When it comes to theft, a little bit of security can go a really long way in preventing your tools and equipment from being stolen. Your trailer is something that if somebody can get access to on a job site or when left unattended, it can easily be hooked up to a hitch and taken with whatever valuables were left inside. That could cost you thousands of dollars, where you could simply invest in a lock to prevent this from happening.
The same goes for your hitch / ball mount. This item costs you hundreds of dollars, so why not invest in a small purchase of a bolt lock to prevent somebody from unlatching it from your truck and walking away with it. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure in these cases and are well worth the money to get for your fleet.
The problem with owning a lock is carrying around the key for that lock and the several others you may have and trying to pick the right one every time you need to unlock it. However, there is a great product on the market that not only provides you with security and peace of mind regarding your hitch and trailer, but it also reduces the amount of keys required for your trailer security.
Best Way to Lock a Trailer
There is no way around it. Theft happens. It is an unknown expense to us who own a business. You never know and never plan on it to happen. But it may. Whether you are a business owner looking for the best way to lock up your trailer or a homeowner that wants some security for their trailer, there are products on the market that provide excellent security and peace of mind.
Finding the best way to lock a trailer depends on the type of trailer that you are trying to secure. Is it an enclosed trailer? Then you probably need a coupler lock, wheel lock, and a lock for the door latch. Same goes for if you are looking for locks for a travel trailer.
Though if you just have a regular utility trailer, dump trailer, or open trailer, the best way to lock it up would be with a coupler lock and a wheel lock. Though every trailer is different in terms of the coupler. Some trailers require a specific type of lock like for gooseneck or 4th wheel trailers.
The best way to secure a trailer depends on the type of trailer, but at the very least you want to have a lock at the coupler of the trailer and the wheel for added security that somebody will really have to get through two looks just to drive off with your trailer. Enclosed trailers will most definitely require the need for an added lock on the latches.
The coupler lock will prevent somebody from hooking up their hitch to the trailer and drive off with it. Choosing the right coupler lock for your trailer depends on the coupler size. They should slide on to the coupler providing excellent protection of the coupler preventing somebody from hooking up their hitch to it while it is locked up.
The trailer latch locks should keep the trailer latch of an enclosed trailer closed and prevent somebody moving it around and wiggling it loose while it is locked. Wheel locks should act similar to a boot with a lock around your wheel so that even if somebody is able to attach themselves to the trailer, they still have to get through the wheel lock to drive away with it. The more you can secure a trailer with the right locks for it, the better you will be able to feel that your trailer and all of its contents are not going anywhere.
AMPLock Review
AMPLock manufactures a lineup of trailer locks that rise above the competition in terms of their design and build providing the ultimate trailer security. With over 240,000 locks sold and near 100% positive feedback, they have become a dependable name in terms of quality and durability with proven strength in the industry.
Their lineup of locks are made of ductile cast iron and stainless steel while being rust resistant, creating what may quite possibly be the strongest on the market. They have developed an advanced internal mechanism within their locks that provides complexity to deter thieves. Their locks are incredibly easy to install, but incredibly difficult to destroy or pick. They also offer a five year warranty on their products.
These are all great features of their products, but how do they perform? What security do they provide in terms of keeping your trailer and everything inside of it safe from theft? Take a look at this video they published as they show off the durability of their locking system and compare it to some other known lock types on the market.
Often times spending money upfront on a product yields better results. There are most definitely less expensive options on the market for your trailer locks, but yield poor results. Especially when it comes to security, spending the upfront investment on a lock that is going to perform for you is a worthwhile one. A trailer is no small investment for a business owner or home owner. Neither is the equipment and tools in your trailer. Purchasing the right locking mechanisms to protect these valuables will keep your mind at peace.
Trailer Locking Devices
Below are a list of trailer locks that will help to protect your equipment and everything inside of it. These are locks that we recommend and have provided us with the security and peace of mind of having our trailer out. The cost of the lock is worth it to know that our equipment is safe. However, you should still do your own research on these locks and make sure you have the proper insurance on your equipment just in case the worse happens. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. With that being said, here are the locks that we recommend for your trailer:
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Best Trailer Coupler Lock
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Best Enclosed Trailer Door Locks
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Best Lunette Ring Lock
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Gooseneck Trailer Lock and Kingpin Trailer Lock
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Best Locking Hitch Pin
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Best Trailer Wheel Locks
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Best Boat Trailer and RV Trailer Locks
AMPLocks has a series of coupler locks for trailers on the market that provide excellent security. These fit a wide range of coupler sizes and types. The housing is built solidly of cast iron that resists freezing, shattering, burning, or drilling with a built-in hardened steel pin. The tumbler is a rotating disk style that are bump-proof and resist picking with an additional hardened washer to prevent drilling as demonstrated in the video above. The lock simply slips onto the coupler and with a turn of the lock, the steel pin slides up to lock in place. As long as you purchase the coupler lock that is suitable for your coupler size, you are set to prevent any theft. This is suited for 2″ couplers only.
If you are willing to spend a little bit more money, this coupler lock that they offer a two-piece system that allows for a some added strength to further deter any thieves. Weighing in at an impressive 10 pounds of material, this lock is built solid to prevent any tampering that may occur.
Enclosed trailer locks for your trailer doors are important to keep anything within your trailer from being stolen. They are a necessity to add to your list of trailer locks to purchase. Often times a simple pad lock is used in the latch door, but these are easily snipped allowing anybody inside with a simple pair of lock cutters.
The right enclosed trailer door locks protect not only the door latch from being opened, but also protect the lock latch from being snipped. That is why the puck locks by AMPLock provides just the solution. They simply install over the latch of the door and a mechanism slides up through the hole of the latch door and locks in place. It prevents having the lock exposed to being cut or snipped off and also provides a sleek design for a trailer lock. Whether you are looking for a look on your barn door trailer or your roll-up door, this makes these locks the best locks for trailer doors.
Trailer couplers come in all different styles. The pintle hitch system hooks onto a trailer with a lunette ring. So to be able to protect a trailer with a lunette ring, you need to invest into a solidly built lunette ring lock. These locks by AMPLock are molded to fit perfectly into your 2.5″ or 3″ rings and are made of the same materials that make AMPLocks incredibly durable.
AMPLock also has lock solutions for those looking to secure their Gooseneck coupler or fifth wheel trailer as well. These work very similar to other locking mechanisms that they offer. The fifth wheel trailer lock simple slides on to the trailer to lock it from being attached to any truck while it is installed. The Gooseneck coupler lock also works in a similar fashion with a similar build and design to other locks on this list.
If you have a quality trailer hitch that you leave on your truck, then you probably want to make sure that you are securing that as well. Having the right hitch pin that locks will protect your expensive trailer hitch from being removed and taken quite easily. These hitches can cost hundreds of dollars and into the thousands of dollars for the quality build and adjustable balls. This can be extremely costly if you are not protecting it from theft. When purchasing a hitch lock, like all locks on this list, make sure that you are purchasing the proper size. For a hitch pin this depends on your receiver tube dimensions. AMPLock’s 2″ x 2″ receiver tube lock is linked here, but are also available in 1.25″ x 1.25″, 2.5″ x 2.5″, and 3″ x 3″.
BOLT Lock makes numerous locks to protect your trailer hitch that work with your vehicle key and they are among the best hitch lock pin for your trailer. When you receive the hitch pin lock, you simply put your vehicle key into it and turn for it to memorize your key forever. This reduces the amount of keys that you have on you at all times.
Along with the limited lifetime warranty that they offer on manufacturer defects, these hitch pin locks are weather proof, have a plate tumbler sidebar to prevent picking and bumping, and have a stainless steel lock shutter to keep out dirt and moisture.
The boot is the the best wheel lock for trailer. Though not created by AMPLocks, this is still manufactured properly by Proven Industries to protect your vehicle. It prevents somebody who is able to attach their hitch to the trailer from moving away with it by locking the wheel in place on the ground. With the added strength of the puck lock by Proven Industries, the trailer wheel lock boot model of their locks will provide added security to your trailer.
This model will not disappoint in providing the best trailer wheel lock to suit your needs. We do recommend that if you do purchase these and install them on your trailer wheels that you also have a system in place that allows you to know that you have them installed at any point in time so that you do not drive off with them installed. Everyone is forgetful at times and having one of these installed may cause damage to a driveway or your wheel / trailer. Make sure that you and your employees or anyone that uses your trailer knows that they should place a cone at the wheel that it is installed on so that when you see that cone you know that before you drive off you need to take the wheel boot off.
You can learn more about other locks that AMPLocks has available and get the right lock for the sizing you require. Among their lineups of locks are also locks suited for various couplers and applicable to boat and RV trailers. So if you need to protect more than just your trailers in your business and are looking to also protect your personal trailers, look no further than their lineup.
A small investment can save you a world of hurt and lost time when you find out that your trailer has been raided or stolen. Before purchasing any of these locks, make sure that you check that they will fit your style of coupler by viewing their website.
Trailer security is of the utmost importance to your belongings that you have invested in. There are many trailer locks on the market that can be easily defeated. The locks by AMPLock are unique and will prevent thieves from wanting to deal with picking or breaking it to get at your trailer. The more locks that you can have installed on your trailer and the more difficult they are to pick or break, the more likely it is that those thieves will move on from your trailer and find a different one.
Invest in the right locks for your trailer to prevent theft, loss in equipment and tools, and time lost on a job site because you cannot find your trailer and now have to spend your time filling in a police report. There are so many benefits that go into investing in the right tools for your business. Make sure that you invest in the right tools to protect those tools.