Posted 2006-08-02 6:46 AM (#45862) Subject: B&W Hide a Ball -- How Do You Lock It?
Veteran
Posts: 225 Location: Kansas City
Have a friend who just purchased a new truck with this installed. I have a BP and have by trailer ball locked in the receiver so people don't walk away with it when not hooked to the trailer. How do you lock the hide away ball.
Also, in the RV world I've heard stories about people walking by a 5th wheel hitch and pulling the release lever so when the drive pulls away the nose drops into the bed of the truck. So many people lock those latches.
Is any of this possible or necesssary with the hide a ball?
Posted 2006-08-02 7:17 AM (#45863 - in reply to #45862) Subject: RE: B&W Hide a Ball -- How Do You Lock It?
Expert
Posts: 2953 Location: North Carolina
The easiest way to keep the B&W ball safe from thieves is to keep the trailer on it. Short of that, take the ball out and lock it in the truck. Because the ball is sitting in a pocket, even if the locking pin is pulled, the trailer will not fall on to the bed when pulled away, unlike a 5th wheel hitch. Gravity helps in this case.
Posted 2006-08-02 7:56 AM (#45864 - in reply to #45862) Subject: RE: B&W Hide a Ball -- How Do You Lock It?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 534 Location: Zionsville, Indiana
The balls in the B&W, Flip Over, and other under-bed hitches are becoming a high theft item. We sell the balls as well as the hitches, and the demand for replacement balls is increasing. We tell our customers to take them out and store them under the seat. Also, locking an insert into a receiver hitch will thwart a thief, but if you leave it locked in there for a while, particularly in the winter and in areas where the roads are treated, it will rust solid. The only way to change the insert then is to replace the entire hitch. We do this a dozen times a year after all efforts to remove the insert fail. Thus, we advise our customers to store their insert/ball mount under the seat when not in use. The Walmart parking lot up the road from us is a high theft area. We should post signs on the lightposts telling people where to go to replace their stolen inserts. Trouble is they don't realize they are gone until they try to hook up a trailer.
Posted 2006-08-04 12:07 AM (#45991 - in reply to #45862) Subject: RE: B&W Hide a Ball -- How Do You Lock It?
Regular
Posts: 55 Location: west valley city , utah
This post got me thinking about theft . I had never worried about leaving the Ball in the back of my truck until now . I guess I figured there wouldn't be a high demand for the stolen B&W ball . That's what I like about this forum , it shares information about what is happening around the country .
Posted 2006-08-04 9:43 AM (#46016 - in reply to #45862) Subject: RE: B&W Hide a Ball -- How Do You Lock It?
Member
Posts: 30 Location: High Point Pennsylvania
I have the hide-away ball in my Dodge and we always take it out and put it under the seat of the truck. My husband told me that it cost over a $100 to replace one and, even though that ball gets greasy, it goes under the seat as soon as we unhook the trailer. Better safe than sorry!
Posted 2006-08-05 11:13 AM (#46044 - in reply to #45862) Subject: RE: B&W Hide a Ball -- How Do You Lock It?
Veteran
Posts: 131 Location: Cheyenne, WY
Try Putting the ball in a coffee can and store in in the tow vehicle or the trailer. We wrap ours in a shop towel, place it in the can and lock the ball in the tool box. I have also heard of theft of the trailer balls and not only is it frustrating it is expensive to replace.
B&W Hide a Ball -- How Do You Lock It?
