On my first night camping, I tried to pay close attention to all the “little things” that would have been nicer. And most of them were pretty basic.
- The camper and tailgate needed a lock.
- I needed a place for garbage. Actual trash, the bed is fine for me.
- Need backup lights and interior lights.
There were many more but these became the top priority. Another forum member had mentioned the Reese Towpower locks . Thanks @PDX_Keith . I had bought another trailer lock and the body did not fit. The Reese fits. I got my Reese locks at Zoro.com. Fast shipping and the lowest price I could find.
@GFC , I admire your engineering. However in the case of camper locks, I think a different approach is required. The center pin on the cylinder lock seems inadequate for the high side loading forces it will experience in operation. No amount of lubricant is really going to fix that, so they’re kind of a mechanical failure in waiting. Said very briefly, one approach is to separate the function of locking from the function of pinning the hole closed. This Reese lock is one way to do that. The pin performs one function, the lock, another. At least in my shop, separating out functions like this can often make things dramatically more reliable.
For reference, this is how long I cut the pin on the Reese lock. I may make a custom pin on my lathe, but for now, this is just so others can follow along:
