Help! Lost the hitch lock key and the spare doesn't work!

Hi everyone, checking the dandy for our trip I found husband had lost his hitch lock key! Never mind thinks I, I have one on my key ring, tried it and it wont work, it was a spare cut by the previous owner. What can we do now? It is a lock inside the tow hitch itself, came with the Dandy. Have had a trailer of some kind for 10 years and never done this!

jenstar wrote:Hi everyone, checking the dandy for our trip I found husband had lost his hitch lock key! Never mind thinks I, I have one on my key ring, tried it and it wont work, it was a spare cut by the previous owner. What can we do now? It is a lock inside the tow hitch itself, came with the Dandy. Have had a trailer of some kind for 10 years and never done this!

sorry i have no idea on that i know the one you meen,are you sure some lubrication and a bit of jiggling wont work,no comment please cazz

LOL, I have tried the wiggling bit!!!! Such a pain the spare doesn't work, if I had known that I would have got another cut when we bought it as I did the other keys. Note to self next time try ALL keys at the start!!!!!

You could try rubbing the edges of the key with wet and dry paper. Sometimes new keys have burrs on them.

Dont try this until or unless some one confirms it would it be possible to drill it out like the old car door locks.

Another thought ring ian at riva he may have had to sort this in the past.

mike

Look at this page [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
I think Indespension may have mixed some of the pictures up but I'd check with them that the tripple lock hitches are one and the same.
Indespension seem to be using the same photos for Bradley and Knott hitches.
See the photo for the Riva item then compare all to your hitch.
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I'd try Indespensions main office for information about drilling out they tend to be more consistant than the shops where info can be variable.
Indespension don't list the locks
bradley themselves may be more help [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

If the drilling out leaves a functional hitch but ruins the lock and prevents fitting a new one. Ask can you drill straight through.
The old Bradley couplings just had a hole that a long shank padlock can pass through to lock the coupling up.

Thanks Tow Itch, have tried plenty of WD40 and lots of wiggling,wet and dry etc, its just not having it! It looks like it would be easy enough to drill it out without wrecking the tow hitch.....this is really stressing me out.

Could you put a picture on so we can see what you are up against. There are different types of hitch locks. We might then come up with a cunning plan.

Oooooo, thank you! Will have dinner and get the teenage geeks of the house hold to sort a photo, still cant believe the mess were in...... yes I know a right pair of laurel and Hardy's!!!!

If its the one i think its more cosmetic than anything and a bit of correctly applied brute force may do it,awaiting the picture

Trust you to come up with that Mr Itch.

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Hi guys, sorry if this is a double post but have found the original key now and that doesn't work either! So some how over the winter the hitch lock has jammed!!! It worked fine when we got the Dandy last year, here is a photo, thanks sooooo much for all your help and interest, so kind of you all.

If you have lubricated it then the other thing i would try is gently tapping the lock section while gently trying to turn the key in both directions

I had just got a new hitch lock from Aldi because I didnt trust the Dandy one it seemed such a tiny barrel on it, now it is having its revenge!!! If I can get it out it stays out!!!!!!

Oh right Mike will go and give that a try!

I read about one of these being removed by banging a screwdriver into it and gripping the screwdriver with mole grips and forcing a twist but it sounded a bit iffy,think if you end up with no lock you can drill the piece you press up and put a pad lock through it.

Mike your are a GOD!!!!! It worked!!!! From now on I shall bow before you and you will be known as the almighty!

Glad you got it working. You beat us to it Mike. Our other thought was to try heating it up that often helps when things get seized up.

Looking at your picture we can see it's not what I thought it was it's an AL-KO pressed hitch. You can see the words KOBER unfortunately Indespension don't carry any pictures for this but see the very similar Knott hitch. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Plus see the replacement lock for the grand sum of £8.05 though I think their picture is of the wrong lock.

Thanks soooo much everyone, im so relieved we got it sorted, the bolt is staying out and im putting on the Aldi hitch lock from now on!

Pleased you got it sorted.

Mike, I don't know what you mean.

Thanks Caz!

jenstar wrote:Mike your are a GOD!!!!! It worked!!!! From now on I shall bow before you and you will be known as the almighty!

Thank you just need Ellis and Cazz to understand that for future reference which system did you use