The best caravan hitchlock is an important accessory for a van owner, providing peace of mind when they’re away from their tourer. But what exactly is a hitch lock and why do you need one for your caravan?

Put simply, a hitchlock is a quick-to-fit piece of caravan security that will clamp and lock around your van’s hitch head, subsequently preventing a thief from inserting a towball into the hitch and making off with your tourer. It can then be stored in a front locker, so it will then be accessible whenever it’s next needed.

There are a few benefits to a hitch lock – and there are a lot of similarities to the advantages of the best caravan wheel lock.

If you have noticed them on other vans, you will be aware of the bright colours they generally come in. This is because they’re designed to act as visual deterrents that could just be enough to make an opportunist thief decide to move on to another van.

Even if the thief is a professional and comes with an angle-grinder or an oxy-acetylene torch, this useful accessory should still slow them down, increasing the likelihood of them being disturbed in the act.

A hitch lock offers good peace of mind when you’re away from your van too, even, in some cases, if it is still hitched to your car – for instance, if you’re at a motorway service station and have found the dedicated tourer parking bays are quite a way out. Putting this caravan essential in place will help to prevent any passing thieves from making off with your van.

It’s also worth noting that many insurance providers will require you to have one fitted to ensure your policy is validated when your tourer is unhitched – so be sure to check that it is suitable for your cover before buying one.

One final point on hitch locks – we wouldn’t recommend towing with one in place. This is because, should an incident occur, emergency services could need to quickly move your van off the road, and finding the tourer is still hitched to a car with no key to unlock it is something that may not be looked too kindly upon.

Take a look at what we have to say about caravan ATC – it’s an addition that our expert, John Sootheran, thinks you shouldn’t be without.

Future Publishing Limited, the publisher of Practical Caravan, provides the information in this article in good faith and makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Individuals carrying out the instructions do so at their own risk and must exercise their independent judgement in determining the appropriateness of the advice to their circumstances and skill level. Individuals should take appropriate safety precautions and be aware of the risk of electrocution when dealing with electrical products. To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither Future nor its employees or agents shall have any liability in connection with the use of this information. You should check that any van warranty will not be affected before proceeding with DIY projects.


If you’ve enjoyed reading this article, why not get the latest news, reviews and features delivered direct to your door or inbox every month. Take advantage of our brilliant Practical Caravan magazine SUBSCRIBERS’ OFFER and SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER for regular weekly updates on all things caravan related.