hey guys thanks for the replies, i'll try driving the pin out this weekend. looks like a new lock assembly is $35. Not all that bad considering they want $500 for the hitch

Factory Land Range Rover Sport LR3 LR4 Tow Trailer Hitch Receiver Lock Key | eBay

 

Guys have to butt-in at this point as I feel there's a little too much detail being put out on the open forum about the tow hooks and how to remove the lock. Need to be aware that there are people out there who would use this info the remove our trailers and caravans so if you have helpful info pass it on by PM.

 

Unfortunately there are already videos on YouTube about this stuff. How to pick a Master lock, etc. These locks only keep honest people honest.

 

I understand, it is a much bigger problem outside the US than inside it.

 

Not sure, N. Ireland not to bad, but England has a bit of a problem with caravan theft and many of the members on DISCO3.CO.UK - Index have very expensive vans so don't want to lose them. We do our best not to promote the level of information available.

 

I had no key when I bought the vehicle second hand and I didn't like the plow effect, so I used a large set of channel lock pliers, a hammer and punch, a little elbow grease and a few curse words to get the hitch off.

I tow an amount that I would call average, with a trailer that is a 16ft, 7,000lbs capacity car hauler. I have hauled a large load of firewood, cars, jeeps, furniture and appliances etc.

To date, I have had one instance where the hitch fell out. It was winter and there was likely snow and road sand etc in the receiver when I installed the hitch. I assume the pin was not fully engaged and when I hit a few icy potholes the bouncing around was enough to disengage the pin. I do my very best to ensure the hitch is properly attached and NEVER tow without safety chains.

I did not replace the key, (I reckon I must have broken the lock cylinder) but when it is properly engaged it seems to be quite secure. Of course, if frequent towing of heavy loads is your situation, upgrading to a bolted on receiver may be the better option. This still requires the current hitch to be removed.

I took the bits that make it mate up to the bumper apart (not the "locking" cylinder) and this is what I found.

Good luck.

As for the info on removing locks... Although I agree with the general statement, the lock in this discussion attaches the ball mount to the vehicle. Anyone wanting to steal a caravan, RV, or any other trailer would not likely need our Land Rover specific ball mount and would most likely remove the lock at the coupler, which is a whole different ball game.

 

Spiderman, that looks exactly like what happened to me in picture #2. My son and one of his buddies who were with me when mine disengaged are both mechanical engineering graduates and my son noted that one of the inherent disadvantages of the LR design is that you have both gravity and the tongue weight of the trailer combining to try and pull the hitch down out of the slot in the frame, which makes a lot of sense to me.

The buddy that was with us actually is working for Ford and I laughingly told him that he should use what happened to me as a learning experience and to "Never engineer a part to the point that it doesn't work or is guaranteed to fail". He said, "Lesson learned".

 

Thanks guys for the advice. I was able to get it off after banging on it for a while. My lock assembly is mangled pretty good. I will plan on ordering a new one and trying to put it back together!

 

Spiderman, do you think that part of the problem with detachment of your hitch might have to do with tongue weight? It looks to me like you had an awful lot of weight forward of the axle on that trailer without much to balance in on the back. If the load was more evenly distributed, the center of gravity would be more directly over the trailer axles and less tongue weight. I think these things are only rated for 550 lbs or so IIRC.

 

I can't speak for Spiderman but I don't think that was the problem with mine. I just happened to take a picture of my LR with the boat attached and it was as level as it could be. The combined weight of my boat motor trailer & gear is somewhere around 3,500 Lbs. I pulled the same boat for 15 years with a Chevy Tahoe and never had it happen.

That being said, I have a OEM LR hitch that I will sell to anyone who is interested. Just PM me with an offer.