We wondered how much intentional abuse could take so we ran a couple of tests:

It Takes A Beating...
For this test, we wanted to see how   responded to being beaten with a sledge hammer.  No one would let us use their trailer, so we built a simulated  coupler out of some scrap pipe, place it on a 1/4" steel plate on the ground and went after it from above with a sledge hammer.  We ended this test when the padlock opened up.
was shorter when we finished than when we started and the sides are warped, but the hinge held and there is no apparent metal cracking anywhere.  The top collapsed downward and, had it been on an actual coupler, it appears it would have tightened around the hitch body making it even harder to open.
Did we really hit it?  This is an end view of the fixture we built.  The center pipe was round when we started!! Oh, and did we mention the noise we made during this test? Thieves hate noise.

OK, So Let's Pretend The Padlock Is Perfect...
This time we used a bolt instead of a padlock. Same sledge hammer, but the pipe on the fixture was too warped to get around., so we just wrapped it around one of the other pipes on the fixture and started banging away.  Our goal was to beat on this thing until something gave way.
Well, we didn't quite reach our goal.  Blow after blow was struck and  just kept hanging in there. Here you see a picture of our test unit next to a new one. The beating just caused it to flatten out and pinch the pipe tighter. We made a lot of noise with this test, enough to attract lots of attention, and still didn't get to give in.
Here is a top view of the test unit after we gave up with the sledge hammer.

What If We Have Some Power Tools...
No device is perfect, but we wondered how long it would take to open by grinding the hinge. It took over 10 minutes of intense grinding with a 4" grinder to work our way down to the hinge pin.  And, even after reaching it, there was nothing to get hold of to pull it out. In addition, we cheated and worked on this piece horizontally on a bench, not vertically under a trailer coupler. Lots of noise and sparks using this method.Thieves also hate sparks!
Next, we brought out the cordless drill. Once again, we were working on the bench, rather than laying on the ground. Getting the hole started wasn't easy. When the drill bit hit the hardened, floating pin, the bit just stopped. If you look closely, you can see the end of the pin.

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