New product advice needed, ouotes welcome.

[GregSY]

Thieves are not lazy. They work fairly hard at avoiding work.

I don't believe most thieves stealing trailers are gonna show up halfway prepared. It ain't they first rodeo. A cheap battery powered grinder, a six pack of beer, a little meth. No big deal.

 

[Scottl]

Not to rain on your parade but there are already lockable hitch pins. I have them for both 1-1/4" and 2" drawbars. These consist of a special pin with a rounded groove at the end and a heavy duty cap with key lock that engages the groove. The design makes them more difficult to cut than a padlock shackle.

 

[gmajacon]

Wow, that's awesome.

 

[Garwood]

How are you planning to mark them with brand, model, made in USA, etc?

That could play a part in how you produce it.

If you want to retail this for $7 you're going to have to make it for 70 cents with packaging.

 

[pavt]

That is for manufacturing cost. Would SS by highly more expensive to make? To be made from standard bar stock cut to length, make the holes bend to shape. The 5/8 hole nee be in line so the hitch pin can go through.

I'm not as active in this stuff as I used to be, but my old rule of the thumb was to allow 4x more material costs for SS compared to plain mild steel. Currently that price difference holds for A36 vs 304 SS. I would consider offering both initially and then see which sells more.

PS you are going to need a CNC shop with bar feeders to run "lights out" to hit your price point. That, or get some 3rd world country to do it.

Looking at recent bar stock prices, I think you're going to need an offshore material supplier, at the very least, to make your price point.

 

[michiganbuck]

What would be a good choice for steel?
I have made them with mild steel for test and that seems OK.
A little heat treat might be due.

I was thinking about $2 each..I had a guy rough quote me that but then he had a health problem.

If I could price them out and make a buck each I would be happy.

 

[3t3d]

Just another data point....
I used to make aluminum throttle blocks.
For under $6.00

Customer sold them for $40.00
They kept insisting I had to drop MY costs, because they weren't making enough profit.
And they sold direct, no distributor markup involved.

 

[pavt]

Just another data point....
I used to make aluminum throttle blocks.
For under $6.00

Customer sold them for $40.00
They kept insisting I had to drop MY costs, because they weren't making enough profit.
And they sold direct, no distributor markup involved.

That's the kind of customer you send dick pics to, because it's not your job to feed their coke habit.

 

[Garwood]

I used to think you could make money by making something for $50 in hard costs and selling it for $100.

That's not profitable. At the end of the day most things like that aren't profitable.

You need to make the biggest margin possible or this will cost you money.

I would go a hell of a lot thinner than .100"

This isn't going to stop anyone who can cut something off. It's just got to be there, to give folks a warm fuzzy.

I'd make it from very thin stainless. Think like the teaspoon/tablespoon measuring sets you use in your kitchen.

I would re-design for manufacture from thin materials as well. I think if you can make the part more of a "draw" type than just a bend you can get away with vastly thinner material and it will look better/ be harder to copy.

If you can make that for under a buck and retail it under $10 I think you got something.

OR... what if you just made them out of every material? Talk to all your local laser cutters and tell them you'll pay 50 cents a piece for these parts cut from any ferrous material under .100" thick. They could nest them in with whatever.

 

[MwTech Inc]

I'm ok with the design and all but the marketing is going to be the problem.

You will have to get big sellers on board right away, this will never work on #bay.......

Foreign manuf. already have the in's with big sellers, so this is just "one more item"

If you don't flood the market, the Chinese will if they think its a go.

Your patent will mean nothing to them.

We designed a product and inquired about a patent. The guy was right up front. Sure, for $7000 i can give you a piece of paper to hang on your wall.

But, the foreign folks could start building the exact thing and what will you do about it?? He said, "do you have the time and money to fight a foreign company"???

Well, of course no...........so we just went ahead and made the stuff and ran with it until it was copied, which it was, then it was over.

Don't want to rain on your parade but this is reality........

 

[TheBigLebowski]

Here is my trailer hitch clip safety cover. I do have a patent on it. It is a deterrent to hitch clip failure and theft of the hitch ball arm with the addition of a padlock or a bolt and nut. With the use of a padlock, the lock is placed at the free side of the clip so avoiding bending the clip. I would like to seek a manufacturer. If successful it could be retailed in millions so a very completive MFG price is sought.
To use the clip in set it on the 5/8 pin, the clip pushed in place, the cover turned over the clip and the padlock installed
I am also seeking advice on product features. It can be made of Stainless steel. Or other steels and nickel-plated, or even galvanized. Hardness concerns are also an issue, not to avoid hacksawing but to better retain shape. Prototypes I have made from hardware store steel hold up pretty well for retaining shape.
My retail price target is $6 or so., perhaps $7 with a clear card package.

Yes,quotes are welcome

FIgure 3
US9796230B1 - Hitch clip lockable safety cover
- Google Patents

I know this is too small to see
https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/asset.php?fid=293753&uid=149117&d=1634041147

These look like they would be excellent parts to make on fourslide tooling. If you have any shops that run/build them around you I would highly recommend talking to them. The only problem might be tonnage requirements due to material thickness, but that is something they will know more about than me. In terms of cost per part/ production speed it will probably blow every other option out of the water.

 

[michiganbuck]

QT Garwood: [I would go a hell of a lot thinner than .100"]

Thinner would likely do just fine.

14 gauge or .075 would be Ok.

 

[Garwood]

QT Garwood: [I would go a hell of a lot thinner than .100"]

Thinner would likely do just fine.

14 gauge or .075 would be Ok.

I was thinking like .015" or maybe .025" thick max.

Look at a pair of dog tags. Tough as hell, but they're like .01" stainless with a rolled edge.

Use thin material and add features to make it stiff/give it substance. ribs or curvature on the straights and darts in the bends.

If you close one of the sides this would be very strong and you couldn't bend it without tools.

That said, Anything you make this from a tweaker could defeat it in 30 seconds or less with channelocks.

 

[jwearing]

FIgure 3
US9796230B1 - Hitch clip lockable safety cover
- Google Patents

I know this is too small to see
https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/asset.php?fid=293753&uid=149117&d=1634041147

Can you post another pic? The google link isn't working for me, and the attachment is dead.

 

[CarbideBob]

Having had trailer hitches stolen in both supermarket and home improvement store parking lots (Welcome to Flint) I think this neat.
It does not need to be super strong. Just a deterrent.
Will have to be low cost as pulling the hitch and stashing in under the front seat is not hard but sometimes you do forget.
Bob

 

[johfoster]

Anything can be cut with a cordless grinder in a few seconds, but it definitely draws attention if anyone is around.

I would be curious to hear your sales pitch as to why I would want my hitch pin to be made from 4 small parts that includes a padlock clanking around; When a locking hitch pin consisting of 2 parts in a more organized configuration is already commercially available for $12 -$30?

 

[triumph406]

I wouldn't have posted a picture, because it's probably already being copied in China as we speak. Do you have deep pockets to sue anybody who has a notion to copy your design?

----------------------------------------------

Initially I'd get that laser cut from 16g, then fold it using a die I would make. Make a few thousand to test the market. The danger though is if you get a large order can you ramp up to meet demand quickly enough?

or if I didn't want to make a die, I'd make a tour of all the local sheetmetal shops. get quotes on xxx/x'xxx/xxx'xxx quantities.

-------------------------------------------------

my fab shop neighbour has been complaining that sheet stock black/CR/SS has gotten awfull expensive this year. I think you might be surprised how large a % of the part cost is going to be material.

 

[michiganbuck]

There are likely 100 different kinds to hitch locks all with their customer and reason to buy or not.
Certainly, I looked at them.
Amazon.com : trailer hitch locks

Likely I will call my device a safety cover and not even call it a lock.

But my post/thread is asking for materials and manufacturing ideas/help from PM guys.

 

[pavt]

There are likely 100 different kinds to hitch locks all with their customer and reason to buy or not.
Certainly, I looked at them.
Amazon.com : trailer hitch locks

Likely I will call my device a safety cover and not even call it a lock.

But my post/thread is asking for materials and manufacturing ideas/help from PM guys.

I know you're looking for manufacturing, but -- have you considered simply selling the manufacturing rights on the patent? Wondering because McGard (that makes the locking lug nuts) is local to me, they are always hiring for entry-level screw-machine operators. Mostly Haas and 8620 stock.

 

[michiganbuck]

QT: [ have you considered simply selling the manufacturing rights on the patent?] No, I haven't tried that.