Trailer hitch system with hitch pin keeper

A convertible hitch apparatus for removably mounting on a hitch receiver tube of a vehicle, the hitch apparatus being elongated along a longitudinal axis, the apparatus comprising:

• a mount structure for mounting on the hitch receiver tube, the mount tube assembly comprising:
• an insertion portion at least partially insertable into a tube interior of the receiver tube;
• and
• a protrusion portion extending from the insertion portion;
• a lower hitch structure including a lower ball mount on the mount structure;
• an upper hitch structure on the mount structure above the lower hitch structure, the upper hitch structure having a deployed condition and an inactive condition,
• the upper hitch structure comprising:
• a support frame on the protrusion portion;
• an upper ball mount movably mounted on the support frame, the upper ball mount comprising:
• a tongue element movably mounted on the support frame to pivot between a deployed position corresponding to the deployed condition and an inactive position corresponding to the inactive condition, the tongue element having a tongue aperture;
• a pivot pin pivotally mounting the tongue element on the support frame;
• a locking pin removably mountable on the support frame in a manner such that the locking pin selectively blocks the tongue element in the deployed position;
• a hitch pin removably insertable into the tongue aperture of the tongue element;
• and
• a hitch pin retaining element for selectively blocking removal of the hitch pin from the tongue aperture.