Canadian Poncho wrote:

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I use a locking pin.

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 Which style do you use Todd?

4SPEED427 wrote:

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cdnpont wrote:

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Thanks for the PSA Carl. Could have been way worse I guess.

Have had that style in my hand a few times, but I never bought them.

I've used the hairpin clip style for years without any issues even though it's always looked iffy to me. But what would be the best? 

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 At minimum the hairpin style. I'm going to look into what's out there, there may be something even better.

The frustrating thing is, I double checked it and often maybe 15-30 minutes into my journey I stop and check everything again. In this case I stopped 30 miles away, when I got to the edge of the city and all was fine. I towed the boat about 80 miles without incident thankfully.  And the day before I towed an almost identical boat to the same yard without incident.

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I bet if the trailer had been loaded (as in previous) it wouldn't have come out. The bar was probably bucking around quite a bit, and rattled or jostled the retainer tab back. The one thing I wish the manufactures did better was to come up with a way to have the hitch bar fit 100% precisely into the receiver.

It's always hit and mis if the fit is going to be ok with different brands isn't it. What do you guys do to help this?

4SPEED427 wrote:

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Thanks Todd, I will look into those.

Mark, you are so right. The way those things clunk around in there I likely shouldn't be surprised. The fit on some of them is awful.

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 This may help with the clunk. 
Anti Rattle Hitch Tightener Stabilizer No Sway for 2" and 1.25" Steel Heavy Duty Rust Free https://a.co/d/1NrZ5EQ

That would work!

I've never had issues with the pin coming out and I have towed lots of cars from Lac La Biche, Grand Beach and surrounding areas.

I don't know Carls case but the one major error that I continiously inform many people of is the placement of the retaining pin that holds in the reciever. Many people are right handed and the install the pin from the passenger side of the vehicle to the left side which is WRONG. You ALWAYS install the pin from the left side of the vehicle to the right.

Many people ask why and after explaining the way the roads (should) are built with the crown of the road being the center, the pin should never fall out when installed from the left side, uphill, of the vehicle but will most likely fall out if installed from the right side, downside, of the vehicle if ever the clip or whichever safty retainer fails. That pin with no retainer should have stayed in place as it. Mine is never against the retainer when I check. 

So? Please make sure that the pins are installed left to right, unless you are living across the pond and are driving right hand drive.

4SPEED427 wrote:

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 Interesting about the left vs right. I had never thought of that but I always install from the left side. The reason being, on both 97's I owned from 2000 until a month ago I had the RV style socket installed to the left of centre of the hitch. If I tried to put the pin in from the right side the hairpin clip interfered with the wiring harness connector. Then when I got this new style (which failed) me I just continued to install from the left out of habit. No matter, from now on I'm going to install something foolproof, possibly a bolt and lock nut like Prefect.ca suggested. My life isn't so busy that I can't afford an extra 30 seconds to install a bolt/nut vs a pin with a clip.

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 And many times I see and hear that people install from the right because the plug interfears with installing the pin. Always the exception to any case.