I appreciated that you recognize the weaknesses of the small locks and Reese tongue lock and wheel lock. These really are poor options. There are two options that pretty much will deter most thieves. One: Altor tongue lock. You can’t use a portable grinder on it. You can but it would take hours to get through it. And two: pewag chain and Abloy or abus lock run through the trailer wheel and around the trailer frame. They can’t then pull the trailer with the chains until they get through the pewag. That will take at least a couple of grinder wheels and a battery replacement. Can’t use bolt cutters. Put one on each wheel if you want to go nuts. Either way if they get through the chains they know they have hours of work removing the altor tongue lock with a grinder in their shop. Major deterrent. No way they are going to go through all that trouble unless you have a seriously valuable trailer and they have loads of time. As a final measure through a gos tracker on the trailer with geofencing. All of that costs a lot more of course. $300 for the altor lock and $250 for each pewag chain and Abloy lock. But for that you get a lot of peace of mind.
I always set a game camera nearby when leaving my boat or tent or cabin for extended periods of time. They are no deterrent but if something happens they are set so they will record car tag numbers and get a good face of anyone at the door. I leave them for months at a time with a very large card. So far I have about 10,000 photos of stray cats and a handful of wildlife photos.
That is a great suggestion! We just looked up game cams yesterday and found there are some game cams that specifically specialize in capturing license plates. Meaning, they have enhanced technology to capture moving and dark license plates that other game cams struggle to capture. Those sound like they would be very helpful for folks like us. Thanks for sharing Jeff!
I totally agree with Shane. One thing I would add is a super loud alarm system. When any of the locks or doors are forced it goes off. Add a small hidden cameras on your vehicles with one special feature. When the alarm is tripped, an announcement telling the thief that they have activated the system, the owner & police have been contacted AND the system has been shut down so that it is immobile (yes you can get systems that will engage braking systems, disconnect the ignition system etc.). One even more high tech and cool gadget would be a tracking drone...as soon as the security system is tripped it will record and track the thieves. Or like you said - leave everything open with a very large cougar inside...(trained?)
That tracking drone sounds neat. We just read an article about Amazon, I believe, coming out with a drone that protects your property. I think it was called the flying ring or something similar to that.
Best way: Get a GPS tracker. Even if they manage to take it, I'll know right away and can follow their every move. Plus, they'd have to tear up the floorboard to find the tracker.
Love this suggestion. Before making this video we didn't even know about GPS trackers. We have had quite a few people recommend them. Thanks for sharing Landon!
@@PlayingwithSticks I mean, in order to get a good GPS tracker with almost real-time tracking, you'll need to pay a monthly fee of like $6-$9 on top of the $50 one-time for the tracker, but its worth it for the peace of mind of knowing that even if the other fail safes fail, recovery should be a fairy quick process short of them doing damage to the trailer in short order, etc.
@@landonp629 Thanks Landon for sharing about the monthly fee. Like you said, definitely worth it. Especially if you think of it as less than $10 a month allows you to go out hiking and exploring without the added worry of leaving your vulnerable trailer behind.
@@cjphillips2716 it'll work anywhere there is a GPS signal. Even if there is not one where it's taken, it probably won't be long before it's brought somewhere that does have a signal - in which case you'd then be able to track it. The key is, hide the tracker - preferably in the walls. And give it battery power.
The Apple air tags are a great option for GPS tracking. They use a CR2032 battery and last about 6-8 months with no subscription necessary. They are about the size of a quarter, which allows you to hide them anywhere. I have them for luggage when I travel and I have found they are extremely accurate. Love the videos!
@@kimolivervacha2615 at this point. The furthest I have been away from them while still tracking them has been about 2,500 miles when I was in Hawaii and left one at our house.
AirTags are not gps. They are near-range Bluetooth and they require any apple device (even other people's) nearby to triangulate their location. They work better in populated areas.
Great information. Thank you. I use a lot of these same methods. But one other method that I do use is a bed alarm. I got it at a medical supply store that sells them to nursing homes. I've got it rigged where it sticks to the wall with double-sided VHB tape and I have a string that hooks to a hook on the door. I put it on when I go to bed at night and also when I leave the camper to go for a hike I have just enough room to partially close the door get my hand in there and hook it to the hook on the door. This thing is loud as hell and would scare the hell out of anybody that walked up and opened the door. They're pretty cheap I think I paid $14 for the bed alarm at a medical supply house.
@@Maria-yf8fp The one that I use is made by ADW diabetes company. The name of it is drive drive. It is a pull cord alarm. Item number 13602 they run about $26 now compared to what I paid several years ago. But they are extremely loud. You just hook us string to the pull cord and a little clip or something to clip to your door on the other end. Good luck
I looked up that alarm and the db's said up to 103. I bought one of those alarms with a remote that triggers movement which you can adjust to your liking and the db's is 113. I have it inside my S by S in my storage unit. I am looking into a gps tracker. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0734QN8KR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Great tips guys, We use many of these tips. Our biggest concern is not the TD. ( We are old and are loaded up with Insurance) We are concerned someone will take the camper with Herky in it. We try to make it a process to steal the camper. The thief would have to complete several processes to steal it. Preventing a grab and go. One thing you did not mention is turning the camper around so the hitch is not easy to back in and drop on a ball. Another last resort is use a small cable attached to the trailer and something on the camp site. Imagine the attention it would draw if the thief was driving down the road with your camper dragging a BBQ pit or picnic table behind it. Safe travels my friend.
Great tip on turning the camper around! Also love the imagery of a thief pulling the barbecue or picnic table down the road. We never thought about keeping Herky safe inside the camper. That is a scary thought. We just checked out Travels with Delaney's channel yesterday after you shouted them out on your channel. Looks like their channel was built around their favorite canine friend as well. Safe travels to you three as well. Looking forward to your next video!
Great tips! 2 points I'd like to add: first, make your trailer distinctive. The more "different" it looks, the easier it is to recover, and the less likely a thief will want to steal it (factory built ones are a bigger target than homebuilt, and run of the mill homebuilt are more of a target than unique ones). You can even make it look a little "rough" as it will appear less valuable (those alloy rims look great, but they also make the trailer look more valuable). Secondly, cameras. My tow vehicle has a dashcam, both front and rear, and they record if there's motion while parked. So if someone breaks the locks and takes the trailer, at least they'll be on video. At home the trailer parks outside, but it's within view of a doorbell camera which will similarly record anyone taking it. I would also like to just leave a piece of advice in relation to this particular video, never show the bitting of your key in pictures or video. It's relatively low risk as the person watching the video also has to find your trailer, but it's no different from announcing to the world the combination for a combination lock. You're giving people all the information they need to replicate your key. If it's important to the story to show the key, it's best to hold it covering the bitting and show only the head or back of the blade, or use a stunt double (old key for something else) I'll admit the security on our trailer is quite weak. We do have the locks everywhere, but they're cheap locks, and as a homebuilt, I know that the locks on the door and galley could be forced fairly easily (possibly even without tools) but deterrent is the biggest thing as most thieves are opportunists rather than dedicated to stealing it. We also mostly keep anything valuable in the car rather than the trailer, not that it's impervious, but it has an alarm (which will even notify my cell phone if we're in cell coverage, which we never are when camping), and we hide the items pretty well in there. So far I've had 2 incidents with the trailer, in one incident someone stole the blocks of wood we use as wheel chocks at home while we were out camping (2 chunks of 2x4, so I'm not overly heartbroken) and the second one, while parked at home some kid tried to climb onto the roof of the trailer and broke a fender. Luckily I was able to drill some new mounting holes in it and didn't need to replace it all together.
This is a great thorough comment! Thanks also for watching out for us in terms of the key. Again really appreciate all this information and I know others will as well.
This is starting to be an old comment, but I just thought I'd add that I've now had a third incident with my trailer. Someone tried to cut my coupler lock, they didn't manage to get through it, but it has some pretty significant bolt cutter marks on it now. And of course it had to happen while my camera was on the fritz for a week, so I didn't even get video of who did it.
@@LaJewel the thing about a home built trailer, is that stripping it involves removing the part that makes it valuable. I suppose they could cut it down to just a frame, but then they also have to remove the VIN, and by the time you do both of those things, the trailer has lost all value. So it's just not worth their time to steal it and chop it down. Now if you've done such a job that they don't realize it's home built, they may try to just repaint, but if it's distinctive enough, it should still be easy to spot. You'd also be surprised how much making things look a little rough discourages thieves even if it's an easy repaint, the impression is that the whole thing is worn out not just the paint job, even if that's not true
It is quite sad. What really saddens me is that there probably aren't that many thieves out there. But once you experience one it often changes your level of trust towards others.
Thank you for talking about the safety chains. Too many people are spending a fortune locking up their couplers... and totally ignoring that their trailer can be dragged away with just the chains
My son took my homemade TD to Oregon and both the car and the trailer were stolen. We went on Facebook and Craigslist as soon as he found it was stolen. This was about eight hours after the fact. (he couldn't file a police report until AM the next morning). Given the car was a Crown Vic ex-police car and the trailer a homemade woody, they were pretty distinctive and we recovered them in about 2 days. Unfortunately the car's transmission was trashed and the Trailer was stripped of anything of value. The thieves drilled out the door and tongue box locks to gain access. Once I got the trailer back I started to look at security options. Most did not seem that secure or well made, or at least that was the case for the cheap and modestly priced ones. As a stop gap measure I got a heavy duty chain with a lock that I run around the axle and through the wheel. This may deter a casual thief, but not someone with a grinder and cut off wheel. I think if they really want your trailer they can get it, so don't taking anything with you that you can't afford to loose.
Wow, that is sad to hear. But, at the same time we appreciate you sharing that story with the community. We also have come to the conclusion that a heavy duty chain and the axle and through the wheel is a great choice. Thanks again for sharing your son's story.
Thanks for this info. We just made a video this week about boondocking safety and we talked about those alarms. Any chance you could provide a link of the type you are talking about? We tried to find them on amazon, but there are so many alarms out there it was hard to know where to start.
As long as noise isn't concerning where you park, someone can use a cordless angle grinder to get through a chain. If it's a quiet campground with people around, the noise would tip the neighbours off.
i have seen the theats. use.a grinder to cut chains locks i take off wheel.and.take with me and spair block up with steel locked. to axle a car.alarm to
@@daviddionne8296 Yep great suggestion. May's dad has a very similar sentence above his home entry door. I don't think he could probably back up his strong statement, but someone who sees it doesn't know that.
Ive enjoyed all your videos and this one is at the top of the list. My home for 8 years has been a teardrop. From a distance Ive watched people walk around my teardrop looking at all the locks, etc. In some cases campgrounds are more secure than public places. I use all the locks you mention but need a new coupler lock. The group has given some new ideas and thanks for that. I am also going to explore a locater chip of some kind to leave in the inside. I dont keep my most valuable things in the trailer and really have culled out having anything that is too valuable to loose. Thanks again!
We are really glad you enjoyed this one Jenn. Nerdy enough this is a fun topic for us, but we thought others might not feel the same way. If we helped one person, then we did our job! You must have incredible stories from those 8 years. Wow! Our ultimate goal is to go part time in a small camper as a family, so you are very inspiring to us. The locator chip is a great idea. If you ever do decide on one we would love to know what you choose. Thanks again Jenn for the positive comment.
One pretty good deterrent is to replace the regular ball coupler with a off road coupler. Pretty much nobody has the receiving end for that. If you cut your chains and add extra hooks you can take them off and not lock the trailer tongue at all. For me it's a welded on offroad coupler, cut chains and wheel locks, plus I added the trailer to my car insurance so if it gets stolen I can replace it and it's only an additional $10/month for full coverage. Best deterrent I found for break-in's is what I did all my life: don't leave valuables in a vehicle and make sure everyone can look in easily (leave the blinds open). I drive a Wrangler and usually park it without top - at least in summer. Needless to say, you leave nothing in the car so I don't mind if anyone peeks in. All they could steal is a jug of oil, some water and a bunch of reusable shopping bags. The less you have in your vehicle the less the chance of someone wanting it.
Hey Uwe! Thanks for the great feedback. We can always count on you to bring the expert advice. The offroad coupler, are you referring to the rock n' roll articulating hitch? The 3 axis hitch we talked about on the overland trailer video? And as for cutting the chains and adding extra hooks, how does that work? are there hooks on both ends of the chains so you can remove them when you park? The car insurance is a great tip as well. We had planned about talking about car insurance, but completely forgot. Glad you added it! We are with you on the theory of leaving no valuables behind and showing thieves you have nothing to hide.
@@PlayingwithSticks Yes, the chains would have the same hooks on both ends and you only leave a short piece on the trailer to hook into. I saw that on another video on UA-cam a while back and figured it's a good idea since you can simply toss the chains in your trunk or someplace else. The locks that lock away the chains are great but expensive (although people spend thousands on their trailer so they might as well spend $250 on a lock) Of course you have to make sure the chain is still viable to tow your trailer - it's a safety chain after all. And yes again, I have a max coupler which is just a different name than lock n roll (at least they look the same). You could also order offroad couplers in Australia - they have several models that look like nothing we have in the US but I'm not certain about DOT regulations on that or whether your insurance would still pay for an accident when they find you used unapproved hardware. For insurance: your trailer liability is generally covered in your car insurance, so i.e. if it breaks away and causes damage to someone's property that's usually covered in your regular insurance. Theft or damage due to backing it into a tree is not. You'd need to talk to your insurance about specifics, I have Allstate and it costs me a bit over 10 bucks a month for full replacement coverage.
I knowvtherebis an old saying people will steal anything not glued down, notbits to a whole new level. Stealing a teardrop! Thats amazing.Glad i watched.
Love the old saying. Sad, but sorta true. We had someone post on here this week that they have had 3 teardrop trailers stolen. Luckily we still have our original teardrop. We believe 30 seconds of placing a few locks and you are pretty protected.
Some advice I don’t see many people do is weld the nut on the bottom of your ball. Any place that sells receivers sell the big wrench for that nut too. In many cases.. all a thief would have to do to get around locks is carry a hitch without a ball and that wrench. Find a trailer, loosen that nut and put it onto his. I always just run a nice weld around the nut and throw some black Rustoleum on it.. gives me piece of mind.
Great suggestion Colton. Someone mentioned that to us as well. We laughed when we realized we took all these measures but had a ball hooked on by just a few twists of the rest. It is comments like yours that really make creating these videos worthwhile.
I realize this is an older post but thought I'd add my thoughts for other later viewers. I have a small camp-gear trailer (Venter/Kace) It's not a camper but has all our gear for dispersed camping. When I first got it I researched all the various coupler and tire locks out there, and as you mention found they were all pretty easy to beat (mostly with a big hammer or small crowbar, and you don't really need to be very skilled at it!). Most of the tire clamps could be defeated by simply driving away with them on! What I found got the best ratings overall was a combination of a VERY heavy hardened chain, looped through over the axle or leaf springs, through the wheel holes and connected with a heavy duty German ABUS disc lock. From a distance it's unnoticeable, so won't attract attention by itself, but up close you can't miss it and if you try to drive off with on, you'll pull the axle off. It can only really be beat by a metal grinder. For the coupler, I ditched the standard ball all together (everybody has one) and put on a Max Coupler which is an articulated coupler with a special connector few people will have on hand. It can all be defeated but is probably going to take a lot more work and luck then a series of small locks. Hoping it never needs to be tested!
Great idea Michael Ray! Also a good reminder to look twice before leaving. We have said the same thing about the wheel lock. Another reason to keep the wheelock on the side with traffic is to remind you to take it off when leaving.
An old smartphone can make a great gps tracker that can call you directly when it senses movement. You could also hide a Bluetooth speaker that alerts the thief that the police are being notified and that their location is being shared. If you wanna get crazy you could hide all this equipment under the floor panels or in the walls so that it'd take too long to find and the thief would have to give up.
Great ideas Jacob. You are the first person to suggest the Bluetooth speaker. Many of us have an old phone laying around, so I would say it is the cheapest and simple solution out there.
Nice Video. An additional no cost way to help prevent people from defeating the Club Lock on the Tire is to install the Club Tire Lock upside down so the Lock Cylinder is pointing down. When the Thief goes to spray Liquid Nitrogen into the cylinder (which is the common way to defeat these) there is a good chance they will also spray the Nitrogen into their eyes and face. This frequently results in frozen Corneas which for the most part is a showstopper.
i used the steering wheel lock. slide one end off, pass through the wheel hole, insert into the other end. try to have the lock end facing inside. so far i used this wheel lock on my trailer in my driveway. the red paint color also deters thief when he sees the lock device on the trailer wheel.
Most hitch locks are little to deter a determined thief. A post that goes down to the ground and locks in place worked for my snowmachine trailer. It kept the nose of the trailer from either being lifted and towed ( when on the rear ) or kept the tongue up high unable to hitch up to tow.
I got my trailer stolen couple years back, now the only lock I use is Abloy (AMPlock) they have a kit for trailer it is expensive but the lock will stay lock, most of the other can be broken is less than 1 minutes.
This is my second video of yours I have watched. You do a most outstanding job of presentation, covering the subject, and delivery style. Appreciate your sharing these and good points.
I had a Little Guy Teardrop trailer and for a long trip, I bought a wheel lock like you show. On its first use, it froze in the locked position so I couldn't pull the trailer out of my campsite. Luckily, the park owner had a metal saw. Two hours later, I could finally leave. Apparently, the lock had slipped, but there was no way to open it. Just glad I wasn't boondocking out in a more remote area!!
That sounds awful. That is actually one of my fears every time I set the lock. Ours has been operating flawlessly, but the cover came off last year and like you I just wonder how bad it would be if it happens while we are out here. Guess it would make some interesting UA-cam content :)
Lol, yup. His saw was electric and it still took almost 2 hours to cut through. As scary as it was, I guess the positive is that no one is going to get through it easily unless they're a really good lock-pick.
I'm a new camper with a 20' ultra-lite and the only thing I had done is put a tongue lock from Reese on it and found out from your video it can be circumvented in less than 50 seconds. I did put an expensive alarm on the front door that when pried open will sound a loud siren. Basically I don't leave expensive items in camper. If thieves need to get inside it will feed them a good meal and the use of some clothes. Just use common sense and use locks wherever possible and park camper in plain site.
if I may add a couple of ideas. On your toe chains put padlocks. Another idea is you cannot have a spare on the front or back or underneath of your trailer. They will leave the tire and lock there and use your spare. Keep that in the tow vehicle locked up
@@PlayingwithSticks sometimes and coupler on a trailer and be removed with a couple of bolts. Safety chains will probably be on one of those boats. If you possibly depending on your leveling jacks remove one or both tires. Do you have to have tires and wheels with the proper lug pattern and bring proper coupler. Are too much work Time & Expense they won't leave it alone
I watched you video and agreed to your safety tips, however I did one more thing to our teardrop camper... We was able to have an alarm system installed and the minute that anything was touched it would sound plus send us notification.
I am glad you mentioned this...I have heard stories of people stealing trailers...even with a lock on the trailers, thieves haul it away just by the chains...
We've heard similar stories about hauling away a trailer by the chains. Horrible stories, but good to hear because we never would have thought of securing our chains
The best security system I found for my home was to offer reduced rent to a friend who was a senior and a "homebody." He was content staying at home and watching EVERYTHING including the neighboring properties. I imagine the same may work for a camper if you can find someone who is compatible and travels well with you.
It is sad how these locks are manufactured these days. Glad we were able to provide some decent advice. Even though the advice boiled down to if they really want it....they will get it.
Thanks for the great video. I never thought of getting all of my locks keyed alike. That will save me a lot of space on my key ring. Also think about locking your chain to your tow vehicle. And buying extra strong chain link so they can’t be easily cut with bolt cutters. Happy camping take care guys.
Glad you enjoyed the video David! Locking the chain to the two vehicle is a great idea. We haven't hear of that one yet. Our chains are pretty wimpy. The extra strong chain link sounds like a much better solution. Happy camping to you as well David!
Problem we have today is that thieves have access to to portable power tools such as disc grinders. Not even the wheel lock is safe. A hidden tracker with a security camera that sends an alert to a phone, could be a better option.
At work we actually made a custom lock mechanism that would fish around the leaf spring and bolt under the tire (between the tire and the brake drum). We then used wheel locks on all lugs to prevent removal and it proved to be secure, as we haven't had any problems. Only downside is it takes an extra 10-15 minutes for setup and tear down to install the bar/lock but very effective as it basically prevents the wheels from turning. This was custom made obviously and we had to customize the bolt holes and location to the trailer itself, and we made 2 of them, but in practice only used one (faster setup/tear down) and all you needed to do really was lock one wheel as we tried to tug/pull it with one wheel locked and it's very difficult even with a powerful truck. (As a note, since the bar fed around only two of the lug bolts, we used washers to take up the extra space on the other bolts so we didn't warp the rim when re-installing wheel). Again, very effective, but the downside is it is customized to that trailer, but if you're going to have your trailer for several years, it may be worth it to have someone weld up one of these for your trailer. Not a complex design, basically one piece that fishes around the leaf spring and then sits between the tire and brake drum. The other tricky part is making sure there is enough room between the rim and the drum for a metal piece, but luckily in our case, we had plenty of room to use a 1" steel piece welded to a smaller 1/2" steeel piece that went around the bolts on the hub, and since the trailer itself was only 2500 lbs, it wasn't going to brake the welds or bend the bar.
That is great to hear from someone who uses the proven industry lock. Thanks for the feedback. If our teardrop was a little more valuable we would definitely purchase that lock as well. Glad you enjoyed the video Glenn.
Been lucky so far. We lock the hitch, the door and the kitchen hatch on the teardrop when we are away from camp site. Gas fridge, esky, dome and chairs get left to chance but to date no one has snacked or eaten our porridge in our chairs yet. Or taken one of them (too heavy and awkward for one person and two people running with that gear is a dead giveaway). Had a guy want to chill his six pack because his Engel ran out of sunlight. Priorities 😄 Super security hasn’t been a real need but we also haven’t been riiiiiiiiight out lol. I think the GPS has a lot of merit for that. My bro built mine so I’m super attached to it 😀 Nice channel. Good to find some brothers and sisters in teardropping! 😎🇦🇺
Glad to hear you have been having good luck. We have had the same luck up here in Alaska as well! We still are cautious though, because the teardrop is like a member of the family to us. We would hate to see anything happen to it. Like you we leave out a lot of our supplies as well and haven't had any issue. I think it also gives the impression that you're near to camp. Glad you were able to find the channel. Love running into other small camper enthusiasts!
For those bolts on the coupler, put some permanent (red) threadlocker on the bolts if you won't weld it. It's another great way to add some extra security. Saw someone else detach the chains as well and make them removable, and then you can stow them in the car or the trailer itself.
Good suggestion Katie! Whenever we pick up the blue loctite we always wonder why anyone would want the red. To me that is a lot of commitment knowing you can't back the bolt out. But, obviously this would be a perfect example of when you would want to use it. We also love the idea of chains that can be removable. Thanks Katie!
@@PlayingwithSticks Any loctite, blue or red is able to be unbolted. It's just a little more elbow grease needed to back off a bolt when using the red.
Thanks for this feedback. It's a bummer to hear it's that easy. Great suggestion on the tracker. from the comments on here we're starting to realize a tracker and insurance for your trailer is probably your best route in the worst case scenario.
I know this comes late but on my Runaway Cool Camp trailer I run a chain/lock through my wheel and through the leaf-spring. Just wanted to pass this along.
I used to leave my 87 Cadillac door unlocked for same reason back in the 90s, after they broke the damn window for the CD player. Then I put a cassette player(used a cassette to headphone thing, had a 32mb mp3 player and diskman) one day I came outside walked to the car, nothing broken but the cassette player on the ground. Had a good laugh, guess they didn't realize it wasn't a CD player.
That is a funny story! Also sad. We completely agree. Leave it open, they may take a few things, but at least they don't break the door and windows in the process.
May not be for everyone but, a Pit Bull with a bad attitude and chained to the trailer tongue is another option. I agree with your having different levels of protection. I do on mine. I like the gps suggestion others mentioned and having good insurance is smart too. Thanks for the video. Nicely done!
Exactly what I needed to know. I live off the grid in the Cascade mountains. My best defense against thieves is to be invisible. If they don't see me or my camper and car, I am safe. HOWEVER there are more and more "campers" in the woods these days. These are people without camping rules. Anything not bolted down is fair game to them. I've lost so much camping gear, because I used to camp in a tent. Thanks for the share! :)
Sorry to hear about those folks who do not respect your property. We had quite a few experiences like that when we were kids. However, we haven't had many in the past 20 years or so. I think it is like you said, as we have aged we have learned to blend in better and we have a better idea of what is attractive to an opportunistic thief.
@@kristiinametsakuru8205 It definitely wouldn't hurt. Like in our opening scene you could see the camper was very exposed. A little camo when going out on a hike would probably reduce that. Sometimes though, if your rig isn't that valuable just exposing lets people know you have nothing to protect. A camper hidden by camo may intrigue people to look inside to see what you potentially want to hide from them.
I've a boat trailer (and car) I leave all alone for 2 weeks at a time in some strange distant public boat ramp parking lots. I've used two of the locks you talk about, one on the hitch receiver pin, and the other on the hitch lever. Recently I've had a duh moment when I realized that all they would have to do is unscrew the big nut under the ball and insert it into their own hitch. Therefore, I think the tire-boot is a very good idea. (keeping in mind that having to remove the wheel and have another to take it's place would be a hassle).
That is funny, we actually had the same duh moment as well. Fortunately it is as simple as welding the big nut in place. Now, again that won't stop them from breaking the weld, but it sure will add a bit of a challenge. Thanks for sharing your duh moments. I bet there will be many more on here like us that will find your comment helpful.
I owned a junky truck and had to park it in a bad area to go to work. I knew thieves would get inside, so I simply left the doors UNLOCKED and I installed a very trash-looking stereo in the dashboard. I just shoved it into the dash without even bolting it in. One day, I came out of work, and sure as $h1+ ... someone had attempted to steal the stereo. They had pulled the stereo a little out of the dash... then they realized it was WORTHLESS. So they didn't steal ANYTHING. I just shoved the stereo back into the dash because all the wires were still attached. I turned it on and it still worked... and drove home feeling good that I had OUTSMARTED the thief by not having anything of value for them to steal ! The point of this story is... try to make your rig look old or worthless somehow. Or, get rid of the expensive NICE trailer and buy something old and junky. Fix it up real nice on the INSIDE... but leave the outside looking worthless.
Great advice! Our trailer is starting to naturally age. We have considered maintaining the outside just to protect it from water, but maybe not keep up with the aesthetics. Lately our trailer doesn't look near as tempting as it used to on the outside.
Back in the 70's car stereos were a big target for thieves. One guy I knew taped razor blades onto the back of the radio so when the thief reached up under the dash to push the radio out they were in for a nasty surprise.
We have a bunch of construction trailers. They are small, biggest is 6 x 12. We use wheel locks, and ball locks. I think socially, making them look, or that is not look voluble is one of the best things that you have going. I'm building a camping trailer tear drop highbred and will use these principles. My dad always said, much as you are, that many locks just keep honest people honest. Thieves are often opportunist, so the more they have to work, the better. The main thing is, if you leave it in any one spot long enough, you could have trouble. So, do those things, naturally, having a welded ball is a must. Lock your chains and hitch(it's super cheap insurance)with a good ball lock, and remember, Fear IS the mind killer.
Sometimes no matter what you do.."stuff" happens as I found out at my home.. So. Always take pictures of everything and ingrave ID #s (Troppers told me this). I'm am looking for a TD. Anyone know where I can find one?
Taking electric drill or electric impact with you and take all the lug nuts off and leave the wheels on where it's easy to put them right back on when you get back. Not too many people going around with extra lug nuts unless the ones on their vehicle happened to match like you said all you can do is slowing a thief down chain it to the tree. But I'm with you on the door leave it open. Always leave a radio playing where they may think somebody's in their A sleep
Thanks for these great suggestions. We have had a handful of folks who don't agree on the open door. It has been fun to read through these comments and just see how we all see the world slightly different.
your site is so cool, so much we trailer spoil brats can learn and improve what is already owned. i never thought to convert this ski boat trailer to mini-camper until i ran into your DIY site. thanks and i hope others share their ideas with openness. i learned one more thing on using a locked hub nut to deter thief remove the wheel. thanks all, bob
Some years ago I came back from hiking to find my camper trailer (tent style) all packed up the padlocks I used as shackles on the safety chains connected to the car cut off the trailer it was a few feet from its parked location saved by the two piece square tubing wheel lock I had made it had a steel disk on each end covering the wheel nuts disguised as a hub cap the tube passed through the tyre rim and connecting to the other side when they drove off the wheels locked up and they gave up Lucky for me or a $20K camper would of been lost. These days I leave a trail camera set up nearby its shocking to see how many people have a casual look around a camp site for valuables left unattended regards Mike
That is a bit unnerving. Both the potential theft story and the things you catch on your trail cam. Great suggestions by the way. Also, it is nice to hear your honesty. We have had a handful of Aussies on here tell us that they don't have any of these issues in their homeland. Which surprised me, because through my travels I have come to gather that no matter where you are there are always good apples and not so good apples walking around looking for trouble. My wife and I after all these comments just decided either Australia has the nicest people on earth or a really strict punishment for theft and aggression.
@@PlayingwithSticks Australia has changed a lot in the 50 years I have lived here and a lot has changed in the last 20 years the drug ice has made its way to every corner of the country.Most theft is the opportunist car parks on hike trails and campsites close enough to towns are a risk we all have to do our bit not leaving valuables in cars and making it just hard enough for them not to bother regards mike
@@kisbushcraftdownunder I would say the same with the States. It really isn't scary like the media makes it out to be. Like you said most of our theft is coming from opportunistic thieves. They aren't sitting out there preying on individuals. Is Ice, what we call Meth here?
Here in the UK I bought a specifically made heavy duty steel triangle with locking wheel nuts. You take one wheel off replace with the triangle and locking nuts, leave it on the 'public' side so a) opportunists wouldn't have the necessary gear b) everyone would see and it'd be obvious the trailer is being 'messed' with..... great for any 'small-wheeled' vehicle.
@@PlayingwithSticks sorry, I've sold my caravan and gotten rid of all the paperwork. I've had a look on the net, but, can't find it. If I see it again, I will certainly let you know. Maybe if you knew a blacksmith/welder, one could be made to your spec? Flat bottom to the triangle shape with the wheel hub in the middle and a set of wheel nuts?? Spoken like a girl, who obviously thinks men can do anything !! lol
Glad you enjoyed the info. If ours was stolen, not a huge deal. But, if we owned yours and it was stolen we would literally cry. You have been meticulous on the design of your teardrop. It is basically a piece of art. And, it has so many great bells and whistles. We are really excited to watch your videos of you getting out there with your teardrop. Safe travels!
Playing with Sticks Very much appreciated. They’re all too special to be stolen though. I may pick up a couple of the items you mentioned. Thanks again!
Shame that one has to address this issue, but redundant " Stoppages " will deter many a Thief . The best will succeed . I hope you the best. Been two years since this video. Aug. 30 , 2021.
Yep. Just watch the lock picking lawyer. Big assed dog, is a decent deterrent, but I just don’t keep expensive gear and my tiny trailer is a base model.
My idea for towing hook security was to get a smith to make me a cast iron box open on one end with a groove so that I could slide it past the locking handle + a bar that I could slide behind with a hole bored through so that I could secure it with a granite padlock. It was approved by the insurance company which was a load off my mind. I also have a wheel lock which has already proved it,s usefulness. I also had in my car a battery operated air pressure alarm system which I have mounted in the kitchen. Looking at various american videos there are loads of ideas for everyone, it only takes a bit of work to look it up. Roy,Haarlem,Holland.
We've had a couple of comments on here that say that takes too long. But honestly all these locks take us about 1 minute or less to put in place. We've also found from these comments most people suggest trailer insurance and a GPS tracking device.
@@PlayingwithSticks That is true but only if the thief is an expert and have all the needed tools with him/her. For example, most of the rotary tools can cut any of the precautionary provisions in second to a couple of minutes. Nevertheless, they may have a hmmer or something of prying bar (e.g big screw driver), but most people don't have a rotary or cutting tool in their vehicles. So installing all the redundant measures could discourage them or make them look an easier pray. Regarding the GPS, I can't recommend one but I'm looking at this one for my boat. Batteries supposedly last for 3 weeks, and insured of a contract, you can get sim cards from a cell phone company for $5 for 30 days service:. www.amazon.com/Tracker-Waterproof-Tracking-Motorcycles-Vehicles/dp/B01N6H70C9/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?keywords=gps+car+tracker&qid=1561573908&s=gateway&sprefix=gps+car+tr&sr=8-9
Thank you for this link. We really like the vibration feature. If by chance we were hiking in an area that has cell coverage and somebody comes up and jumps in the trailer or starts to mess with it we could get an alert before they potentially even take off. That itself is pretty neat. And the $5 SIM card that's pretty small dollars to protect your trailer. Thanks again for this info.
@@outdoorsman2b918 Absolutely, These people want a total guarantee that they're trailer won't get stolen. Thats just not going to happen. All you can do is make life hard on the typical thief that doesn't have all the bells and whistles thief tools. And Thats 95 % of them. The super professional thief your not going to stop anyway. But the odds are with you actually at least because of this. They are rare.
Thanks for the sage advice, Drew. And thank you guys out there in the comment section.. there are some genius ideas I want to put into practice. I’ve recommended this video to my friends with RVs and travel trailers.
Thank you Ann! We will be taking out a couple new trailers this summer. This is a good reminder for me to start looking at the security side of trailer ownership. Never hurts to start putting things in place now so there’s more time for fun in the summer!
love your vids.. great family times..so sad that society has reached a point where there's always someone willing to steal others stuff.worked on mine sites and have had 50 ton excavators stolen!!no matter what you do,a thief will work something out.Would love to come to alaska...beautiful country
Thanks for the sweet comment Bob. We can't imagine what a loss a 50 ton excavator would be. The thought of losing a small camper trailer is tough I can't imagine losing heavy operating equipment. Alaska is waiting for you Bob!
Bob, we didn't realize we were chatting with a Kiwi. We would love to get over to your side of the world as well. We spend a lot of time in Indonesia, but have never made it down to NZ. We would love to take a small camper trailer into the wop wops of your beautiful country!
@@PlayingwithSticks you'd really feel at home, big rivers , mountains covered in snow, fresh air and a million places to explore!!(and that's just out of my kitchen window)if you like the wop wops it's the place for you(and the family)
That is a great suggestion. Sometimes it is hard because you don't have anywhere to store the generator that won't be impacted by the gasoline smell. We have seen some pretty neat locked cages folks have built up here to keep their generator from running off. But, like everything else we mentioned if they really want it, they will find a way.
No, honest people wouldn't be trying to steal it. Locks keep lazy thieves from expending a large amount of time and effort to steal YOUR rig. Makes them move on to an easier target.
What is the best option for parking in a public area? 1. Keep truck and trailer connection through hitch ball using just a hitch receiver lock and coupler latch lock Or 2. Disconnect trailer from truck hitch ball and use proven industries coupler lock and also a coupler pin/latch lock The trailer I have is brand new and is fully enclosed used to transport my side by side… I’ve searched all over the internet to try and find which way is better to go about. To me I believe it would be better to disconnect the trailer from the truck hitch ball and use a full coupler lock…. Hope to hear back! Thank you,
We have a 1957 Cardinal trailer with every system you've listed on it JUST for parking at our home (only our tire boot is a Tri-Max which covers the lug nuts). We store the vintage/antique goodies in her that we use for rallies etc. So... her sentimental cargo has things like Jadeite glass, antique restaurant dishes, silverware, vintage laces and more. We have a heavy duty (Tri-Max) boot jack displayed on the roadside of her so the "smash and grap" thugs know it won't be an easy target. There is a motion detector (discreetly) mounted inside also so if SOME ONE opens the door it trips the house alarm system. This wont help ya boondocking but lately we've read about thefts RIGHT from people's homes. A BIG POINT TO NOTE since we have done a lot of boondocking over the years. Rodents and other "wire loving" varmints are the WORST opportunists of all. Takes them no time to comfortably chew into/move into your boondocked trailers and destroy them. We just tow - in and out.
My wife loves your style of trailer. So classic and romantic. We love how you carry around the antique goodies. It is like a living museum on wheels. Trimax seems to understand the need out there. They really are making some great products. Like you mentioned most of the stolen camper trailers we hear about on forums and blogs are coming right out of people's backyards. We had a post last week from a gentleman who had 3 different teardrops stolen during his lifetime. He thinks he has a good system now in place, similar to yours. Thanks for the tips on the rodents. Our friends over @OurScampLife suggest plugging every potential hole with dryer sheets. Something about the chemicals in the dry sheets wards off all rodents from chewing up the wiring over the winter. Probably wouldn't hurt to keep them in year round and exchange them out every 6 months or so. Thanks again for sharing about your Cardinal trailer and your security setup.
That actually sounds like a pretty good idea. At least for when you are sleeping out in the boonies. It at least would give you a second or two warning :)
If you're driving off to get supplies, or something, take the wheels with you. You can't do this on a day hike, but you can for a shopping trip, or a visit into town. Also, dogs. Nothing's foolproof, but there's lots of things you can do to make it harder.
I was quite suprised at all the locks on the tow bar, there,s a simpler method if you,re handy with a welding kit, if not a smith will do it for you. I have a cast iron box that fits over my tow bar + I had it converted by having a groove cut into it so that it slid by the release handle + had a bar + welded holders fitted so I could slide the bar behind the handle + a hole drilled into the end for a granite lock. I had that on my other caravan for 10 yrs + never had any problems. Roy.
Someone posted a link to your video in my FB group Teardrop Camper Adventures. Glad they did, I had not seen your channel. Well done. Subscribed. 😊 -Mark
Get a large, de-venomed rattlesnake to leave loose in the trailer when you’re away. Don’t forget to bring a biohazard bag to clean up after the would-be thief. 😉😎
If you have batteries on the trailer tongue, get them secured as well. I had my 2 Trojan T-105 batteries stolen from my trailer in my drive way, in broad daylight in a nice neighborhood. I just had them in those plastic boxes with straps to hold them down. So now I have them in a metal box I built, with locking lid to secure them. I also added cable locks to the propane tanks and wheels, although those might easily be cut, at least is is some deterrent.
Thieves are lazy. And they also don’t want to get caught. The more locks you have the more hoops they have to jump through to get away with your trailer. The less likely they are to try to steal it. Also you could use a short chain to chain your rim to the trailer frame. So that acts as a wheel lock. Plus with a short chain they’ll have a tire they need to drag away and/or do something with. Great info!!
The receiver lock and the ball hitch lock can be removed with just one blow from a hammer. The male end that inserts into the lock is so skinny one hit down will break it off. The ball hitch-if you hit the top bar forward will pop that bar of the top of the hitch.
Crazy isn't it. We have a couple videos linked in the description that shows exactly what you are talking about. One of the videos has people busting off the locks just using a bar to pry them off.
That is a great suggestion. We have decided to pull out the old phone. Unfortunately ours holds a small charge But long enough for a few short hikes during the week.
Good tips. Locks only keep honest people honest. And locks have serious downfalls... from pranksters filling the keyhole with JB weld... or the dang thing freezes up / you lose the key or it's stolen. If you want to enjoy peace of mind throw crooks a curve ball by reengineering your tow bar. It's what I've done and it's unique, no videos or pictures of it online. It's harder is all, not impossible. But harder is better.
It really is sad! Especially beings it is pretty rare, but we all have to watch out for it because it only takes one time and you are out everything you worked so hard to acquire.
Dad always said if a thief wants your stuff, he is going to get it. Locks are great for grab it and go theft. Saddlebags locks on my bike for that reason. Anything you can do to help.
Some lock nuts have spinning rings on them. I stripped the matching socket so I tried a regular socket with no success. Had to use angle grinder to cut the ring off. Then tried the regular socket again. No luck. Had to use the angle grinder again to create a hex shape and finally was able to remove it. Took me hours.
*GPS tracker and removing the safety chains are another good way to make it harder if not impossible for a thief to take your trailer. I've seen another video where you cut the chain at the tongue and put in clasp or hatch links that look like carabiners and remove the safety chains all together when you get where you're going*
Love the idea of removing the chains. Makes sense. If they can't get to your receiver and they can't get to your chains they are going to have to get a team of Clydesdales to push it away :)
Great tips: As always I enjoy your content and especially watching Eas grow. As you said if a professional wants your gear they will get it and if they think its valuable enough they eleminate you also. I simply remove my coupler. For piece of mind, I do use a home deadbolt, I also have a few compartments which apparently are good enough that they are a hassle during border crossing. Enjoy your time with your family and safe travels.
That is a scary thought, the eliminate you as well. But, it is true. Maybe we need to make a video on how to make your camper trailer look less valuable :) Great idea on removing the coupler David! Thanks for the sweet comment. Enjoy your time on the road as well!
Great info... I have had a sticky finger try to grab my camper in 2001 while in western colorado. Fortuneatly i came upon the turd and a crack from my 22 sent him running. He used a hammer to break the coupler lock . I did not have a spare but i did have an assortment of threaded bolts and nuts. I placed a spare ball in the coupler and with a bolt through the latch holes i tightened the nut firmly.. Most turds dont carry an assortment of wrenches in their pockets. .......... Still use it today but if they really want they will get it. Thought about booby traps i learned in Nam but thats a different story... Good Luck.
That is awful! Glad you were able to catch him. To me there is not much worse than a thief. I just don't get it. People worked hard for what they own. Don't take that away from them.
Love it. This is the type of music we enjoy but Drew's mom is always saying "why do you play such depressing music?" To us it isn't depressing, but I guess I can see how others would see that.
You can place a magnetic GPS tracker on your rig/vehicle, in case it is stolen. Amazon has one called Tracki that costs $25 and $20/mo cell monitoring. It lasts a little over a week before it needs a recharge, depending on the settings.
Great video thanks. I would definitely add a GPS tracker to this list. It will not prevent the rig from theft but provides a good probability of recovery. In the past I used a small Gramin tracker to protect my ATV's and side by side. Unfortunately, Garmin stopped providing the service so I am stuck with really cool-looking useless devices . I am currently looking at other options. Unfortunately, some of the best options require a subscription. Geat videos though, love your work!
Glad you enjoyed it Stan. We have read in forums that a lot of folks use very low cost proximity alarms, basically the 7 eleven style of alarm where if someone passes the threshold the alarm sounds. We will be mentioning this style of alarm in our next video for protecting yourself at night while boondocking (at least it gives you a 1 second heads up that someone is coming and all the noise may deter them from coming any closer). A camera is a great idea. Even if you had a dummy camera pointed at the trailer it may deter thieves. One you just reminded me of could be a game cam. You could hide that high in a tree. And that way if they did end up stealing your rig at least you would have surveillance footage and possibly a license plate to go off of. Thanks Stan for getting us thinking outside the box!
I appreciated that you recognize the weaknesses of the small locks and Reese tongue lock and wheel lock. These really are poor options. There are two options that pretty much will deter most thieves. One: Altor tongue lock. You can’t use a portable grinder on it. You can but it would take hours to get through it. And two: pewag chain and Abloy or abus lock run through the trailer wheel and around the trailer frame. They can’t then pull the trailer with the chains until they get through the pewag. That will take at least a couple of grinder wheels and a battery replacement. Can’t use bolt cutters. Put one on each wheel if you want to go nuts.
Either way if they get through the chains they know they have hours of work removing the altor tongue lock with a grinder in their shop. Major deterrent.
No way they are going to go through all that trouble unless you have a seriously valuable trailer and they have loads of time.
As a final measure through a gos tracker on the trailer with geofencing.
All of that costs a lot more of course. $300 for the altor lock and $250 for each pewag chain and Abloy lock. But for that you get a lot of peace of mind.
looks good. They would need their own hitch assembly to put on your trailer to defeat it.
I always set a game camera nearby when leaving my boat or tent or cabin for extended periods of time. They are no deterrent but if something happens they are set so they will record car tag numbers and get a good face of anyone at the door. I leave them for months at a time with a very large card. So far I have about 10,000 photos of stray cats and a handful of wildlife photos.
That is a great suggestion! We just looked up game cams yesterday and found there are some game cams that specifically specialize in capturing license plates. Meaning, they have enhanced technology to capture moving and dark license plates that other game cams struggle to capture. Those sound like they would be very helpful for folks like us. Thanks for sharing Jeff!
I totally agree with Shane. One thing I would add is a super loud alarm system. When any of the locks or doors are forced it goes off. Add a small hidden cameras on your vehicles with one special feature. When the alarm is tripped, an announcement telling the thief that they have activated the system, the owner & police have been contacted AND the system has been shut down so that it is immobile (yes you can get systems that will engage braking systems, disconnect the ignition system etc.). One even more high tech and cool gadget would be a tracking drone...as soon as the security system is tripped it will record and track the thieves. Or like you said - leave everything open with a very large cougar inside...(trained?)
That tracking drone sounds neat. We just read an article about Amazon, I believe, coming out with a drone that protects your property. I think it was called the flying ring or something similar to that.
Lots of good solid information here.
Thanks.
Best way: Get a GPS tracker. Even if they manage to take it, I'll know right away and can follow their every move. Plus, they'd have to tear up the floorboard to find the tracker.
Love this suggestion. Before making this video we didn't even know about GPS trackers. We have had quite a few people recommend them. Thanks for sharing Landon!
@@PlayingwithSticks I mean, in order to get a good GPS tracker with almost real-time tracking, you'll need to pay a monthly fee of like $6-$9 on top of the $50 one-time for the tracker, but its worth it for the peace of mind of knowing that even if the other fail safes fail, recovery should be a fairy quick process short of them doing damage to the trailer in short order, etc.
@@landonp629 Thanks Landon for sharing about the monthly fee. Like you said, definitely worth it. Especially if you think of it as less than $10 a month allows you to go out hiking and exploring without the added worry of leaving your vulnerable trailer behind.
If you’re way off grid with no signal, would this option still work?
@@cjphillips2716 it'll work anywhere there is a GPS signal. Even if there is not one where it's taken, it probably won't be long before it's brought somewhere that does have a signal - in which case you'd then be able to track it.
The key is, hide the tracker - preferably in the walls. And give it battery power.
The Apple air tags are a great option for GPS tracking. They use a CR2032 battery and last about 6-8 months with no subscription necessary. They are about the size of a quarter, which allows you to hide them anywhere. I have them for luggage when I travel and I have found they are extremely accurate. Love the videos!
What's the range?
@@kimolivervacha2615 at this point. The furthest I have been away from them while still tracking them has been about 2,500 miles when I was in Hawaii and left one at our house.
Problem is the battery dies
AirTags are not gps. They are near-range Bluetooth and they require any apple device (even other people's) nearby to triangulate their location. They work better in populated areas.
Great information. Thank you. I use a lot of these same methods. But one other method that I do use is a bed alarm. I got it at a medical supply store that sells them to nursing homes. I've got it rigged where it sticks to the wall with double-sided VHB tape and I have a string that hooks to a hook on the door. I put it on when I go to bed at night and also when I leave the camper to go for a hike I have just enough room to partially close the door get my hand in there and hook it to the hook on the door. This thing is loud as hell and would scare the hell out of anybody that walked up and opened the door. They're pretty cheap I think I paid $14 for the bed alarm at a medical supply house.
You are definitely the first person to suggest a bed alarm. Way to think outside the box. A lot of folks are going to like this suggestion.
OMG, I never knew such an alarm existed ... awful 😲
@@Maria-yf8fp The one that I use is made by ADW diabetes company. The name of it is drive drive. It is a pull cord alarm. Item number 13602 they run about $26 now compared to what I paid several years ago. But they are extremely loud. You just hook us string to the pull cord and a little clip or something to clip to your door on the other end. Good luck
@@chiefonelung3416 Thanks for the scoop!
I looked up that alarm and the db's said up to 103. I bought one of those alarms with a remote that triggers movement which you can adjust to your liking and the db's is 113. I have it inside my S by S in my storage unit. I am looking into a gps tracker.
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0734QN8KR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Great tips guys, We use many of these tips. Our biggest concern is not the TD. ( We are old and are loaded up with Insurance) We are concerned someone will take the camper with Herky in it.
We try to make it a process to steal the camper. The thief would have to complete several processes to steal it. Preventing a grab and go.
One thing you did not mention is turning the camper around so the hitch is not easy to back in and drop on a ball. Another last resort is use a small cable attached to the trailer and something on the camp site. Imagine the attention it would draw if the thief was driving down the road with your camper dragging a BBQ pit or picnic table behind it.
Safe travels my friend.
Great tip on turning the camper around! Also love the imagery of a thief pulling the barbecue or picnic table down the road. We never thought about keeping Herky safe inside the camper. That is a scary thought. We just checked out Travels with Delaney's channel yesterday after you shouted them out on your channel. Looks like their channel was built around their favorite canine friend as well. Safe travels to you three as well. Looking forward to your next video!
If Herky is a barker, that's another big deterrent.
JonTanOsb the nice think about Herky he only barks if something needs our attention. The Lhasa was actually a temple sentinel for Tibetan monks.
Hangin with Herky definitely would be more worried about losing Herky than the camper! Steve can always make you another camper!
Kathleen Estes that’s true. I see you found this great channel ......
Great tips! 2 points I'd like to add: first, make your trailer distinctive. The more "different" it looks, the easier it is to recover, and the less likely a thief will want to steal it (factory built ones are a bigger target than homebuilt, and run of the mill homebuilt are more of a target than unique ones). You can even make it look a little "rough" as it will appear less valuable (those alloy rims look great, but they also make the trailer look more valuable). Secondly, cameras. My tow vehicle has a dashcam, both front and rear, and they record if there's motion while parked. So if someone breaks the locks and takes the trailer, at least they'll be on video. At home the trailer parks outside, but it's within view of a doorbell camera which will similarly record anyone taking it.
I would also like to just leave a piece of advice in relation to this particular video, never show the bitting of your key in pictures or video. It's relatively low risk as the person watching the video also has to find your trailer, but it's no different from announcing to the world the combination for a combination lock. You're giving people all the information they need to replicate your key. If it's important to the story to show the key, it's best to hold it covering the bitting and show only the head or back of the blade, or use a stunt double (old key for something else)
I'll admit the security on our trailer is quite weak. We do have the locks everywhere, but they're cheap locks, and as a homebuilt, I know that the locks on the door and galley could be forced fairly easily (possibly even without tools) but deterrent is the biggest thing as most thieves are opportunists rather than dedicated to stealing it. We also mostly keep anything valuable in the car rather than the trailer, not that it's impervious, but it has an alarm (which will even notify my cell phone if we're in cell coverage, which we never are when camping), and we hide the items pretty well in there. So far I've had 2 incidents with the trailer, in one incident someone stole the blocks of wood we use as wheel chocks at home while we were out camping (2 chunks of 2x4, so I'm not overly heartbroken) and the second one, while parked at home some kid tried to climb onto the roof of the trailer and broke a fender. Luckily I was able to drill some new mounting holes in it and didn't need to replace it all together.
This is a great thorough comment! Thanks also for watching out for us in terms of the key. Again really appreciate all this information and I know others will as well.
They'll either strip & chop it for resale or just repaint it.
This is starting to be an old comment, but I just thought I'd add that I've now had a third incident with my trailer. Someone tried to cut my coupler lock, they didn't manage to get through it, but it has some pretty significant bolt cutter marks on it now. And of course it had to happen while my camera was on the fritz for a week, so I didn't even get video of who did it.
@@LaJewel the thing about a home built trailer, is that stripping it involves removing the part that makes it valuable. I suppose they could cut it down to just a frame, but then they also have to remove the VIN, and by the time you do both of those things, the trailer has lost all value. So it's just not worth their time to steal it and chop it down. Now if you've done such a job that they don't realize it's home built, they may try to just repaint, but if it's distinctive enough, it should still be easy to spot. You'd also be surprised how much making things look a little rough discourages thieves even if it's an easy repaint, the impression is that the whole thing is worn out not just the paint job, even if that's not true
It's a dam shame us honest citizens have to do so much all because of dam thieves.
It is quite sad. What really saddens me is that there probably aren't that many thieves out there. But once you experience one it often changes your level of trust towards others.
Right? Fucking tweakers.
@@PlayingwithSticks I hate to say it but if you check the statistics you would be amazed at just how many thieves there are out there!
@@PlayingwithSticks Oh, I'd say there are plenty of them out there. Have you considered tracking devices for the trailer?
I was just thinking, why does this guy even go outside. #useahitchlock
Thank you for talking about the safety chains. Too many people are spending a fortune locking up their couplers... and totally ignoring that their trailer can be dragged away with just the chains
take off the wheels.
My son took my homemade TD to Oregon and both the car and the trailer were stolen. We went on Facebook and Craigslist as soon as he found it was stolen. This was about eight hours after the fact. (he couldn't file a police report until AM the next morning). Given the car was a Crown Vic ex-police car and the trailer a homemade woody, they were pretty distinctive and we recovered them in about 2 days. Unfortunately the car's transmission was trashed and the Trailer was stripped of anything of value. The thieves drilled out the door and tongue box locks to gain access. Once I got the trailer back I started to look at security options. Most did not seem that secure or well made, or at least that was the case for the cheap and modestly priced ones. As a stop gap measure I got a heavy duty chain with a lock that I run around the axle and through the wheel. This may deter a casual thief, but not someone with a grinder and cut off wheel. I think if they really want your trailer they can get it, so don't taking anything with you that you can't afford to loose.
Wow, that is sad to hear. But, at the same time we appreciate you sharing that story with the community. We also have come to the conclusion that a heavy duty chain and the axle and through the wheel is a great choice. Thanks again for sharing your son's story.
There are battery powered motion activated alarms that make a screeching sound if someone tries to move your trailer. About $20.
Thanks for this info. We just made a video this week about boondocking safety and we talked about those alarms. Any chance you could provide a link of the type you are talking about? We tried to find them on amazon, but there are so many alarms out there it was hard to know where to start.
I use a 20’ tow chain and 3 pretty strong Master Locks. Trailer axel to tree.
You are the first person to mention a tow chain. Great suggestion Mike!
As long as noise isn't concerning where you park, someone can use a cordless angle grinder to get through a chain. If it's a quiet campground with people around, the noise would tip the neighbours off.
I guess someone hasn't ever watched the lock picking lawyer if they think a master lock provides much protection. Lol
I have a large bolt cutter. That can cut your chain in seconds. Not that I ever would, but others may have too.
i have seen the theats. use.a grinder to cut chains locks i take off wheel.and.take with me and spair block up with steel locked. to axle a car.alarm to
I've always left a radio going just loud enough to hear outside as if I'm either inside or close by.
That's one tip we will be adopting from these comments. Funny thought how hard it is to find a regular radio these days :)
@@PlayingwithSticks How about a sticker on the door...."Nothing in here worth dying for... S&W"
@@daviddionne8296 Yep great suggestion. May's dad has a very similar sentence above his home entry door. I don't think he could probably back up his strong statement, but someone who sees it doesn't know that.
@@daviddionne8296 I like that one! Mine says " I don't call 911"
Thats a great idea!
That guy hanging around your boondocking site was SO creepy! 😂😆😂 I loved how you were so dead-panned about it. Great comedy break.
I'm not very good at comedic moments, so glad you enjoyed that one. Makes me feel good.
Adorable gremlin!
Ive enjoyed all your videos and this one is at the top of the list. My home for 8 years has been a teardrop. From a distance Ive watched people walk around my teardrop looking at all the locks, etc. In some cases campgrounds are more secure than public places. I use all the locks you mention but need a new coupler lock. The group has given some new ideas and thanks for that. I am also going to explore a locater chip of some kind to leave in the inside. I dont keep my most valuable things in the trailer and really have culled out having anything that is too valuable to loose.
Thanks again!
We are really glad you enjoyed this one Jenn. Nerdy enough this is a fun topic for us, but we thought others might not feel the same way. If we helped one person, then we did our job! You must have incredible stories from those 8 years. Wow! Our ultimate goal is to go part time in a small camper as a family, so you are very inspiring to us. The locator chip is a great idea. If you ever do decide on one we would love to know what you choose. Thanks again Jenn for the positive comment.
One pretty good deterrent is to replace the regular ball coupler with a off road coupler. Pretty much nobody has the receiving end for that. If you cut your chains and add extra hooks you can take them off and not lock the trailer tongue at all. For me it's a welded on offroad coupler, cut chains and wheel locks, plus I added the trailer to my car insurance so if it gets stolen I can replace it and it's only an additional $10/month for full coverage.
Best deterrent I found for break-in's is what I did all my life: don't leave valuables in a vehicle and make sure everyone can look in easily (leave the blinds open). I drive a Wrangler and usually park it without top - at least in summer. Needless to say, you leave nothing in the car so I don't mind if anyone peeks in. All they could steal is a jug of oil, some water and a bunch of reusable shopping bags. The less you have in your vehicle the less the chance of someone wanting it.
Hey Uwe! Thanks for the great feedback. We can always count on you to bring the expert advice. The offroad coupler, are you referring to the rock n' roll articulating hitch? The 3 axis hitch we talked about on the overland trailer video? And as for cutting the chains and adding extra hooks, how does that work? are there hooks on both ends of the chains so you can remove them when you park? The car insurance is a great tip as well. We had planned about talking about car insurance, but completely forgot. Glad you added it! We are with you on the theory of leaving no valuables behind and showing thieves you have nothing to hide.
@@PlayingwithSticks Yes, the chains would have the same hooks on both ends and you only leave a short piece on the trailer to hook into. I saw that on another video on UA-cam a while back and figured it's a good idea since you can simply toss the chains in your trunk or someplace else. The locks that lock away the chains are great but expensive (although people spend thousands on their trailer so they might as well spend $250 on a lock) Of course you have to make sure the chain is still viable to tow your trailer - it's a safety chain after all. And yes again, I have a max coupler which is just a different name than lock n roll (at least they look the same). You could also order offroad couplers in Australia - they have several models that look like nothing we have in the US but I'm not certain about DOT regulations on that or whether your insurance would still pay for an accident when they find you used unapproved hardware.
For insurance: your trailer liability is generally covered in your car insurance, so i.e. if it breaks away and causes damage to someone's property that's usually covered in your regular insurance. Theft or damage due to backing it into a tree is not. You'd need to talk to your insurance about specifics, I have Allstate and it costs me a bit over 10 bucks a month for full replacement coverage.
@@uweschroeder Any tips for a boat trailer?
I knowvtherebis an old saying people will steal anything not glued down, notbits to a whole new level. Stealing a teardrop! Thats amazing.Glad i watched.
Love the old saying. Sad, but sorta true. We had someone post on here this week that they have had 3 teardrop trailers stolen. Luckily we still have our original teardrop. We believe 30 seconds of placing a few locks and you are pretty protected.
Wheel lug locks can be easily removed with Channellocks. You need the ones with the spinning ring on the rim.
We haven't seen the versions with spinning rings. Looks like we will be Google searching. Thank you for this tip!
You are correct. Redundancy in anti-theft devices is the best. Anyone of those you mentioned, by itself, can be defeated but together is a PIA.
Some advice I don’t see many people do is weld the nut on the bottom of your ball. Any place that sells receivers sell the big wrench for that nut too. In many cases.. all a thief would have to do to get around locks is carry a hitch without a ball and that wrench. Find a trailer, loosen that nut and put it onto his. I always just run a nice weld around the nut and throw some black Rustoleum on it.. gives me piece of mind.
Great suggestion Colton. Someone mentioned that to us as well. We laughed when we realized we took all these measures but had a ball hooked on by just a few twists of the rest. It is comments like yours that really make creating these videos worthwhile.
I realize this is an older post but thought I'd add my thoughts for other later viewers. I have a small camp-gear trailer (Venter/Kace) It's not a camper but has all our gear for dispersed camping. When I first got it I researched all the various coupler and tire locks out there, and as you mention found they were all pretty easy to beat (mostly with a big hammer or small crowbar, and you don't really need to be very skilled at it!). Most of the tire clamps could be defeated by simply driving away with them on! What I found got the best ratings overall was a combination of a VERY heavy hardened chain, looped through over the axle or leaf springs, through the wheel holes and connected with a heavy duty German ABUS disc lock. From a distance it's unnoticeable, so won't attract attention by itself, but up close you can't miss it and if you try to drive off with on, you'll pull the axle off. It can only really be beat by a metal grinder. For the coupler, I ditched the standard ball all together (everybody has one) and put on a Max Coupler which is an articulated coupler with a special connector few people will have on hand. It can all be defeated but is probably going to take a lot more work and luck then a series of small locks. Hoping it never needs to be tested!
Also add in a heavy duty chain between the two tires. Just remember to remove before YOU take off down the road.
Great idea Michael Ray! Also a good reminder to look twice before leaving. We have said the same thing about the wheel lock. Another reason to keep the wheelock on the side with traffic is to remind you to take it off when leaving.
Michael Ray that’s great idea razor blade under ball latch slow em down too don’t forget about it
Knowing our luck, we would forget about it 😂
the best way
An old smartphone can make a great gps tracker that can call you directly when it senses movement. You could also hide a Bluetooth speaker that alerts the thief that the police are being notified and that their location is being shared. If you wanna get crazy you could hide all this equipment under the floor panels or in the walls so that it'd take too long to find and the thief would have to give up.
Great ideas Jacob. You are the first person to suggest the Bluetooth speaker. Many of us have an old phone laying around, so I would say it is the cheapest and simple solution out there.
Nice Video. An additional no cost way to help prevent people from defeating the Club Lock on the Tire is to install the Club Tire Lock upside down so the Lock Cylinder is pointing down. When the Thief goes to spray Liquid Nitrogen into the cylinder (which is the common way to defeat these) there is a good chance they will also spray the Nitrogen into their eyes and face. This frequently results in frozen Corneas which for the most part is a showstopper.
Good suggestion. Wouldn't have even thought of that!
hey, top marks for imagination....... I've never heard of it happening though.
Thanks, I didn’t think of doing that.
i used the steering wheel lock. slide one end off, pass through the wheel hole, insert into the other end. try to have the lock end facing inside. so far i used this wheel lock on my trailer in my driveway. the red paint color also deters thief when he sees the lock device on the trailer wheel.
Great suggestion Robert. Nobody has shared this one yet.
Most hitch locks are little to deter a determined thief. A post that goes down to the ground and locks in place worked for my snowmachine trailer. It kept the nose of the trailer from either being lifted and towed ( when on the rear ) or kept the tongue up high unable to hitch up to tow.
Nobody has shared an idea like this yet. What a great idea! Thank you for sharing this.
I got my trailer stolen couple years back, now the only lock I use is Abloy (AMPlock) they have a kit for trailer it is expensive but the lock will stay lock, most of the other can be broken is less than 1 minutes.
We have never heard of this lock before James! It is a bit expensive, but nothing in comparison to losing a trailer. Thanks for sharing!
This is my second video of yours I have watched. You do a most outstanding job of presentation, covering the subject, and delivery style. Appreciate your sharing these and good points.
Thank you Jim! We really appreciate the positive feedback.
I had a Little Guy Teardrop trailer and for a long trip, I bought a wheel lock like you show. On its first use, it froze in the locked position so I couldn't pull the trailer out of my campsite. Luckily, the park owner had a metal saw. Two hours later, I could finally leave. Apparently, the lock had slipped, but there was no way to open it. Just glad I wasn't boondocking out in a more remote area!!
That sounds awful. That is actually one of my fears every time I set the lock. Ours has been operating flawlessly, but the cover came off last year and like you I just wonder how bad it would be if it happens while we are out here. Guess it would make some interesting UA-cam content :)
Lol, yup. His saw was electric and it still took almost 2 hours to cut through. As scary as it was, I guess the positive is that no one is going to get through it easily unless they're a really good lock-pick.
recommend also using a hidden tile (see tile app) & always leave music on in your camper - most thieves will assume you are present and move on.
I'm a new camper with a 20' ultra-lite and the only thing I had done is put a tongue lock from Reese on it and found out from your video it can be circumvented in less than 50 seconds. I did put an expensive alarm on the front door that when pried open will sound a loud siren. Basically I don't leave expensive items in camper. If thieves need to get inside it will feed them a good meal and the use of some clothes. Just use common sense and use locks wherever possible and park camper in plain site.
Great suggestions Ross!
if I may add a couple of ideas. On your toe chains put padlocks. Another idea is you cannot have a spare on the front or back or underneath of your trailer. They will leave the tire and lock there and use your spare. Keep that in the tow vehicle locked up
Great advice Wes. We never even thought about the spare. Thank you for your insight.
@@PlayingwithSticks sometimes and coupler on a trailer and be removed with a couple of bolts. Safety chains will probably be on one of those boats. If you possibly depending on your leveling jacks remove one or both tires. Do you have to have tires and wheels with the proper lug pattern and bring proper coupler. Are too much work Time & Expense they won't leave it alone
I saw a camper like her's in 2019 here in Palmyra at the gas station we all were admiring it . This was during the time I worked there
I watched you video and agreed to your safety tips, however I did one more thing to our teardrop camper... We was able to have an alarm system installed and the minute that anything was touched it would sound plus send us notification.
That sounds great! Love the notification part.
What alarm system and where did you get it installed? Thanks.
I am glad you mentioned this...I have heard stories of people stealing trailers...even with a lock on the trailers, thieves haul it away just by the chains...
We've heard similar stories about hauling away a trailer by the chains. Horrible stories, but good to hear because we never would have thought of securing our chains
The best security system I found for my home was to offer reduced rent to a friend who was a senior and a "homebody." He was content staying at home and watching EVERYTHING including the neighboring properties. I imagine the same may work for a camper if you can find someone who is compatible and travels well with you.
Thanks for the unique suggestion. Keeping your campsite occupied at all times would be your best line of defense.
I was messing around and broke a Walmart lock with my hand! Good advice
It is sad how these locks are manufactured these days. Glad we were able to provide some decent advice. Even though the advice boiled down to if they really want it....they will get it.
Thanks for the great video. I never thought of getting all of my locks keyed alike. That will save me a lot of space on my key ring. Also think about locking your chain to your tow vehicle. And buying extra strong chain link so they can’t be easily cut with bolt cutters. Happy camping take care guys.
Glad you enjoyed the video David! Locking the chain to the two vehicle is a great idea. We haven't hear of that one yet. Our chains are pretty wimpy. The extra strong chain link sounds like a much better solution. Happy camping to you as well David!
Your right about everything, only thing I would add is a trail camera. I had a trailer dragged locked up onto rollback.
Problem we have today is that thieves have access to to portable power tools such as disc grinders.
Not even the wheel lock is safe.
A hidden tracker with a security camera that sends an alert to a phone, could be a better option.
Great advice Gordon. And then with their access to the internet they can figure out how to do it even quicker.
What kind of security camera would you get for the trailer
At work we actually made a custom lock mechanism that would fish around the leaf spring and bolt under the tire (between the tire and the brake drum). We then used wheel locks on all lugs to prevent removal and it proved to be secure, as we haven't had any problems. Only downside is it takes an extra 10-15 minutes for setup and tear down to install the bar/lock but very effective as it basically prevents the wheels from turning. This was custom made obviously and we had to customize the bolt holes and location to the trailer itself, and we made 2 of them, but in practice only used one (faster setup/tear down) and all you needed to do really was lock one wheel as we tried to tug/pull it with one wheel locked and it's very difficult even with a powerful truck. (As a note, since the bar fed around only two of the lug bolts, we used washers to take up the extra space on the other bolts so we didn't warp the rim when re-installing wheel). Again, very effective, but the downside is it is customized to that trailer, but if you're going to have your trailer for several years, it may be worth it to have someone weld up one of these for your trailer. Not a complex design, basically one piece that fishes around the leaf spring and then sits between the tire and brake drum. The other tricky part is making sure there is enough room between the rim and the drum for a metal piece, but luckily in our case, we had plenty of room to use a 1" steel piece welded to a smaller 1/2" steeel piece that went around the bolts on the hub, and since the trailer itself was only 2500 lbs, it wasn't going to brake the welds or bend the bar.
Sounds like a great setup you have here. Thank you for sharing this. I think one look at that and a potential thief would just give up.
I use the proven industry lock. Works well and seems very secure. Plus all the other measures you went over. Great video!
That is great to hear from someone who uses the proven industry lock. Thanks for the feedback. If our teardrop was a little more valuable we would definitely purchase that lock as well. Glad you enjoyed the video Glenn.
I, too, have the Proven coupler lock. The only problem is even an amateur crook can drill out the puck lock in a few seconds.
Been lucky so far. We lock the hitch, the door and the kitchen hatch on the teardrop when we are away from camp site. Gas fridge, esky, dome and chairs get left to chance but to date no one has snacked or eaten our porridge in our chairs yet. Or taken one of them (too heavy and awkward for one person and two people running with that gear is a dead giveaway). Had a guy want to chill his six pack because his Engel ran out of sunlight. Priorities 😄 Super security hasn’t been a real need but we also haven’t been riiiiiiiiight out lol. I think the GPS has a lot of merit for that. My bro built mine so I’m super attached to it 😀 Nice channel. Good to find some brothers and sisters in teardropping! 😎🇦🇺
Glad to hear you have been having good luck. We have had the same luck up here in Alaska as well! We still are cautious though, because the teardrop is like a member of the family to us. We would hate to see anything happen to it. Like you we leave out a lot of our supplies as well and haven't had any issue. I think it also gives the impression that you're near to camp. Glad you were able to find the channel. Love running into other small camper enthusiasts!
Thanks in advance everyone for your comments! We have already learned a few tips that we never thought of before!
Same lol
Thank you everyone
For those bolts on the coupler, put some permanent (red) threadlocker on the bolts if you won't weld it. It's another great way to add some extra security.
Saw someone else detach the chains as well and make them removable, and then you can stow them in the car or the trailer itself.
Good suggestion Katie! Whenever we pick up the blue loctite we always wonder why anyone would want the red. To me that is a lot of commitment knowing you can't back the bolt out. But, obviously this would be a perfect example of when you would want to use it. We also love the idea of chains that can be removable. Thanks Katie!
@@PlayingwithSticks Any loctite, blue or red is able to be unbolted. It's just a little more elbow grease needed to back off a bolt when using the red.
There is no “permanent” threadlocker. The red is simply stronger than the blue. I’ve removed plenty of hardware that used red threadlocker.
That moment when you realise you need the kid from home alone to get to work on your tear drop.
Love this comment!
I've seen the receiver locks AND wheel boots popped in under a minute, as you mention, so putting in a tracker is your best fighting chance.
Thanks for this feedback. It's a bummer to hear it's that easy. Great suggestion on the tracker. from the comments on here we're starting to realize a tracker and insurance for your trailer is probably your best route in the worst case scenario.
i would suggest a car alarm on the tear drop just install a horn or siren and there you go. No thief would exspect a car alarm on a camper.
Great suggestion. You are right nobody would see that coming.
I know this comes late but on my Runaway Cool Camp trailer I run a chain/lock through my wheel and through the leaf-spring. Just wanted to pass this along.
I used to leave my 87 Cadillac door unlocked for same reason back in the 90s, after they broke the damn window for the CD player. Then I put a cassette player(used a cassette to headphone thing, had a 32mb mp3 player and diskman) one day I came outside walked to the car, nothing broken but the cassette player on the ground. Had a good laugh, guess they didn't realize it wasn't a CD player.
That is a funny story! Also sad. We completely agree. Leave it open, they may take a few things, but at least they don't break the door and windows in the process.
May not be for everyone but, a Pit Bull with a bad attitude and chained to the trailer tongue is another option. I agree with your having different levels of protection. I do on mine. I like the gps suggestion others mentioned and having good insurance is smart too. Thanks for the video. Nicely done!
That pit bull would definitely do the trick. Great suggestion!
@@PlayingwithSticks what if i will have some emm.. dog barking alarm? :P It will work? :D
@@kristiinametsakuru8205 Wouldn't hurt. As long as it is in the RV. Outside the rv, probably would come across as fake pretty easily.
Exactly what I needed to know. I live off the grid in the Cascade mountains. My best defense against thieves is to be invisible. If they don't see me or my camper and car, I am safe. HOWEVER there are more and more "campers" in the woods these days. These are people without camping rules. Anything not bolted down is fair game to them. I've lost so much camping gear, because I used to camp in a tent. Thanks for the share! :)
Sorry to hear about those folks who do not respect your property. We had quite a few experiences like that when we were kids. However, we haven't had many in the past 20 years or so. I think it is like you said, as we have aged we have learned to blend in better and we have a better idea of what is attractive to an opportunistic thief.
@@PlayingwithSticks I was thinking to about blending in- What You think- some sort of camo- net can help too? Make more invisible?
@@kristiinametsakuru8205 It definitely wouldn't hurt. Like in our opening scene you could see the camper was very exposed. A little camo when going out on a hike would probably reduce that. Sometimes though, if your rig isn't that valuable just exposing lets people know you have nothing to protect. A camper hidden by camo may intrigue people to look inside to see what you potentially want to hide from them.
I've a boat trailer (and car) I leave all alone for 2 weeks at a time in some strange distant public boat ramp parking lots. I've used two of the locks you talk about, one on the hitch receiver pin, and the other on the hitch lever. Recently I've had a duh moment when I realized that all they would have to do is unscrew the big nut under the ball and insert it into their own hitch. Therefore, I think the tire-boot is a very good idea. (keeping in mind that having to remove the wheel and have another to take it's place would be a hassle).
That is funny, we actually had the same duh moment as well. Fortunately it is as simple as welding the big nut in place. Now, again that won't stop them from breaking the weld, but it sure will add a bit of a challenge. Thanks for sharing your duh moments. I bet there will be many more on here like us that will find your comment helpful.
I owned a junky truck and had to park it in a bad area to go to work. I knew thieves would get inside, so I simply left the doors UNLOCKED and I installed a very trash-looking stereo in the dashboard. I just shoved it into the dash without even bolting it in. One day, I came out of work, and sure as $h1+ ... someone had attempted to steal the stereo. They had pulled the stereo a little out of the dash... then they realized it was WORTHLESS. So they didn't steal ANYTHING. I just shoved the stereo back into the dash because all the wires were still attached. I turned it on and it still worked... and drove home feeling good that I had OUTSMARTED the thief by not having anything of value for them to steal ! The point of this story is... try to make your rig look old or worthless somehow. Or, get rid of the expensive NICE trailer and buy something old and junky. Fix it up real nice on the INSIDE... but leave the outside looking worthless.
Great advice! Our trailer is starting to naturally age. We have considered maintaining the outside just to protect it from water, but maybe not keep up with the aesthetics. Lately our trailer doesn't look near as tempting as it used to on the outside.
that i was thinking too.. I would love to make nice makeover to my trailer BUT hmm.. it will be maybe a target after wards :/
Back in the 70's car stereos were a big target for thieves. One guy I knew taped razor blades onto the back of the radio so when the thief reached up under the dash to push the radio out they were in for a nasty surprise.
We have a bunch of construction trailers. They are small, biggest is 6 x 12. We use wheel locks, and ball locks. I think socially, making them look, or that is not look voluble is one of the best things that you have going. I'm building a camping trailer tear drop highbred and will use these principles. My dad always said, much as you are, that many locks just keep honest people honest. Thieves are often opportunist, so the more they have to work, the better. The main thing is, if you leave it in any one spot long enough, you could have trouble. So, do those things, naturally, having a welded ball is a must. Lock your chains and hitch(it's super cheap insurance)with a good ball lock, and remember, Fear IS the mind killer.
Great advice Dean! We like the idea of moving the trailer around occasionally. The welded ball is also something not everyone thinks about.
Sometimes no matter what you do.."stuff" happens as I found out at my home..
So. Always take pictures of everything and ingrave ID #s
(Troppers told me this).
I'm am looking for a TD. Anyone know where I can find one?
Taking electric drill or electric impact with you and take all the lug nuts off and leave the wheels on where it's easy to put them right back on when you get back. Not too many people going around with extra lug nuts unless the ones on their vehicle happened to match like you said all you can do is slowing a thief down chain it to the tree. But I'm with you on the door leave it open. Always leave a radio playing where they may think somebody's in their
A sleep
Thanks for these great suggestions. We have had a handful of folks who don't agree on the open door. It has been fun to read through these comments and just see how we all see the world slightly different.
Even easyer take the valve stems out 2 flats will do it!
your site is so cool, so much we trailer spoil brats can learn and improve what is already owned. i never thought to convert this ski boat trailer to mini-camper until i ran into your DIY site. thanks and i hope others share their ideas with openness. i learned one more thing on using a locked hub nut to deter thief remove the wheel. thanks all, bob
Some years ago I came back from hiking to find my camper trailer (tent style) all packed up the padlocks I used as shackles on the safety chains connected to the car cut off the trailer it was a few feet from its parked location saved by the two piece square tubing wheel lock I had made it had a steel disk on each end covering the wheel nuts disguised as a hub cap the tube passed through the tyre rim and connecting to the other side when they drove off the wheels locked up and they gave up Lucky for me or a $20K camper would of been lost.
These days I leave a trail camera set up nearby its shocking to see how many people have a casual look around a camp site for valuables left unattended regards Mike
That is a bit unnerving. Both the potential theft story and the things you catch on your trail cam. Great suggestions by the way. Also, it is nice to hear your honesty. We have had a handful of Aussies on here tell us that they don't have any of these issues in their homeland. Which surprised me, because through my travels I have come to gather that no matter where you are there are always good apples and not so good apples walking around looking for trouble. My wife and I after all these comments just decided either Australia has the nicest people on earth or a really strict punishment for theft and aggression.
@@PlayingwithSticks Australia has changed a lot in the 50 years I have lived here and a lot has changed in the last 20 years the drug ice has made its way to every corner of the country.Most theft is the opportunist car parks on hike trails and campsites close enough to towns are a risk we all have to do our bit not leaving valuables in cars and making it just hard enough for them not to bother regards mike
@@kisbushcraftdownunder I would say the same with the States. It really isn't scary like the media makes it out to be. Like you said most of our theft is coming from opportunistic thieves. They aren't sitting out there preying on individuals. Is Ice, what we call Meth here?
@@PlayingwithSticks yes it all methamphetamines of some form
Here in the UK I bought a specifically made heavy duty steel triangle with locking wheel nuts. You take one wheel off replace with the triangle and locking nuts, leave it on the 'public' side so a) opportunists wouldn't have the necessary gear b) everyone would see and it'd be obvious the trailer is being 'messed' with..... great for any 'small-wheeled' vehicle.
oh and chuck the wheel in the boot of your car.....hoping no one steals your car ;0
Do you happen to know what that piece of equipment is called? Sounds great.
@@PlayingwithSticks sorry, I've sold my caravan and gotten rid of all the paperwork. I've had a look on the net, but, can't find it. If I see it again, I will certainly let you know. Maybe if you knew a blacksmith/welder, one could be made to your spec? Flat bottom to the triangle shape with the wheel hub in the middle and a set of wheel nuts?? Spoken like a girl, who obviously thinks men can do anything !! lol
Good info! After all the time spent building my teardrop, I’d be sick if it were stolen!
Glad you enjoyed the info. If ours was stolen, not a huge deal. But, if we owned yours and it was stolen we would literally cry. You have been meticulous on the design of your teardrop. It is basically a piece of art. And, it has so many great bells and whistles. We are really excited to watch your videos of you getting out there with your teardrop. Safe travels!
Playing with Sticks Very much appreciated. They’re all too special to be stolen though. I may pick up a couple of the items you mentioned. Thanks again!
Shame that one has to address this issue, but redundant " Stoppages " will deter many a Thief . The best will succeed . I hope you the best. Been two years since this video. Aug. 30 , 2021.
Locks are for honest people.
There's a reason that saying is used so much and unfortunately that's probably because it's true.
Yep. Just watch the lock picking lawyer. Big assed dog, is a decent deterrent, but I just don’t keep expensive gear and my tiny trailer is a base model.
Honest people don't go around stealing stuff.
My idea for towing hook security was to get a smith to make me a cast iron box open on one end with a groove so that I could slide it past the locking handle + a bar that I could slide behind with a hole bored through so that I could secure it with a granite padlock. It was approved by the insurance company which was a load off my mind. I also have a wheel lock which has already proved it,s usefulness. I also had in my car a battery operated air pressure alarm system which I have mounted in the kitchen. Looking at various american videos there are loads of ideas for everyone, it only takes a bit of work to look it up. Roy,Haarlem,Holland.
As you said, none of the individual measures are thief proof but, a visible combination of measures may deter the thief to go somewhere else.
We've had a couple of comments on here that say that takes too long. But honestly all these locks take us about 1 minute or less to put in place. We've also found from these comments most people suggest trailer insurance and a GPS tracking device.
@@PlayingwithSticks That is true but only if the thief is an expert and have all the needed tools with him/her. For example, most of the rotary tools can cut any of the precautionary provisions in second to a couple of minutes. Nevertheless, they may have a hmmer or something of prying bar (e.g big screw driver), but most people don't have a rotary or cutting tool in their vehicles. So installing all the redundant measures could discourage them or make them look an easier pray.
Regarding the GPS, I can't recommend one but I'm looking at this one for my boat. Batteries supposedly last for 3 weeks, and insured of a contract, you can get sim cards from a cell phone company for $5 for 30 days service:.
www.amazon.com/Tracker-Waterproof-Tracking-Motorcycles-Vehicles/dp/B01N6H70C9/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?keywords=gps+car+tracker&qid=1561573908&s=gateway&sprefix=gps+car+tr&sr=8-9
Thank you for this link. We really like the vibration feature. If by chance we were hiking in an area that has cell coverage and somebody comes up and jumps in the trailer or starts to mess with it we could get an alert before they potentially even take off. That itself is pretty neat. And the $5 SIM card that's pretty small dollars to protect your trailer. Thanks again for this info.
@@PlayingwithSticks you are welcome
@@outdoorsman2b918 Absolutely, These people want a total guarantee that they're trailer won't get stolen. Thats just not going to happen. All you can do is make life hard on the typical thief that doesn't have all the bells and whistles thief tools. And Thats 95 % of them. The super professional thief your not going to stop anyway. But the odds are with you actually at least because of this. They are rare.
Thanks for the sage advice, Drew. And thank you guys out there in the comment section.. there are some genius ideas I want to put into practice.
I’ve recommended this video to my friends with RVs and travel trailers.
Thank you Ann! We will be taking out a couple new trailers this summer. This is a good reminder for me to start looking at the security side of trailer ownership. Never hurts to start putting things in place now so there’s more time for fun in the summer!
love your vids.. great family times..so sad that society has reached a point where there's always someone willing to steal others stuff.worked on mine sites and have had 50 ton excavators stolen!!no matter what you do,a thief will work something out.Would love to come to alaska...beautiful country
Thanks for the sweet comment Bob. We can't imagine what a loss a 50 ton excavator would be. The thought of losing a small camper trailer is tough I can't imagine losing heavy operating equipment. Alaska is waiting for you Bob!
@@PlayingwithSticks thanks mate. might one day look you up..love from New Zealand
Bob, we didn't realize we were chatting with a Kiwi. We would love to get over to your side of the world as well. We spend a lot of time in Indonesia, but have never made it down to NZ. We would love to take a small camper trailer into the wop wops of your beautiful country!
@@PlayingwithSticks you'd really feel at home, big rivers , mountains covered in snow, fresh air and a million places to explore!!(and that's just out of my kitchen window)if you like the wop wops it's the place for you(and the family)
Locks only keep honest people, honest! Great video. Just making it tough to get to is a great way to keep your stuff yours.
And if you have a generator, make sure it's put away. Locks and chains don't stop anything.
Glad you enjoyed it Frederick!
That is a great suggestion. Sometimes it is hard because you don't have anywhere to store the generator that won't be impacted by the gasoline smell. We have seen some pretty neat locked cages folks have built up here to keep their generator from running off. But, like everything else we mentioned if they really want it, they will find a way.
No, honest people wouldn't be trying to steal it. Locks keep lazy thieves from expending a large amount of time and effort to steal YOUR rig. Makes them move on to an easier target.
That Reese coupler lock took me exactly 4 seconds to pop off with a 3’ pry bar
What is the best option for parking in a public area?
1. Keep truck and trailer connection through hitch ball using just a hitch receiver lock and coupler latch lock
Or
2. Disconnect trailer from truck hitch ball and use proven industries coupler lock and also a coupler pin/latch lock
The trailer I have is brand new and is fully enclosed used to transport my side by side… I’ve searched all over the internet to try and find which way is better to go about. To me I believe it would be better to disconnect the trailer from the truck hitch ball and use a full coupler lock….
Hope to hear back! Thank you,
Max-Coupler.
That’s my “go to”.
We would agree the max-coupler is definitely the way to go!
We have a 1957 Cardinal trailer with every system you've listed on it JUST for parking at our home (only our tire boot is a Tri-Max which covers the lug nuts). We store the vintage/antique goodies in her that we use for rallies etc. So... her sentimental cargo has things like Jadeite glass, antique restaurant dishes, silverware, vintage laces and more. We have a heavy duty (Tri-Max) boot jack displayed on the roadside of her so the "smash and grap" thugs know it won't be an easy target. There is a motion detector (discreetly) mounted inside also so if SOME ONE opens the door it trips the house alarm system. This wont help ya boondocking but lately we've read about thefts RIGHT from people's homes. A BIG POINT TO NOTE since we have done a lot of boondocking over the years. Rodents and other "wire loving" varmints are the WORST opportunists of all. Takes them no time to comfortably chew into/move into your boondocked trailers and destroy them. We just tow - in and out.
My wife loves your style of trailer. So classic and romantic. We love how you carry around the antique goodies. It is like a living museum on wheels. Trimax seems to understand the need out there. They really are making some great products. Like you mentioned most of the stolen camper trailers we hear about on forums and blogs are coming right out of people's backyards. We had a post last week from a gentleman who had 3 different teardrops stolen during his lifetime. He thinks he has a good system now in place, similar to yours. Thanks for the tips on the rodents. Our friends over @OurScampLife suggest plugging every potential hole with dryer sheets. Something about the chemicals in the dry sheets wards off all rodents from chewing up the wiring over the winter. Probably wouldn't hurt to keep them in year round and exchange them out every 6 months or so. Thanks again for sharing about your Cardinal trailer and your security setup.
Also :-). I once knew an older gentleman who would tie beer cans to fishing line and put them around his campsite. That sure made for a funny story.
That actually sounds like a pretty good idea. At least for when you are sleeping out in the boonies. It at least would give you a second or two warning :)
good idea but one question .. empty cans to make noise or full ones so thief takes beer & goes away ??
In the Marines.. we had something better... they were called Claymores....
If you're driving off to get supplies, or something, take the wheels with you. You can't do this on a day hike, but you can for a shopping trip, or a visit into town. Also, dogs. Nothing's foolproof, but there's lots of things you can do to make it harder.
Great suggestion on removing the wheels. I can't imagine anyone willing to go through the hassle to take that trailer.
My tongue took 2 bolts to remove. If there ain't no place to put a hitch, it ain't going anywhere.
Good thought. Thanks for sharing.
I was quite suprised at all the locks on the tow bar, there,s a simpler method if you,re handy with a welding kit, if not a smith will do it for you. I have a cast iron box that fits over my tow bar + I had it converted by having a groove cut into it so that it slid by the release handle + had a bar + welded holders fitted so I could slide the bar behind the handle + a hole drilled into the end for a granite lock. I had that on my other caravan for 10 yrs + never had any problems. Roy.
Someone posted a link to your video in my FB group Teardrop Camper Adventures. Glad they did, I had not seen your channel. Well done. Subscribed. 😊 -Mark
Thanks Mark! We will have to check out your Facebook Group.
nice overview, thanks! How did you get all your locks keyed the same?
Get a large, de-venomed rattlesnake to leave loose in the trailer when you’re away.
Don’t forget to bring a biohazard bag to clean up after the would-be thief. 😉😎
Tim Downey Why de-venomized?
@@outbackeddie DUH!
If you have batteries on the trailer tongue, get them secured as well. I had my 2 Trojan T-105 batteries stolen from my trailer in my drive way, in broad daylight in a nice neighborhood. I just had them in those plastic boxes with straps to hold them down. So now I have them in a metal box I built, with locking lid to secure them. I also added cable locks to the propane tanks and wheels, although those might easily be cut, at least is is some deterrent.
Thieves are lazy. And they also don’t want to get caught. The more locks you have the more hoops they have to jump through to get away with your trailer. The less likely they are to try to steal it. Also you could use a short chain to chain your rim to the trailer frame. So that acts as a wheel lock. Plus with a short chain they’ll have a tire they need to drag away and/or do something with.
Great info!!
Great suggestion! So simple, but very effective. Sometimes the most simple solutions are the best solutions. Thank you.
The receiver lock and the ball hitch lock can be removed with just one blow from a hammer. The male end that inserts into the lock is so skinny one hit down will break it off. The ball hitch-if you hit the top bar forward will pop that bar of the top of the hitch.
Crazy isn't it. We have a couple videos linked in the description that shows exactly what you are talking about. One of the videos has people busting off the locks just using a bar to pry them off.
Hide a simple GPS unit on your camper...locating it will be super easy and revenge will be a sweet surprise...!!!
That is a great suggestion. We have decided to pull out the old phone. Unfortunately ours holds a small charge But long enough for a few short hikes during the week.
Good tips. Locks only keep honest people honest. And locks have serious downfalls... from pranksters filling the keyhole with JB weld... or the dang thing freezes up / you lose the key or it's stolen. If you want to enjoy peace of mind throw crooks a curve ball by reengineering your tow bar. It's what I've done and it's unique, no videos or pictures of it online. It's harder is all, not impossible. But harder is better.
Great suggestion!
So sad that you have to jump through so many hoops just to secure your own belongings. I absolutely HATE thieves; they are without excuse.
It really is sad! Especially beings it is pretty rare, but we all have to watch out for it because it only takes one time and you are out everything you worked so hard to acquire.
Dad always said if a thief wants your stuff, he is going to get it. Locks are great for grab it and go theft. Saddlebags locks on my bike for that reason. Anything you can do to help.
There's a simple socket to remove lug nuts, even stripped or lockable lug
That is good to know....and also sad to know. Thanks for sharing Michael.
Some lock nuts have spinning rings on them. I stripped the matching socket so I tried a regular socket with no success. Had to use angle grinder to cut the ring off. Then tried the regular socket again. No luck. Had to use the angle grinder again to create a hex shape and finally was able to remove it. Took me hours.
*GPS tracker and removing the safety chains are another good way to make it harder if not impossible for a thief to take your trailer. I've seen another video where you cut the chain at the tongue and put in clasp or hatch links that look like carabiners and remove the safety chains all together when you get where you're going*
Love the idea of removing the chains. Makes sense. If they can't get to your receiver and they can't get to your chains they are going to have to get a team of Clydesdales to push it away :)
This sounds great! Can you link what "links" that look like carabiners that you recommend? Thanks.
Claymores are effective
sure, but you have nothing to show to the officer when is in every little bit pieces. that's was funny!!! humor on the run!!!
thanks for sharing. the picture is so clear. what device are you using? thank you for your time
Great tips:
As always I enjoy your content and especially watching Eas grow.
As you said if a professional wants your gear they will get it and if they think its valuable enough they eleminate you also.
I simply remove my coupler. For piece of mind, I do use a home deadbolt, I also have a few compartments which apparently are good enough that they are a hassle during border crossing.
Enjoy your time with your family and safe travels.
That is a scary thought, the eliminate you as well. But, it is true. Maybe we need to make a video on how to make your camper trailer look less valuable :) Great idea on removing the coupler David! Thanks for the sweet comment. Enjoy your time on the road as well!
@Stefano Dawg They definitely will!
Great info... I have had a sticky finger try to grab my camper in 2001 while in western colorado. Fortuneatly i came upon the turd and a crack from my 22 sent him running. He used a hammer to break the coupler lock . I did not have a spare but i did have an assortment of threaded bolts and nuts. I placed a spare ball in the coupler and with a bolt through the latch holes i tightened the nut firmly.. Most turds dont carry an assortment of wrenches in their pockets. .......... Still use it today but if they really want they will get it. Thought about booby traps i learned in Nam but thats a different story... Good Luck.
That is awful! Glad you were able to catch him. To me there is not much worse than a thief. I just don't get it. People worked hard for what they own. Don't take that away from them.
...they have a GPS anti-hijack device in Britain that's helped recover stolen motorcycles and construction equipment...that, and a trail-cam...
That sounds like a great combination. Thanks for sharing with everyone.
Love the guitar strumming intro soundtrack. Very soothing.
Love it. This is the type of music we enjoy but Drew's mom is always saying "why do you play such depressing music?" To us it isn't depressing, but I guess I can see how others would see that.
Running a chain from the axle to a tree makes sense to me.
We have had a few people make this same suggestion. We agree, that is a great idea.
So the chain can't be cut ????
what about those of us with no axle?
You can place a magnetic GPS tracker on your rig/vehicle, in case it is stolen. Amazon has one called Tracki that costs $25 and $20/mo cell monitoring. It lasts a little over a week before it needs a recharge, depending on the settings.
Love that it uses a magnetic. Basically plug and play after setting up the $20 service. Thanks for sharing Chris.
Thank you 👍
You are most welcome!
Great video thanks. I would definitely add a GPS tracker to this list. It will not prevent the rig from theft but provides a good probability of recovery. In the past I used a small Gramin tracker to protect my ATV's and side by side. Unfortunately, Garmin stopped providing the service so I am stuck with really cool-looking useless devices . I am currently looking at other options. Unfortunately, some of the best options require a subscription. Geat videos though, love your work!
Apple Air Tags?
Very valuable information. Thank you. A system approach to deterrence is the way to go. Ever think about proximity alarms and surveillance cams?
Glad you enjoyed it Stan. We have read in forums that a lot of folks use very low cost proximity alarms, basically the 7 eleven style of alarm where if someone passes the threshold the alarm sounds. We will be mentioning this style of alarm in our next video for protecting yourself at night while boondocking (at least it gives you a 1 second heads up that someone is coming and all the noise may deter them from coming any closer). A camera is a great idea. Even if you had a dummy camera pointed at the trailer it may deter thieves. One you just reminded me of could be a game cam. You could hide that high in a tree. And that way if they did end up stealing your rig at least you would have surveillance footage and possibly a license plate to go off of. Thanks Stan for getting us thinking outside the box!
Methinks you are OUT of the price range of such owners... i.e. more for electronics than the basic teardrop camper... seriously...
I've seen a few of your videos on other teardrops. Your's seems to stand-out! Nice