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Thread: Utility trailer anti-theft ideas needed.

  1. #1
    Junior Member
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    Dec 2002
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    25

    Utility trailer anti-theft ideas needed.

    What are some of the things you do to your trailers to help prevent theft?
    Thanks in advance,

    JRF

  2. #2
    Senior Member
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    Mar 2003
    Location
    Hilltown Township, Bucks County, PA
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    Re: Utility trailer anti-theft ideas needed.

    Coupler locks
    Chain and padlock wheels together (if dual axle)
    Chain and padlock to pole/tree/building
    Take a wheel off
    Fab lock tabs for tongue jack so jack can be locked at highest position

    I'm sure there's others....


    Gregg
    Remember - If I sound like I know nothing about farming it's because I really don't!

  3. #3
    Member
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    Sep 2002
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    Eastern Kentucky
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    90

    Re: Utility trailer anti-theft ideas needed.

    JRF, my brother-in-law uses a lock on his trailer most times. but now he uses a lock and an item that is made to slip into the ball socket and has shoulders that cover the top. I think there are some that make a design for the bulldog type recievers. I think he got it from valley vet. This made it must harder for me to borrow it than the lock alone [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] He now also chains the axle to the building. Not theft proof but it does slow things down and makes a lot of noise [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

    Good luck and let us know what you come up with
    Patrick

  4. #4
    Senior Member
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    Sep 2002
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    Fort Wayne, Indiana
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    Re: Utility trailer anti-theft ideas needed.

    I think Autotech hit the high points. Your question was well worded, too, when you said <font color="blue"> "to help prevent theft" </font color>. That's about all you can really do. If someone decides they really want YOURS, there's not much you can do.

    Lest there be any misunderstandings here, let me say that while I'm speaking from experience here, it's not as a professional thief (at least not in the conventional sense). I've done a lot of repossessions over the years and encountered a lot of different types of efforts to prevent me from accomplishing my task. I've never failed to get one I wanted so long as I could find it.

    Personally, I use a coupler lock on my trailers and I park them out of sight of passers-by so as not to stimulate someone's desire to have what I have. Again, I know if someone decides they want mine and know where it is, there's not much I can do about it.

    I'm not happy about this, but it's a fact of life.

  5. #5
    Senior Member
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    Jun 2003
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Posts
    372

    Re: Utility trailer anti-theft ideas needed.

    If it's a tandem axle trailer, you should take three wheels off and only leave one on. The idea is to make them bring their own tires for the trailer. Always use a coupler lock.
    Gary
    Bluegrass Music ...
    Finger-pickin' good!

  6. #6
    Senior Member
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    Oct 2002
    Location
    West Central Michigan
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    796

    Re: Utility trailer anti-theft ideas needed.

    It depends. How determined are the thieves?

    Steve

  7. #7
    Senior Member
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    Sep 2002
    Location
    Fort Wayne, Indiana
    Posts
    260

    Re: Utility trailer anti-theft ideas needed.

    Steve,

    That was my point, exactly. If someone decides they want yours, they'll get it. Ask anyone in the repossession business. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

  8. #8
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Posts
    112

    Re: Utility trailer anti-theft ideas needed.

    I repo'ed for years. It's a blast, to be sure. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

  9. #9
    Senior Member
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    Oct 2002
    Location
    West Central Michigan
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    796

    Re: Utility trailer anti-theft ideas needed.

    Gary,

    That's the way I figure it. Even if you take the wheels off the trailer, there's always sombody with a bigger trailer and a lift. Best defense is to put it where it can't be found.

    Steve

  10. #10
    Senior Member
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    Sep 2002
    Location
    SouthCentral Oklahoma
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    5,236

    Re: Utility trailer anti-theft ideas needed.

    I parked my trailer "out of sight" and for 6 wks no problem. I had a tongue lock. One day I forgot to put the lock back on and the trailer was gone in 24 hours. They cut the wiring harness to wire to their tow vehicle indicating a night job.

    Here are some more ideas: auger one or more holes in the ground (at various angles) connect them with large rebar and fill with concrete. chain the axle to this "dead man" and at least at night they may not notice why trailer is hard to pull.

    Run a multi-strand electrical cable out to the trailer from nearby bld (preferably with monitored alarm). Use a mating connector to allow running the wire through something on the trailer and plug it back into itself. This will acomodate alarm on make or alarm on break alarm systems and make your trailer a zone on your alarm system. Attempts to steal set off the alarm.

    Even with no regular alarm a loud siren on top of the building can be wired to the cable going to the trailer. A holding relay is energized and a set of contacts that are open while the relay is energized are in series with the alarm. Unpluging the trailer or cutting the wire sets off the alarm. A mercury switch on an adjustble mount could be set to make contact if the tongue is raised/lowered take your pick. Of course it would be out of sight and just have a small wire like a telephone cord runing to it. Yo could even use a modular telephone extension cord.

    Once contact is broken the holding relay drops out sounding the alarm and only entering the building and securing the alarm will silence it, reconnecting the wires or repositioning the hitch won't. Most thieves would not want to hang around to see if anyone notices., especially if it is a polulated area. Cameras could be employed to take pix, probably getting the lisc plate of tow vehicle and maybe a shot of culprit(s). I'd light up some spot lights preaimed at the trailer with same circuit that sounds alarm.

    Any competent electronics technician should be able to make up an alarm as I describe for under $20 in parts less the siren and lights (and of course not including any camera). I could make one that would raise the dead and make the blind to see for under $50 (no camera).

    If the trailer has electric brakes and has a breakaway safety braking system with battery on the trailer, then a hidden multi-pole switch, a relay, and a turn signal flasher would give the thieves grief. Wire this stuff up so that the running lights connection activated the trailer brakes. Alternatively wire it so that first application of brakes turns on the breakaway system and leaves it on indefinitely. Trying to drive away with a trailer that has locked up brakes tends to draw attention.

    You could wire a second breakaway switch to the breakaway system and connect its lanyard to a stake in the ground under the trailer or to a wheel spoke or... The idea is that as soon as the trailer moves the brakes come on and stay on. If you hide a perforated metal box under the trailer and install a siren module in it then you can wire the siren to the brake control wire. Then the thieves will be towing a trailer that has all wheels locked up and sliding and with a siren wailing. Kinda tends to draw attention... "Well gee officer, no, I don't know how to shut it off!"

    Car alarm shops sell a modular siren package with a self contained battery. It requires two connections, ground and 12 volts. Its internal batt is trickle charged by the 12 volt wire. If the voltage on the "12 volt wire" goes low then the alarm comes on and runs till the internal battery runs down (hours) or you switch it off with a high security type key. This modular alarm would make for a dead simple system.

    You could use a batery "float type maintainer" (mini charger) that runs on 120VAC to keep the siren's batt charged. As soon as the bad guys take the trailer the siren comes on as they will kill the 12 volt source to the module. It will go for hours and is very loud. These modules are made to use with other sophisticated alarms that can only be defeated by disconnecting the battery. Of course, when the battery is disconnected the alarm sounds till it runs down (hours)

    I have this on my truck and have warned maint folks to switch off the batt monitor alarm before doing any servicing that requires disconnecting the trucks batt only to get a phone call later saying how do you shut this thing off, we disconnected all the wires and it is still running and is so loud we had to not work in adjacent bays.

    Electronic timers to act as delayed detonation devices to set off M-80 or cherry bomb type fireworks every 5-15 seconds for 10-100 shots or maybe with some Roman candles interspersed with the firecrackers... Gee officer, I'm really really very sorry we were just feelilng so patriotic we thought we would set off some fireworks as we drove along...
    "I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"

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