Most things come off fairly easily with a good cordless angle grinder. Every time I get called out to a traier security measure with a lost key I’m glad they can be defeated.
Easiest is airline lock - just remove with spanner replace with another. Hardest is kingpin lock, usually I will unbolt and attack the lock on the bench. Anyone that thinks swapping out a trailer kingpin is a 10 min job hasn’t done it. Even with an air impact wrench it’s hard work because the strength of the coupling isn’t in the bolts it’s in the machined recess the pin is bolted in and the fit is ultra snug, so it will neither drop out or bolt in flush easily. Even with a kitted out service van this will be an hours work or more.
Winding off six chambers means bringing six of our own winding off tools and some luck that none of the pieces the tool locates into in the spring are unusable. Another pretty time consuming job if you’ve got a ratcheting ring spanner even worse without.
If you do have to leave a trailer, to pop to the chinese etc, without having any kind of lock or tools my top tips would be dropping at an angle near an obstacle so it’s not easy for an opportunist to couple up quick and tie-wrap the tank drain valves open as you’ll probably be back before they realise it’s not holding air.
Same as you geezer, been called out to a few of these now, where the keys have been lost/left behind.
The suzie ones, just unscrew end and fit a new coupling. Takes less than 5 mins and costs a tenner for a new end.
The pin locks, they are hardened so don’t drill too easily BUT, that’s their flaw.
The ones I’ve done were too hard, couple of swift bats with a sledge hammer and they shatter.
As has been said nothing is 100% but it will deter an opertunist or if there is a few trailers in a yard one with a lock and one without a lock which one is most Likley to go?
Own Account Driver:
Anyone that thinks swapping out a trailer kingpin is a 10 min job hasn’t done it. Even with an air impact wrench it’s hard work because the strength of the coupling isn’t in the bolts it’s in the machined recess the pin is bolted in and the fit is ultra snug, so it will neither drop out or bolt in flush easily. Even with a kitted out service van this will be an hours work or more.
My trailer must be an oddball then as I replaced the pin on mine myself in a matter of minutes. Undid the bolts, old one dropped out as I undid the last one, offered the new one up, used the bolts to pull it into place, quick check with the torque wrench and jobsa goodun. Only tools required were a socket set, breaker bar and torque wrench.
My kingpin lock has a plate that you can fit before the lock itself that covers up the bolts to make removing the pin a little harder.
Fitting another pin in the front position would only work as long as you didn’t want to go round corners as on my trailer it’s close enough to the rear position that if you tried nicking it that way the back of the 5th wheel jaws would foul on the lock.
But… as several people have said, if someone it determined enough they will be able to take it whatever you lock it up with, it’s just a case of either encouraging them to try to nick something else or making it as time consuming as possible in the hope that they get spotted.