Yep, a while back I did basically the same thing Zeus has done. I used a pair of small hitch pins that came with several holes in them, and put a retainer clip through each to secure them. The fit is nice and tight, so there are no noises from it. I also kept all the old original parts if I ever want them. It was really cheap (like under $3). Very simple.

I actually like what Zeus did a bit better, because the whole thing is just one piece, rather than separate pin and pin clip. I actually have one of those like Zeus posted on my boat trailer's latch at work but had never thought to use one of those this way because I'd already done the mod before I had the current job. I may just switch to that. I know the ones I've seen around are of a smaller diameter than the holes in the brackets, so unless you can find them in different sizes, yeah, probably need to retain those little plastic pieces like he did.