I wouldn't waste the time to weld it.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and Earth Wind & Fire, both missed a (cheap) trick... "...gotta ramset into your life..." ...however, the top band from Rockford, Illinois did have some advice for the Reese, which it dutifully followed... "...surrender, surrender, but don't give yourself away, way, wayyyyyyyyyy!"
The problem with using this ramset to defeat a lock is that it makes a very distinct noise of a gun shot which draws a LOT of attention. The noise travels quite a bit and will instantly alert everyone in a 1000 ft radius that someone may have been shot. Unless you are in a very remote area, this really is unrealistic.
@@lockpickinglawyer hi there, as someone who knows nothing about locks, I tend to think that the ramset is an unfair test, because it seems incredibly strong. Do you disagree? In your expert opinion, is it reasonable to expect most locks to be able to withstand a ramset attack? Thanks for the entertaining and interesting videos.
@@beamish123 As someone who knows very little about locks, but has spent a lot of time using ramsets, No, they are not incredibly strong. If you can break it with a ramset, you can break it with a claw hammer and some time, or a single whack from a light sledge.
Nicely done my friend we have similar ones in the UK my dad has one on his trailer and I've told him to get something better because they are so bad once again another cool video😎😎👍👍
Hadn't even watched this but just raked the core with a bent brad nail and a screwdriver for tension. My business partner is on vacation with the key to our hitch lock. Think I might invest in a stronger lock. Thanks LPL!
Just used your shim making video to open this lock. Our foreman left for vacation and we needed to move the trailer so this video really helped , thank you!
I had to destructively remove one of these once after the key was lost, and a quick smack with a framing hammer sheared the entire core off just like you did with the Ramset. That being said, you now have me convinced I need a Ramset. I hate having to use masonry bits and Tapcon screws for anchoring small objects to concrete. BANG!
I picked one of these with literally a paperclip in front of my boss. He couldn’t believe how easy it was to open. Needless to say, he never used one again.
Well this chanel tought me something and that locks are not to keep people from stealing your stuff but rather to keep them from immediately taking them.
most consumer-grade locks aren't really high-security locks. They don't do more than keep honest people honest and slow down theives enough that the theives pick a different target.
I have removed this model of lock from my dad's trailer with a crowbar in less than a second and completely silently when he lost the key. All you need to do is yank the shackle forward and it levers over the coupler lip.
It would be much easier, quieter, and would require fewer tools to just remove the two bolts that attach the locked coupler to the tow bar of the trailer and swap it out with a $25 replacement. Trailers are tough to protect outdoors...
That takes too long, and too much attention to the task. Also, who the hell goes out and buys/steals parts, to go steal stuff? That is extra work. Especially for just a couple grand. A prybar is cheap, fast, multifunctional, and reuable.
A trailer I owned was stolen this year. I had one of these locks on it with a few other protections as well. Hope this video made the thief's life easier.
I’ve bumped into one of these Reese trailer locks before while I was mowing. Just barely swiped the thing and it busted into three pieces. Gotta love cast zinc
Had you left the ball lock open on the tongue it would have opened first hit. I’m a recovery agent by trade and a typical mode of destruction without use of a pick set is to simply use a ratchet strap over the tongue on the boom of the wrecker and these fly right apart. I’m simply amazed at how many of these locks are in use 😳.
Place the shackle on the flat steel of the boom, 2” strap over the top tongue and they snap right apart. Notice it skipped a few teeth with the Ramset hit but the ball lock held it up. Odds are he could have easily pulled up on the shackle at that point. The ratchets we use have no problem getting the core to fail, they put out a lot of force. These locks are really that bad, I’ve bypassed or broken dozens of these in Private Property Impounds or Repossessions.
Maybe LPL can show the tiny tab of metal that holds the u-bolt. I have no doubt that this method would work. Maybe even not destroy the lock as well. It’s damn pot metal and they come apart with little more then harsh language.
It's just to deter people like anything. In the storage business we always laughed at people using these. We had to move a few boats around once and we just lowered the lock part down onto a ball and the weight will allow you to move the item...not going to drive down the roadway far but if you just need to get around the block to then cut the lock that's good enough. Could always strap it tight to a ball too...best detonator for a trailer is put it on blocks (take the tires off).
The instructions for the Ramset i had said to never fire it without a nail in it and to always shoot the nail into something hard. The problem was in the piston overtravel stop which could break it by impact. Thats what it said so i never even tested it that way. What if there was a hole in the coupling through which a suitable padlock could be in place to prevent ball entry? Very simple and straightforward.
I can confirm a cordless 18V Makita angle grinder (with a worn out zip disk) will blaze through that u-bolt in 15 seconds. Lost my key once and naively assumed this would be a chore. I was astonished with how easily it cut.
A lot of thieves will leave the hitch gaurd in place and use the break away chains or any chain or strap to attach the trailer to the truck. The hitch lock helps hold the thief’s rigging in place. The best security for a tow trailer or rv is good insurance. The hardest lock to pick on the planet is no match for a battery powered grinder.
I like how they used that thick-ass shackle and the body of the lock is made of modelling clay. And as easy as the lock was to rake it can probably be raked with a paperclip or bobby pin and shimmed with something you can make out of a beer can with a pair of scissors.
Note that it sells also under various other names, such as "Monzana Device Trailers Lock Bars-Theft Clutch Anti-Theft Box Safety Clasp". Other than that, just get a trailer coupler with padlock locking, good padlock, and one of these ball inserts. Makes wonders, and the padlock can be also used when the trailer is attached to a car, allowing you to park just like anywhere you wish.
Had one on my trailer, took it off and replaced it with Proven Industries coupler lock. However, I replaced their "puck" lock with one from Cobra which I replaced their circular lock with Abloy insert. In addition to that I have one wheel secured with a hook lock and another Cobra/Abloy combination. With the chains securely bound inside the housing of the Proven Industries lock, no one would bother to try stealing my trailer.
![[660] Ramset vs. Reese Trailer Coupler Lock](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
