Trailer Coupler Lock - Butterfly Style

Video Transcript for Tow Ready Butterfly Style Trailer Coupler Review

Hey everybody. My name's Ryan. And here at etrailer, we install, test fit, and review a lot of different parts, that way we could try to answer any questions those of you might have. And that's exactly what we're doing here today. We're going to be taking a look at the Tow Ready trailer coupler lock. So I know trailer security is something a lot of people think about.

I know I do, especially when you're not using it. So whether you have it in storage or in front of the house, whatever the case may be, you're going to want something that'll help you sleep a little bit better at night. And that's exactly what this lock is going to accomplish.So what this is going to do whenever you have it on your trailer, it's going to prevent the handle from becoming unlocked. And so in the coupler itself, it's going to keep everything nice and tight, and that's going to physically prevent a ball from becoming secured to that coupler, so you won't be able to hook up to it. So that's going to keep things nice and secure and hopefully stop someone from hooking up to your trailer and taking off with it.But what you can also use this for is a surefire way to make sure that the trailer does stay connected to your vehicle whenever you are towing it.

So when you have it unlocked, just imagine if this is your ball mount here going to your tow vehicles. So hook it up to your trailer, lock the latch and hit the road.Well, what can happen sometimes is, especially on worn out couplers, you may not lock this completely and you start hitting some bumps. The latch can open up and then you can separate. And that's not good. Well, by using the lock, when you're hooked up, you lock the down.

If you put this in there and secure it down, what this is going to do is ensure that you did indeed completely lock your handle. And it's going to stop it from being released on accident. So there's no way that you will have an accidental disconnect.Now, what's nice about this lock is the pin length. Whenever you have it completely closed like this, there's only going to be three-quarters of an inch. And the pin diameter itself is going to be a quarter inch.

That's super common for a ton of different couplers. So it should work with just about any trailer. There might be some exceptions if you kind of have an odd ball set up or something like that. Even if that is the case, there's other options available out there for you. But since it is relatively narrow, we're not going to have a ton of space in there. And I say that because it's going to be extremely difficult to get this lock off. So if someone was dead set on taking your setup, it would at least take them a little bit of time.So just kind of give you an example. I found a set of pretty small bolt cutters. I don't think I've seen a set much smaller than this. And even if I try to get them in there, I still can't. If I push down just about any angle, I can't get around that pin to cut it. And chances are pretty good, if someone is out up to no good, this is probably the tool that they're going to have. So even if they do try, they're probably going to move on and find another target.However, it goes without saying that this isn't indestructible. You could potentially get maybe a grinder in there, or hacksaw or something like that. But in all honesty, if someone's wanting to remove that, for one, they're probably not going to have that tool. And for two, they're not going to be out here hacking away, banging on stuff, thrown sparks trying to cut this off, making a bunch of noise. So a really simple, yet effective, setup.So the way to actually put the lock on or take it off is pretty easy. On one side of it, we're going to have a key slot there. It's going to come with a couple keys. And when you put this in, you're just going to turn it, back it off, and that's going to unthread. And you're able to pull the lock out. Now the side piece does come completely off, if you want it to. I kind of find it unnecessary for a lot of trailers. Most of the times you can leave a couple of threads on there and still manage to get it in pretty easily. But when you do have it in, you'll simply just tighten that key back down and remove the key.Now, there is one thing I did notice. It seems every now and again, you'll be able to pull the key out. And it's designed like that. But something I wanted to mention to say, if you really tighten it down, you're not able to easily pull the key out. So don't try to force it out. What you can do is back it off a hair and put a little bit of pressure on that key and it'll pop right out. So it might take a little getting used to, but once you know that's how it works, really not a big deal.Now with that being said, this is made from steel. And something that I would be curious about is how this is going to hold up over time. It does have a really nice coating on it. So I see it staying in pretty good shape, but my biggest concern would be the threads themselves. I say that because if water or moisture or anything does get in there, and if you do start to get a little bit of corrosion, and say, it sets for awhile, I could see it being an issue, trying to have enough power in this key to break it loose or tighten it down completely.So one thing I would suggest doing, just to play it safe, is use a little bit of this anti-seize on the threads. And even if anything does get in there, this is going to prevent it from seizing up and sticking together. So just kind of a quick tip that I wanted to mention. And if you need some of this anti-seize, you can grab it right here at etrailer.So when it comes to these locks, there's a lot of different choices out there to choose from. So I just wanted to grab another one and just kind of compare the two. So the one I grabbed is the MaxxTow, and looking at them side by side and how they work, they almost feel identical. Honestly, I wouldn't have a problem using either one on my own trailer. With that being said, really the only difference I noticed is the Tow Ready, the key operation, if you will, is a little bit smoother, if that makes sense. That's not to say, though, that the MaxxTow is difficult or anything like that. I think this one might get better over time. If I unthread it here, I can kind of show you. This one, the coating on it is kind of in the threads a little bit. So after that coding kind of wears off, I could see that key being a little bit smoother. But just something I wanted to point out and mentioned to you guys.So this type of lock isn't the only type of product that can help keep your trailer secure, especially in a storage-type situation. Another thing you can use in conjunction with this lock is actually a coupler lock, and this is an etrailer version. And the way these work is these will actually go around your coupler like this and lock down, and what locks down is this pin. It gets pushed up and you can take your key, lock it, and it won't fall back down. And what that's going to do is when you have it on, push and then got to that pin up, is you're not going to be able to remove it. So again, it'll block this area out and prevent someone from putting their ball inside. So just another easy way to go a step further and really make sure everything is safe.So all in all at the end of the day, a lock you really can't go wrong with. It's a super simple way to help keep everything secure, whether you're pulling your trailer or you got it in storage..