www.iFourWinns.com

This is the same hitch i have on my trailer i forgot to get pictures this morning but there is a bolt through the hitch(not sure what that does) and the cable coming off the trailer i would assume at one point had a hitch pin, mine doesnt have anything on the cable just the lonely cable all by itself LOL. Im lookin for info on how the hitch locks in on the ball? Does it need a pin? i towed it 20+ miles without a pin the first time. Is that latch suppose to be flat or pulled up with a pin in it? It has a small shock in the trailer tongue too as well as a pressure sensored trailer brakes, i was reading when you slow down it will apply based on tow vehicle speed? how do i fill the reservoir for brake fluid???

Really hard to tell from that picture, but is that a padlock on the top? If so, I would expect that that is the "ball-release" lever. Lift it up to put it on or off the ball and down once the trailer is on the ball. A better picture or a model number off the actuator would be ideal.
Boat trailers typically have surge brakes:
http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4913651_surge-brakes-work.html

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2002 Funship 214
VP 5.7 GX Si
2003 Tahoe

it is so you can fit the some bitch in your garage. you back into the garage and pull the pin so that the door now has clearance.. the front 4 feet of my trailer comes off to easy fit in garage.

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Not Penny's Boat

1993 190 Horizon 5.0L EFI
http://www.smwebhead.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11136
1977 14' CMF Skiff SOLD
2015 Emotion Stealth Angler 11

hard to tell from the pic but the area where the lock is would possibly be where the pin goes . i always use a pin in my hitch no matter what trailer im pulling. The cable on my trailer is for the brakes hooks to tow vehicle.if it would happen to come off the hitch while traveling it will lock the brakes to stop trailer from just rolling down the road

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1989 245 vista
5.7 cobra

Just make sure to latch it properly to your tow vehicle! Hopefully this is not the boat of anyone on this forum!



http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/10/22/boat-crashes-through-sylvan-lake-storefront/

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1988 215 Sundowner 5.7L OMC

OK i have your answer.. i was incorrect before about it removing your tonge for the garage..


you install the 1/2' (receiver hitch style bent pen that has cotter pin) pin when you are reversing.. and when you are driving you remove the pin to allow the serge brakes to actuate. the trailer will slide forward on that "shock" to actuate the brakes.. so you reinstall pin to revers so that the slide action does not cause the brakes to actuate while backing not he ramp or at the house..

Give it a try..

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Not Penny's Boat

1993 190 Horizon 5.0L EFI
http://www.smwebhead.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11136
1977 14' CMF Skiff SOLD
2015 Emotion Stealth Angler 11

great news! i will be backing my boat into the driveway this week and that would help!!! so anytime i back the trailer up i need to get out and put that pin in the top where the padlock is in the picture?

It is to work as jdpber said. It is a reverse pin for the surge braking system. My 2009 trailer has a 5 pin wiring harness that connects to my vehicle instead of a four pin connection, the fifth pin connects to the reverse circuit of my vehicle, when I put my truck in reverse there is an electric solenoid on the trailer that prevents the surge brake system from moving and applying the trailer brakes. mine does have a hole in the tongue still, just in case the electric system doesn't work for some reason you can still override the braking system for reversing. On my trailer the part of the braking system inside the tongue has an elongated hole so that the pin can be left in place while towing it without the restricting the brakes from working while in forward, but block it from moving when in reverse, not sure if this is the same on yours. The older braking systems don't work with the electric solenoid and do require a manual operation of the pin being installed in order to reverse.

The shock that you are referring to is a hydraulic piston, when you put the brakes on in your vehicle, the piston compresses and forces brake fluid into the trailer brakes calipers, when you release your vehicle brake and drive forward, the piston expands again and release the pressure off the trailer brake calipers. On my trailer there is a reservoir cap on the top side of the tongue to fill the fluid, on older trailer you might have to disconnect the hose and pull the piston out. You can look it up at www.tiedown.com, they do a lot of the OEM marine trailer part.

When the trailer is being towed, the latch should be in the down (or locked) position with either a pin thru it, or in the case of the picture the lock does the same thing, it's a safety feature to make sure that the tongue latch can't pop up and the trailer come off the vehicle while towing it, and you can use a lock it while in the closed position to prevent someone from coupling up to your trailer and stealing it.

There should be another cable that has a hook on it that you put on the back of your vehicle with your tow chains, this is a safety cable connected to your trailers braking system, should the trailer come off while towing it pulls on the piston and applies the trailer brakes as well.

Hope this helped, and answered you questions.

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2009, H210, 5.7Gi

That is odd. In the article, the other picture makes it look like the folding tongue is either folded or broken off...

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2008 Four Winns h180 Bowrider
3.0 Volvo Penta

2013 Dodge Durango HEMI

i didnt put a pin in the latch at all today and it stayed on for a 20 mile tow to the shop! then i had to backup and no pin needed to back up! im still really confused... ON MINE the latch on the top sits in the down position when the tongue and ball are connected. to put a pin through you would have to pull the latch up, Which i always thought would release the ball from the tongue. to slide a pin through dropped the boat off this morning... cant get pics for a bit

pics would really help as it's hard to see the details in the first pic you provided. you are right, the latch is suppose to be down when towing but there should be a hole to put a pin in to make sure that the latch can't come open. Then there should be a hole to put a pin in for reversing, the pin should be in this hole when towing a trailer that doesn't have the fifth wire for electric override. If there is no pin for the reversing override I would really check to make sure that the brakes are working correctly even when moving forward.

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2009, H210, 5.7Gi

Ok , I have the same hitch.. the pin that is in the box frame of the hitch holds the tongue of the trailer to the rest of the boat trailer. the little piston is up under where the ball go on , correct? you pull up the latch (where the lock is installed on the picture) there is a little bolt that goes throught he hitch and you can slide it up to hold the latch up while you are lowering the trailer to the ball of your hitch. (it actually will say what position you should put it in) once the trailer is lowered to the ball the latch should fall down flat. If it doesn't just pull forward on just a slight bit and it will relieve pressure from the trailer and it will drop down. Put a pin in the hole of the latch just pull up 1/16th to an 1/8th to get it in. you fill the fluid in the hole where the plastic cap is on top. the little piston is for the surge brake. It detects the pressure when you apply your brakes . It presses against the ball and then applies the brakes.. I hope this helps..

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1997 Horizon RS 180
5.7 GL Volvo Penta /SX drive. (1.60)
2018 Ford F-150 super crew 4x4