Theft-of-Whole-Trailer Prevention ?

[Lee Senn]

O.K. this one will probably lead to a lot of comment but it is extremely affordable and as effective as any anti theft device. It is what I do if in an area that concerns me (customarily I just avoid such areas) but if unavoidable here is what I do. Block the trailer appropriately, remove the spare and one tire and take them with you in your vehicle. I know, it is a lot of trouble but it is effective and cheap (I know a little labor intensive, but actually only takes a few minutes) Lee

[Byron Kinnaman]

I wonder just how many trailers are stolen each year?
How many from homes?
How many from campgrounds?

Mine is pretty easy to prevent, I simply can park a car in front of it when at home.

[mikedup]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

... Ah thank them's fightin' words, pardner...

No kidding. Although i am thankful he thinks so... Otherwise i may be without the boler... And i loves it so much!

[Paul Chet]

A couple of thoughts ... yes, if they want it bad enough they will get it. as already said, the key is to make your's less appealing/too much work to a would-be thief.
you can remove the tongue but if they have a flat-bed tow-truck style rig, then its just a few minutes more. i am still looking at tire boots - not the city commercial types - but a more affordable version. they sell around $80-100 on eBay.
great idea from a buddy who had a nice trailer in LA: he took a cardboard cylinder (the kind you use to pour concrete into to make piers for a deck) just big enough in diameter to stick your arm in, buried it almost 2 feet, but first - below that, he poured a lot of concrete mix and set up a huge eye bolt in it. he would run a steel cable all throughout the tires, axle, frame - wherever - then run both looped ends down to the eye bolt and lock with a huge master lock. why? you certainly couldn't cut the cable with bolt cutters and the tube was too deep to access the lock with the bolt cutters. pretty interesting solution.

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by Greg H

Exactly, you have to have some kind of cutout even to just use a chain. I too have solid wheels.

I have 2 locks for the coupler,
2 locks for the door,
and 2 sets of locking chocks for the wheels (I also have solid wheels) that work with double axles.

[Jane P.]

Originally Posted by Frederick L. Simson

I have 2 locks for the coupler,
2 locks for the door,
and 2 sets of locking chocks for the wheels (I also have solid wheels) that work with double axles.

I also have locking chocks for my tandem trailer.
But I'm not sure they would work on single wheels.

I just replaced my coupler with the model you have.
What is the make/model of your silver coupler lock?

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by Jane P.

What is the make/model of your silver coupler lock?

Master-Lock/377DAT

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

The Kimchi may also reduce the number of people requesting tours of your trailer, which may be good or bad depending...

This campground was once a lovely oasis with a lush green forest........many campers frolicked in the verdant surroundings.............then one day a mysterious stranger arrived with a gallon jar of kimchi.............she opened the door to her trailer and............................. ... Now she has the campground all to herself!
Too bad about the trees, though.................

[Andy B]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

Anybody ever try one of these?
It looks pretty simple and not too bulky to stow...
EDIT UPDATE... 5 minutes after I posted this...
I went outside and looked at my trailer... this lock would be pretty simple, all right ... IF I HAD CUTOUTS IN MY WHEELS...


Francesca

Attachment 35298
Amazon.com: Brinks 3020-057-2 Trailer Wheel Lock, J-Lock Style: Automotive

Even if you had cutouts in your wheels, you don't have leaf springs for the J part of the lock to hook around like shown in the picture.

[Greg H]

I guess you could go to a big city with parking cops and try to swipe a car tire boot.

[Ray N]

Originally Posted by Joe Z

Master Lock makes a cable with the lock built in at the end and you can slide it in the lock and cinch the lock as tight as you want then lock it...... I put this thru the spoke of the wheel and then around a frame section and pull tight and lock it...... not perfect but it will slow em down as cable is tougher to break than chain as that cable is pretty thick...
Joe

I was very surprised when I found out, (not too long ago), that cable is more difficult to cut than chain. Something about the fibers smashing and not cutting cleanly like with solid chain.

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by Andy B

Even if you had cutouts in your wheels, you don't have leaf springs for the J part of the lock to hook around like shown in the picture.

That's a double "DUH!" for me...


"......if I only had a brain......"

.....Francesca

[Jane P.]

Here is a link to a site that sells pretty much any lock you may wish to use.

etrailer.com - coupler locks

If you go to the bottom of the page you'll find video/reviews of various coupler locks, including Frederick's Master Lock and the Gorilla lock.

This is turning out to be a super informative thread.

[Jane P.]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

This campground was once a lovely oasis with a lush green forest........many campers frolicked in the verdant surroundings.............then one day a mysterious stranger arrived with a gallon jar of kimchi.............she opened the door to her trailer and............................. ... Now she has the campground all to herself!
Too bad about the trees, though.................Attachment 35317

I love Kimchi.

And since it looks like there is room for 2 whole campers, I'll join you next time I'm in that area.

[Andy B]

If only a coupler lock is used, a thief can easily tow it away to a secluded spot using the safety chains, where they then cut off the coupler lock. Multiple locks are best.

[Andy B]

When rebuilding my frame, I added these 1/2 links of chain welded to the frame in front and behind each wheel. I can easily run a cable or chain through the wheel rim and padlock to these frame anchor points. It will only require a short piece of chain or cable (minimal weight) and a padlock on each side. I will also use a coupler lock, and if I get real paranoid, lock it to a tree or other immovable object.

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

I wonder just how many trailers are stolen each year?

I wonder the same thing-
Didn't Lizbeth have a Boler stolen?
I think she mentioned it in another thread, but no details given...
If it's still out there, we should all be keeping our eyes peeled

Lizbeth? You out there?

Do we need to put out an APB?

Francesca

[Jane P.]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

I wonder the same thing-
Didn't Lizbeth have a Boler stolen?
I think she mentioned it in another thread, but no details given...
If it's still out there, we should all be keeping our eyes peeled

Lizbeth? You out there?

Do we need to put out an APB?

Francesca

I think that Lizbeth bought a Boler that was stolen.

[Jane P.]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

I wonder the same thing-
Didn't Lizbeth have a Boler stolen?
I think she mentioned it in another thread, but no details given...
If it's still out there, we should all be keeping our eyes peeled

Lizbeth? You out there?

Do we need to put out an APB?

Francesca

The question is: how many 20 year old Fiberglass trailers are stolen each year?

I have to laugh in that I started a thread on how to protect a $ 290 portable surge protector from thieves. Many responders stated that they are not concerned about having their Surge Protectors stolen in camp grounds.

[LukeP]

I live in a college town, and not far from campus, so I run a cable/lock from the frame to an anchored ring into the cement.... that should deter most drunk college kids who think it'd be fun to walk it down the street. The gorilla lock on the coupler is my next defense, and then lastly - neighbors who think it's a cool trailer! Hopefully all of that helps if it starts out the driveway via somebody else. (in fact, last night I was moving it around by hand do make way for some work I was doing - 2 lights went on and the neighbors made sure it was me! I appreciated it.)