we had a customer lose 5trailers with this lock. a sharp blow on the lock cylinder from above WILL knock the locking pin loose and defeat the lock...

Would have been a perfect video if you had given everyone the alternative lock that was good

We use a cut off tow ball to fill the coupler, and spend good money for a better lock on the top of the clamp and haven't lost a trailer yet. We also tack weld the coupler to the trailer frame so unbolting doesn't allow swapping coupler units.

That is a good review. Many people do not realize how weak some of these locks are.

my grandad made his own trailer lock that all you needed was a beefy lock to go through the shackles that interlocked was very heavy and solidly built. he used to manafacture parts for ford during the war and made it in his spare time. still got it now.

Thank you for putting this on KZfaq. I was looking to see how to install this when using my bike rack (as I have already had one stolen with a Master lock on) and now I think I will just remove the bike rack every time I am not using it. Thank you again.

One of these came with the brand new (fairly expensive) enclosed trailers I bought a month ago. (Different brand, same exact lock) long story short, a friend borrowed it, a couple days after I got the trailer, put it in my driveway, and locked it when I was not home. I had forgotten my keys at the office and needed to move the trailer. Rather than drive to my office and get the key, I went to my workshop in the basement, to get my really crappy beginner pick set (I've since upgraded to a praxis kit for when I'm home and playing, and keep a tuxedo kit on me now at all times (thank you Bill for that)) took maybe 8-10 seconds for a relatively novice picker to get it off so I could move my own trailer. Haha. Now I just don't use the lock and park my truck in front of the trailer. So if you can steal my truck, then go ahead and use it to take the trailer as well. Lol.

"This is really the lowest life form of locks on the planet Earth. This is a wafer lock guys." That is gold Bill, only made more so because it is true. :)

Bosnianbill - Always bringing you the freshest of fresh intros.

In Germany you typically use something called "Kastenschloss" to lock up trailers. Looks like this: www.amazon.de/Cartrend-70138-Kastensicherung-mit-Schloss/dp/B004Q9T6X8/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1489167101&sr=8-14&keywords=Kastenschloss for example - there are better models available, but this one has nice pictures (: Fit that with a good disk lock like an Abus 20 Series, and a potential thief needs a grinder to get it off since there is no hasp you could reach with big bolt cutters.

Thanks to Bosnianbill, got myself the SOUTHHORD PXS-14 Kit, a nice little kit for beginners from Amazon , and at £20 nice price to. I have to say you can learn alot from him, nice to know which locks to buy and which ones to stay away from, I now have 3 locks on my bike!

a single strike with a 2 or 5 lb hammer right on top of the lock will bust this lock to pieces, and a crowbar will pull the unlocked end of the hasp loose..

Love your videos, I bought a lock pick set and it's fun testing out locks on my bike, Thanks!

My Dad got one of these and it looked almost identical, but it had a 4 pin tumbler lock on it. I was still able to rake it open in two seconds so I don't think that made it much more secure.

Had one of these. The lock body broke with one hammer whack when I lost my key.

The intros and outros, with the music 😂👍 I like your sense of humor. Corny, but makes me smile

I'm in the repossession and private property Towing business. We typically just throw a ratchet strap over the tongue with the shackle resting on the truck and snap the pawl. I have implemented shims before to bypass quite easily and had people thank me. But I always feel compelled to tell and or show them how unsafe that lock is. I've taken trailers with six digits worth of equipment in less than 30 seconds multiple times.

The file on a nail clipper is my go-to tool for opening these. There's a US made coupler lock sold at Harbor Freight that is much nicer and works with a padlock.

Do you think there is ever a point where people have theft protection in their insurance coverage, but the insurance will be more hesitant to pay the claim if the trailer/bike/whatever was left unsecured? So people just throw quick crap like this on there to be able to say "Yeah, it was locked!"?

just brought one of these for a trailer i just brought. the hitch has a lock of its own so even if they manage to get this hitch lock open the ball will still be connected and won't remove until you unlock the small lock which is so small it looks impossible to pick

Thanks for the review and posting this video. Since this thing is junk... what DO you recommend for locking up a trailer?

Please do more trailer hitch locks. There are so many different types.

This lock is a piece of crap. I had one. I lost the key to it and needed to get it off. One modest whack from a deadblow hammer and it popped off. It won't stand up to a thief for more then 3 seconds. It's worse the master lock. To lock your trailer get a good lock not master lock and a ball to fit. Grind off the shank on the ball and lock the tongue with the ball in it. It stops people from dropping it on a smaller ball and taking it.

Hello, thanks for the advice. Could you advise on what a good hitch lock is? I don't need the best. But see this as nearly worthless and only a light deterrent.

What lock would you recommend to lock my boat trailer?

does the over lift method work on the wafers as that would be even quicker than your Bogotá attack

Taking a hint from "The Manhattan Project" I used to defeat wafer locks with the nail file part of a pair of fingernail clippers!

A much more effective way to secure a trailer is to buy a spare trailer ball assembly, cut the round part off the top, and lock this round part up in the trailer hitch with a good quality padlock.

I'm a fan of the channel having watched many videos and because of them stared practicing picking myself. I have people at work fully understanding that using a Master lock does not protect their stuff at all. This channel is extremely informative, which is why I have to comment on the term of defeating the lock with a hammer and shearing it. A shear failure is a very particular failure and blunt force to aluminum does not cause a shear failure. It would be more of a brittle fracture. The comment is not to say, "Haha, Bill, I caught you." It's more to say keep the really great videos coming, but for future reference, stray away from the common overuse of the word "shear" for any kind of separation failure.

You always make it look so easy!!

This info is very helpful. A suggestion for something more secure would be of great value. Thanks.

I just saw a news report about a guy getting his catering trailer stolen in the Dallas area. He said it had $30k worth of equipment inside. I saw a damaged Reese lock laying on the ground. He bought the cheapest lock to secure a $30k trailer...

What type of vise do you use for picking

The lever mechanism inside the coupler that clamps on to the hitch ball can be replaced with a 1/2" bolt and tightened on to the ball that way instead of using the lever. It is more sure-fire and less damage prone AND you can un-bolt the the guts of the coupler for security.

I use one of these but it's honestly just there so that someone cant just go immidiatly hook up to the trailer and drive off. I don't expect much else out of it.

File cabinets at my work had wafer locks and they were hard to pick. I used a hook and a Bogota rake and I managed to open it once before the rake snapped. The springs in those things were strong and the lock felt tight. Did you have similar experience?

I swear Bill spends more money on his intro's than these company's spend on their tech.

Thanks Bill for that video. Can someone tell me where is that landscape we see at the end of the video?

The heaviest chain that you can handle and a good quality padlock will generally make the thief move on to something easier. Better yet, keep the trailer in a secure compound.

Bill which one do you recommend sir?

If you don't mind destroying it, you could do a follow up video to see how resistant the cast aluminium body is to mechanical attack as well.

So, what is the best lock for securing a trailer?

Destructive testing please. Looks to fun to miss out.

how you figure out these locks I'll never know lol! it would take me too much of my patience...of which I have very little.

We needed something similar for a trailer. The package says "resists picking". I assumed it had security pins in it. Tried to pick it just in case before we used it. It picked open so fast. Found this video and saw it was a wafer lock. Junk.

Holy sh*t!!! So glad I stumbled on to this video! This type of lock is all too common here. I had one on our last caravan. now that im looking to get back into caravanning, i'll know to steer well clear of this type - thanks for this! just noticed that this video has 54 thumbs downs! Seriously - can anyone give a valid reason for giving a thumbs down??

A friend of mine bought one of these pieces of shit several years ago for a work trailer ( he's a mason). Well, shortly thereafter, he managed to lose both of the keys that were included with it. I was at Cheepo Depot later that day and found the display of these things. I pulled out every one that was on the shelf to compare. I saw that the keys all have a number stamped on them, I think it was a two, possibly the three digit number. apparently it's a code identifying the pinning/key cut, or whatever you call it on a wafer lock. Anyway, within the batch of about 15 or so of these things on display, there was only maybe 5 or 6 different codes! Real frikkin secure! So, I surreptitiously took one key of each code off one of the units, being sure they were at the back of the shelf so they would not get sold in the next day or two. I called my friend and told him to meet me at the trailer. As you've probably guessed, one of the keys I had 'borrowed' did indeed fit his lock and the day was saved. The next day I went back to the retail warehouse emporium of dismay, ignorance, dissaray, and incompetence and quietly repatriated the abscondified keys. That eve, while the menfolk enjoyed Brandy and cigars and the ladies had sherries and dirty dishes, I had stern words with my good friend regarding his less than optimal selection of security and licking apparati. He humbly accepted my counsel, and promised to seek it in future before making a purchase of like items. The evening continued thusly, and all went to their slumber that night content.

my boss had a Master Lock trailer lock and we forgot the key 2 hours away from the job I picked it in 30 seconds with a screwdriver and a bobby pin I found on the ground

Very informative, thx for sharing

WOW JUST WOW !!! I’m throwing mines away right now !!! Holy cow

What kind of lock do you recommend

Do you have an alternative? Which one is good???

Any suggestions on a decent lock to buy to protect your trailer?

Hey Bill, I recently mailed out a challenge lock named "Old Hag" to you. If you ship this trailer hitch lock to me at the return address, I'll attack the lock a third interesting way. NOT with a hammer, etc., but it would be passively destructive. Please give me a shot.

What about the Reese Towpower 7066900 Professional Universal Coupler Lock I use them for my landscaping trailers and have had people tamper with them just would like to know if there worth buying anymore of them

Any sugestions for better locks?

Bob says, People say, "Bob, how do I secure my jet ski?" Bob picks low hanging fruit and stomps on it. Doesn't answer question. People say, "Oh that Bob, he's so entertaining" I'm left still wondering when is Bob going to get around to answering the question "Bob, how do I secure my jet ski?"

Could you please try picking Mottura lock? I watched some Bulgarian gyus picking these things with some fancy tools and I would really love to see you picking some fancy Euro locks and those guys trying to pick something like that chain key lock.

@bosnianbill I get it. It sucks. However, your takedown of this POS lock would be much more helpful if you made a recommendation for what we should use instead! Any recommendations?

Thank you, just bought a new travel trailer and this lock was inside. Gonna throw it away.

thank you for the information

so what can I use to secure my trailers?

opened one with two bobby pins. used one for tension and the other as my pick. super crappy.lol

Had one made by club had their 4 blade lock and it was steel and heavy as hell. Not sure that too is a wafer lock or not.

A lock keeps an honest man honest.

I just love your videos man. You're lilke the toned-down, locksmith version of AvE :) And the random use of fiver-promos is hillarious :) But.... While the argument that no one should buy crappy unsafe locks for $30+ may work for your "return customers" on this channel, it doesn't really work in the wild. The vast majority of people doesn't understand how a lock works beyond putting in the matching key and turning it. Most wouldn't evwn understand either even the prinicpal objective differenve, or the practical difference in terms of a lock, between (cast) aluminium, steel, iron, zinc, nickel-bronze or a composite material. The knowledge "you and I" have about locks, took a long time to accumulate - and even then we might not recognize a serious security flaw without thorough inspection, some times actually needing a full disassembly to notice. Joe Schmoe on the other hand, he doesn't know if 30-40 dollars is a reasonable price for a good, strong and secure lock. So he needs to base his purchase on, him relying on that the sales guy and/or the locks' promotional packing material, web description etc - accurately defines the locks quality and level of safety. And THEREin lies the problem. Sales personel might be incompetent, but if your question isn't highly detail specific, he could hype the product lying through his teeth, and you couldn't "catch him" on it. The same goes for packaging and commercial material; With no legally binding standard for "safety", "quality" and "security", those words don't mean jack sh*t, buy they sure sound good! In that manner, every Toys-R-Us cheap crappy lock can be promoted and described as the most high security apparatus made since Marions chastity belt in Robin Hood. And while that that might relatively and objectically be utter BS - technically and legally you can't call it an outright lie either. And Joe Scmoe can't tell the difference, nor should he really be expected to. At the end of the day, it comes down to false advertising within legal boundaries.

I would figure on making one with just custom bolts reef them things right down with a specialty tool only you have, style points for titanium!

Are there any affordable hitch locks that do a good job?

We sell them in the automotive department at WalMart as well.

Sweet Vid ! Best Way is To Take The Wheels OFF !

Crappy locks like this are WORSE than nothing. At least with nothing, you know you're not secure. I'm a big fan of that advice, too. Adjust your definition of "pricey" locks to match the value of what they're locking.

Have you done hitch receiver locks yet? How about the one at home Depot with the big rectangular blocky lock?

Nice lock for manure trailer!

Do you have one that you would recommend?

A lock keeps an honest person honest. A thief will know how to get what they want regardless. All you can hope to do is make it hard enough to deter them.

How about a physical attack? How much hammer to bust that thing off a tow bar?

We just started on wafer locks in my most recent lesson for my locksmithing course and they are even easier to beat than the method you used. I wont go into too much detail as it's restricted information but all you need is a single piece of piano wire, you can remove the whole core in seconds.

Mine worked great...... at keeping me from hooking up my own dang trailer. Stupid lock won't turn with the key in it. (I tried oiling it and whacking it too). I don't have any of the tools in this video so I guess a hacksaw will have to do. So glad I wasted as much as I did on a lock. :(

I totally agree, I've have two of these purchased from Home Depot and they're junk. Don't waste your money.

Not to mention, the concave bottom would permit a careful tow-away with it still on.

Really helpful!

Would the wafferlock picks from the sparrow kit work?

I bought the other style of Reese hitch lock and it's total junk. Like he was saying in the video, one good whack in that cast pot metal or whatever it is would you shatter not to mention how cheesy to lock system is. I still put it on as a additional deterrent but I still use a grade 70 chain with a heavy-duty padlock whenever I leave it somewhere. That too is not foolproof specially with all these battery operated grinders hopefully between the two, someone will just pick another trailer to steal

What do u recommend?

Well, technically theft is covered by the insurance, all you have to do is put a lock on it, no matter how cheap it is.

Slight error on the hitch lock. Once the tow hitch is inserted and locked with a pad lock you can't remove the ball from the mount without attacking the pad on the trailer tongue. The wafer lock and cast body aren't the security. You can get away cheaper if you insert a ball and lock the trailer tongue down well, but the ball will stay in the trailer tongue even if you whack it with a sledge. So unless you want to literally drag it behide you you can't tow what you took.

HEY BILL, I know ya do the givaways and all, but I was wondering if ya ever just pass any of your old locks down to newbies. I Do work for a living, hate to air my laundry, but I am also broke. I was able to buy a cheap set of Southord picks but that all I have. Id love to get my hands on a couple practice locks but thats money I just dont have. I did sign up for yesterdays drawing and I will continue to try that also. Anyways, stay cool man. Love your work.

Where do you get your intros from

That looks exactly like the lock my dad uses for his trailer. I wasn't impressed by it either. But there are not really criminal minded guys there so it's safer than having none.

show us how to bypass a car boot !

Eew! Good looking out Bill.

Thanks for showing me just how crap my locks are, love your work.

Good on you for showing crims how to do it dude

It makes it inconvenient just for you with a key.. I saw these at princess auto in Canada I am glad to know they are crap

its just a deterant - any criminal that wants to steal something bad enough will defeat even the toughest locks ! Tracking devices hidden in the vehicle or boat is where its at !! lol

I'm no lock picker but I know crap when i see it . This is why a chain and a hard to reach lock placement is the best move . you can't reach to pick you got to cut the chain I doodle lock in odd places one you see and one you don't . It funny when they think they won and are quick to take off .

i have two on them the keys are different but still open both

Will Keep this in mind.

Ok So what do you Suggest using to lock your trailer???????

@bosnianbill anything better for trailers you can think about ? I guess there is a lot of people asking that question. An average RV is $30k .