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Extra — Trailer lock
DIY Travel Trailer Lock - How To Make
Source: DIY Travel Trailer Lock - How To Make · 2019-04-11 · 14:18
What Joe did
- Cut a steel tube lengthwise to make a two-piece housing around the trailer coupler.
- Welded a hinge onto the housing and a 2-inch ball inside it so the housing stays captured by the coupler.
- Trimmed lock hasps, welded them across the housing seam, and secured them with a puck lock.
- Welded the ball in place and added a pyramidal steel cover over the top.
Numbers
| What | Value | Where in the video |
|---|---|---|
| Steel tubing | 4 inches by 4 inches by 1/4 inch thick | piece of four inch by four inch by quarter inch thick |
| Coupler ball | 2 inch | welding a two-inch ball on the inside |
| Example custom price | $1,000 | somebody wanted to pay me a thousand bucks |
| Other lock comparison | about 40 locks; 30 seconds to a minute | probably about 40 other similar style locks that he picked |
Materials and parts
| Item | Detail as Joe says it |
|---|---|
| Lock housing | 4-by-4-by-1/4-inch steel tubing |
| Coupler ball | 2-inch ball |
| Locking hardware | Warlock puck lock and lock hasps |
| Top cover | 2-by-2-by-1/4-inch steel angle and scrap steel |
| Hinge | steel hinge |
Tools Joe used
- Plasma cutter
- Angle grinder with cut-off wheel
- Welder
- Clamps
Tips and mistakes
- He made shallow grinder passes to avoid heating and warping the steel.
- He tack-welded the hinge first to check movement before making full welds.
- He says any lock can be defeated; his aim was delay and deterrence, not an absolute guarantee.
For my build
- Nathan: Do not make a welded lock your first welding project; price a ready-made option while you learn.
- Nathan: If you fabricate security hardware later, test coupler fit and movement before final welds.