I'm posting this as a warning to anyone else who might be running a MINI Fini Tow Hitch.

While not a fault of the design, I just wanted to emphasize that the locking pin on the left of the bar is NOT optional. This is an integral part of the security of the hitch and failure to use it will lead to the following disaster.



I neglected to lock mine--though I always did in the past--because on this day, I couldn't get the pin lined up and no matter how many times I adjusted the lever, I couldn't get it to lock. One tip that might help you is to remove the end cap--the rubber protective cap on the end nearest the lock, this way you can see if you have the locking lever pushed in far enough.

Mine came off in this accident, and it allowed me to see where the pin was.

This just goes to show that the Sport Link is one heavy duty piece of hardware as the Tow Link took the brunt of the damage.



Stranded on the side of the road, I needed to get my trailer back home. I couldn't easily fix the bent pin. No way I could bend it. Out of desperation, and knowing I was going to have to buy a new one, I came up with a technique to get it bent back far enough so I could reattach it to my Sport Link.

 

dang, that's scary stuff... image if you were going expressway
speeds. all that wax falling out on the expressway everyone will
slip and slide into oncoming traffic. jk, but that's pretty scary stuff.