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10 Tips to Prevent Your Trailer From Being Stolen!!
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- Опубліковано 4 лис 2021
- Do you own a trailer? If so, are you taking all the proper precautions to keep it safe? It only takes minutes, if not seconds for a thief to steal your trailer out of your driveway, campsite or even from behind your truck if you don’t make it a harder target. In this video, I will give you my top 10 tips to prevent your trailer from being stolen.
#ItsTheChad #stolentrailers #securingyourtrailer
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I was turning into my neighborhood when a truck passed me towing my trailer. I turned around and followed the guy while calling 911 on my cell phone. The police caught up with him about 5 miles from my house. They made him return my trailer to my house then arrested him for theft !!!!!!
Outstanding! A win for the good guys!
You were lucky to be in the right place at the right time
Damnnjustice servered
After they arrested him I thought you were going to say they gave you a ticket for using your cell phone while driving!
thieves have no chill!
Pretty good video. as LEO of 20 years who has taken tons of stolen trailer reports, this is all pretty good stuff. I have saw all of it defeated though. if pros, they will bring a chain, wrap it around the tongue, wrap it around their ball, and off they go. I had a report on a cargo trailer full of tools one time with a full yellow boot on it and tongue lock, where they did the chain trick dragged it 2 miles down a rural country road in the middle of the night, gouging the asphalt, taking back into the trees where they could take their time cutting the door locks and cleaned out the tools. it wasnt hard for me to find it... as I just followed the gouge trail left by the boot...
3 things I will add:
1. get a few stickers made up "GPS Tracked" and put them where they are visible. whether you have it tracked or not. That will make them think twice and the thought of them searching tip to tail for a tracker that isnt there frantically is funny to me. they dont know if its really tracked or not.
2. The BEST deterrent I have ever saw was a farmer who got tired of his trailer being stolen, so he welded a ball on top of a 3 inch piece of pipe, concreted it in the ground, leaving it sticking up about 18 or so inches so he could unhook his trailer, pull it over to the concreted ball and hook it up. Coupled with a hitch lever lock that covers the shackle and doesnt allow them to cut it off, that renders the trailer near impossible to steal unless they have the hour it would take and a cordless grinder to cut the ball off the pipe... which I highly doubt they would do, as thieves are lazy, which is why they are thieves, and will simply move on....
3. lastly. the only chance you have of getting your stolen trailer back is if it has serial numbers so we can enter into the National Crime Information Computer (NCIC) as stolen. That way it can be ran by another officer if found on a traffic stop, or often pawn shops are required by some local jurisdictions to report when they buy serialized items so they can be ran by the local PD. many trailers have no VIN or serial number. If yours doesnt, no problem. Grab a stamp kit from harbor freight, make up a number at least 5 or more alpha / numeric characters that you can remember (DONT USE SSN!) and stamp that sucker right on the tongue, side, and back where its visible. You can use the same number on all your trailers, tools, whatever, and now that item is unique, identifiable as yours, and can be entered into the NCIC computer as a stolen trailer / tool/ whatever it is and anyone caught in possession of it has explaining to do.
Thank you for your service! All great advise as well. I love the old farmers invention! I had never thought about the GPS tracker stickers. I really like that tip! As for marking all the tools the same is also a great way to have all your info in the database under one number. Smart! I appreciate you taking the time to write these tips out for everyone to read. Stay safe!
#2 is awesome and the GPS TRACKED stickers are a great idea!
I'm getting ready to take my enclosed trailer out to the airport and basically leave all year. I have a sign shop and will make up some GPS Tracking stickers as well. Great idea! Thanks.
Great advice, thank you
I have used the #2 method a good bit, and as a bonus you can load and unload vehicles on the trailer while it's hitched to the stationary ball, which is dangerous or impossible with a loose trailer. I have found that with a typical hitch, you need to place a collar over the ball (slides down to the base) before hookup to inhibit the coupler from opening if/when the adjustment nut gets loosened. I used a piece of 2" exhaust pipe for this. You will have to experiment to get the length right. In addition, you want a larger flat round plate welded on top of the post - like a 6" disc with the ball in the middle.
This is great! Also, a GPS tracker on the frame to track down a stolen trailer!
Thank you! I am new to the trackers, but love them!
absolutely .. a hidden tracker and battery thats has long term capacity is ideal !!
Chad your lucky some dude didn't stop u. Wherein black mask. Lol
Ty Hornet. Sting good 👋
apple air tags last about a year(it's a replaceable CR2032) and are one of the easiest to use, assuming you have an apple product already and live somewhere where there is a chance other apple users will pass regularly(so not podunknowhere)
there are of course way better options, but tossing one in it somewhere till you can upgrade is an option
This is actually great advice for ANY type of trailer. I just bought a teardrop RV and this is some of the best advice I've seen yet. Thanks for your help!
I appreciate it and congrats! Teardrops are so cool! Stay safe out there and thanks for watching!
It's a shame we have to go through all of this and spend extra money on securing our trailers because we have scumbags roaming the neighborhood.
You said it! I do like reading some folks comments about how thieves tried and failed to get their trailers. Good stuff! Thanks for commenting and for watching!
The motels, the resorts, the boat yards,
Yep,scumbags.
Worse then ever now with lenient judges and little prison time for stealing.
@@jimcochrane7826 lol. . Is that a fact?
We had a neighbor ( 65 yr old) that mowed commercially he had 2 huge expensive zero turn mowers. He had mowed a huge account arrived home supper on the table, went to sleep in his recliner. He had his other big account to mow early the next morning so he left his mowers on the trailer in his driveway with 2 vehicles in front of the trailer. Now we live out in country with 20 or so neighbors . When he went out around 6:30 am his thousands of $$$ was gone!!! It was so madding!!!! Our neighbor died from a heart attack about 3 months later.
Yes the equipment was insured but someone drove into their driveway and drove off with his property while he and his wife were sleeping!
Evil is all around us!
Thank you for the tips.
God bless you.
That ticks me off! Stealing equipment like that can financially ruin a business. Like you said. Even if insured, you have to wait on the claim, then find another trailer and replace all the equipment. Most clients wouldn’t want to wait. I do believe in Karma, so hopefully they get what’s coming!
I guarantee you that those assholes who stole it WILL BE CAUGHT AND PUNISHED!!!!!
Thank you so much for making this video! I'm about to purchase my first trailer and was worried about theft. Your video has been so informative. Just ordered all the necessary hardware to secure the trailer and feeling much confident about it now
I appreciate it! There has been a bunch of great tips in the comments as well. Best of luck and thanks for watching!
Best security video yet on trailer thieves
I really appreciate the feedback! I’m sure hope it can help!
Had a 16" tandem axle stolen. The trailer hitch coupler had a lock on it and the trailer was parked 150' off the road deep into my property. Three years later I found it, sitting in the front yard of the property located directly behind my property. They had repainted it blue and ground off the VIN tag. I had gotten into the habit of looking at every trailer built like my stolen trailer. Years before I had taken detailed photos of construction to build another trailer for work and still had the photos to identify it. I also had photos showing it with tie downs bolted on that were now missing but the holes for them were still visible including 2 pilot holes I drilled in the wrong location. The trailer had a stolen license plate on it, the property owner claimed they bought the trailer for $500 at a gas station and the bill in sale wasn't immediately available because it was "in storage". The thief had no valid registration or plate and no bill of sale to prove ownership so the local police impounded it so a Texas State Trooper could attempt to identify it. I did have to pay for towing and impound but still got my trailer back.
Wow! Sounds like you did things right! I’m glad you took photos! Proactive steps like this was probably the only way you got it back. Keep up the good work! Thank you for sharing your story with all of us!
Jon - did the thief….. I mean loving neighbor get into legal trouble? At some point of value, theft becomes a felony.
That’s rare but nice to hear
Charges pressed?
Good point. If your trailer is "stock" MAKE SOME CUSTOM CHANGES (even if not "useful"), maybe holes in Morse code with your name (ok, that MAY be a little extreme, but you get the idea)
To all of that (which was good), for long term storage (especially outdoors) I would add periodically checking, releasing, and lubricating your locks and then re-locking them. Left untouched out in the elements for long periods, locks can seize. I regularly and liberally apply silicone spray to my trailer locks.
Another great tip! I don't use mine all that often and some of the rubber caps have worn off exposing them to the wonderful Kansas weather! Thanks for bring that up!
SEAL THE KEY HOLE WITH VASELINE AFTER SPRAYING SILICONE INSIDE.
@Ryan Thompson here in Texas we try. As a matter of fact, the law protects those that protect our neighbors.
@kentuckyken I've run into that issue with my John Deere's (open station, no cab) ignition switch...I just stick a piece of electrical tape over the keyhole; that keeps the bugs ("muddabers", earwigs, spiders) out of it...that would work with open keyholes on locks too.
I've found over a few years that bar oil seems to keep locks and latches + more working well. Bar oil, chainsaw type.
It is a shame we have to endure so many criminals in our communities.
I hear you! Hopefully we can deter or at least slow things down. Stay safe out there!
@@barryallen6293 Now everyone else has to subsidize your new trailer. Nope. Id rather the thieves rot in jail.
All great suggestions and the key is adding multiple layers of security as most crooks are lazy and look for the easy ones to steal. The lack of wheels makes it even more secure. Thanks
You're spot on! I like pulling the wheels. Keeps them from weather rotting too. Thanks for sharing and for watching!
@Kevins: yeap but if a tractor is on it, can't take off woods. Most people are actively using it - if just sitting idle, yeah, take off the wheels.
Best lock we've found is a piece of black iron pipe with a steel eye welded in each end. Run it through the holes in the two rims (under the trailer) with a lock on either side. Tires will not roll and they are hard to cut off having to climb under with cordless grinder. You can thwart the grinder a bit by putting pieces of roundbar that are loose enough inside the pipe so they roll when the grinder hits them. Then they have to cut all the way around the pipe with the grinder. You can kill the lock on one side of the deal with a head on the pipe (like a nail) but then you have to slide it all the way through from one side which is a pain in a carport or covered parking. If you use locks with no exposed hasp its a pretty bulletproof solution. Usually the theif wont even see the pipe through the wheels and will try to drag the trailer off and the wheels will lock up then they have to get free of it with all the racket theyve made.
Great tips! I like the thinking outside the box!
They could just cut the locks off with bolt cutters
Just use unistrut and place through the holes in wheels using locks on either side plus a lock just before the wheel inside with a chain wrapped to each leaf spring.
@@joerabid8313I work with unistrut every day, that stuff can be cut like butter.
Well put, locks only keep away the honest criminals. When our boat is laid up for winter I prefer the wheel removal and let it sit on a block so the crims have to bring a jack and they have to try and guess the lug pattern properly. It’s up against a fence so on the fence side I put a chain around the frame and around a metal fence post. All you can do is try. Cheers Stuart 🇦🇺
Thank you! Sounds like you have a good plan in place. All the small things add up to be a pain for the thief. I appreciate you sharing and thanks for watching!
My point exactly... Can't really see the LUG nuts have been removed... They will not be ready for that... Or... Even one step further... Drill out some lug nuts to put them on when you remove the actual lug nuts...
I like the taking off the wheels and using cinder blocks idea. Cheap easy
Heck yeah! Saves the tires from weathering too! Thanks for watching!
I have no idea why UA-cam recommended it to me, but it's great to see grown up Bobby Hill and know that everything is good with him
Love it! Just remember, dad says butane is the bastard gas!
Adding a SPOT Trace or other such GPS tracker is super useful. The breadcrumb feature and time stamps can be pretty handy in a recovery. Place it in a hard-to-find/access spot, if you can. I put heavy-duty black tape over the blinking LEDs so as not to attract attention to the unit in case the worst should happen.
I would mount the GPS tracker in a heavy duty plastic enclosure directly underneath the middle of the trailer's crossbar. A thief would never see it especially at night.
Great tip covering the LEDs! Thanks for commenting and watching!
Great idea! Plus it will protect it from normal abuse. Thanks for the tip!
What type of GPS do you recommend
@@bobbywall2000 many viewers have mentioned Air tags and Tiles for good entry level.
Great video with many useful tips on preventing trailer theft. I suggest that a trailer owner takes out a replacement insurance policy. For me, it's around $50 per year. In the event of theft or damage, it replaces my trailer, job box and accessories attached to it. Having locks and other deterrents are great preventatives, but if a thief wants it bad enough, they'll get it. There are plenty of YT videos on how to bypass locks.
Thank you Mark! That is a very fair price for replacement coverage if you ask me. Do your best to prevent it from being stolen, have it marked well or tracked and have coverage on the back end! Good tips! I appreciate you reaching out and thanks for watching!
@@C10TruckNerd Part of a good relationship with your insurance agent is to show that you made a good faith effort in prevention. I plan to stamp the VIN numbers in various parts of the frame and job box of my trailer.
Thank you Chad. We took your advice and put in place security measures you recommended on our 5x8 box trailer. Secured the chains,the ball lock and the handle,also bought a 2 boots for the tires,and the pin lock for the tow hitch on the car as well. We are on the process to stamp the serial number on it as well as per your other video. We have lots of camping equipment on our trailer and definitely want to protect our investment. Thank you once again for your knowledge of it We are very grateful to you.
Thank you Melvin! Hopefully with the steps you have taken will keep it safe for years to come!
Give it a custom paint job and custom look… The custom paint job helps identify the trailer… The extra paint helps protect it from rust. Having a trailer that looks just like the thousands of other trailers near you, only helps it blend in, and makes it easier for the thieves to sell. Make it hot pink, lime green, or use as many different colors as possible. Give it a nice custom paint job or an ugly one… As long as it stands out and doesn’t look like all the rest of them. Weld a bunch of extra stuff all over it (stuff that is not easy to cut off in order to bring it back to a stock look). No thief wants to bother painting and modifying an entire trailer, that would be like stealing a bunch of extra work…
Great tip, thanks!! 👍
I have found that replacing the hubs with seized hubs, removing the tires and cutting the entire hitch off, then removing the floor decking and cutting the frame into about 16 pieces and putting all the pieces in your cellar will usually slow down a thief. The only downside is the 29 hours you need to reassemble your trailer every time you need it. Thank me later...
You made my day with this one! I laughed out loud! To bad it’s true. Stay safe out there!
Took your advice. Anyone know how to put it back together? Lol
@@Thankful13jb weld
@@Thankful13😂
😂😂😂
Just got a trailer -- thanks for putting this together! Great information - appreciate you breaking things down like this!
Thanks Alan! I'm glad this helped out! Best of luck with the new trailer. Keep it safe and thanks for watching!
#11 attach your safety chains to a grenade pin before locking them together, carefully hide grenade under the coupler and wrap in a pool noodle. This hides the grenade and protects your shins while walking past. The grenade acts as an alarm system and helps police identify the would-be thief via DNA and lets them search for a one legged suspect not far from your property. There is a special place in my heart for thieves. Hope this helps!
Now that’s thinking outside the box! I do need to add the pool noodles!
Good info! I've also added a length of hardened chain through the frame of the trailer and then through one of the safety chain connections of the trailer hitch to make it harder to steal while you make a stop anywhere
Thanks James and great tip! Keep up the good work!
the Company I work with has genius management, we got one time stolen $60,000 worth trailer ( that is used to haul special heavy duty equipment and sometimes conex boxes for big projects ) we have tracking GPS devices , every truck and van and trailer and conex is equiped with one and linked Nation wide to security company we hired to monitor them all , the 4 guys who stole it ? all now serving 5 years in prison . :)
great educational video , thanks for sharing
Awesome! It’s good to hear folks get prosecuted when they get caught. I’m glad the tracker came through! Thanks for sharing and stay safe!
You must live in a red state. Here in Commiefornia they'd get probation and food stamps.
Pulling all the tires and relocating them to a remote location has worked for me . Better for UV on the tires as well.
I like to do that too! Tires aren't cheap and mine tend to flat spot pretty easy if not. Thanks for reaching out!
Thank you for posting this video, I can tell you from experience, that I have used several of these lock mechanisms to no avail, either professionals or amateurs stole my utility trailer, first they cut through cable around my 2 - 10’ foot farm gates, it had a heavy duty lock on it, they found it easier to cut the cable with a cut off wheel, next they cut through the receiver ball lock the yellow one with the “U” that you showed, and then they cut through the receiver release mechanism lock. So now I have to come up with a new method for securing the replacement trailer that I’m about to purchase. My father-in-law recommended digging two holes 3 foot deep 6 to 8 inches in diameter filling them with concrete and two eyebolts that will go directly under the axle chain the axle to the two eyebolts in an inconspicuous place where you can’t see it when you’re in a hurry to get out of somebody’s property. Hopefully they’ll pull the bumper off of the truck trying to remove my trailer and yes I will hide in a more secure location directly behind a house which makes it inconvenient for mowing I will have to move it every time but I won’t have to worry hopefully about someone stealing it again and I say that hopefully
Sorry that happened! You did what you could! I like the tips you mentioned earlier. If slyly scroll through some of the comments you will find some pretty outside the box options. There are some pretty good descriptions of how to build them as well. Hope some of the groups tips will work out for your new setup! Thanks for sharing and watching!
You can also make a trap which is difficult for thieves to access. I would bury a steel post in front of the trailer, then use a very large chain and attach it to the post which is anchored to another post cemented into the ground. If you have a welded "Eye" on this post you can use a padlock to secure it. Use a box which is too small for anyone to insert a cutoff tool or cutter to prevent them from cutting the lock. This is similar to the way posts are secured in many cities where they need access to a street but the street is not open to vehicles (except bicycles) and pedestrians.
Seems like a good way to damage your axle. But I guess it’s better than losing your property
A license plate is required by some States - such as Az on all trailers, which is a good idea & helps
prevent stolen trailers. In Utah - no license plate is required on single axle trailers and thefts are
much more prevalent. (Most manufactured trailers have a serial # stamped on them that will
be on the registration with the plate.) However, I fully agree that using coupler & pin locks will help deter
and protect your valuables. Very good video - thanks for sharing !!
Thank you! I see the same here. If they aren’t tagged and titled, they are more likely to be targeted. At least we could have some type of tracking history with paperwork.
just bought my first trailer and this is my biggest concern, great video I already had two layers, but your safety chains and long cable lock ideas are going on there today.
Congrats on your purchase! Glad to see you being proactive. There have been some excellent tips and homemade devices from folks down in the comments as well! Thanks for reaching out and stay safe out there!
Great video and advice. I back my trailer up against a brick wall, backed up to the house so two sides are tight to blockage. Drilled a hole in the concrete and installed a 1/2” x 5” eye bolt with heavy duty construction adhesive in the hole, pushing the eye bolt thru the adhesive. Chain my trailer frame to that, have the yellow hitch lock you showed, chain the safety chains to the frame and chain the outside, exposed wheel, to the frame and leaf spring both. And it sits I plain site of my neighbors. When using the trailer, I take the lock for the safety chains and lock the safety chains to my frame mounted hitch assembly where the safety chains clip on. Leave enough slack for turns! Not 100% but bad guys want quick, unseen and easy. This makes it take time and leaves bad guys visible. And it takes just about 1 minute extra to unlock all and hook up to use. Total of 4 locks using 2 keys - 3 pad locks and the hitch lock. Again, great advice. Lock it or lose it.
Sounds like you have a great setup Daniel. I know it took some time and money up front to get things in place, but hopefully it pays off in the long run! Sometimes it okay to have nosy neighbors too! I appreciate you sharing what works for you and thanks for watching!
A few years ago, I had my trailer, that I kept in my yard (no fence) stolen overnight. I only had a hitch pin lock on it. On my current trailer, I have a hitch pin lock, coupler lock and a heavy chain strapped around a tree. I will now secure my safety chains, as well.
Awesome! Sounds like you got a good plan. Hopefully locking the chains will help deter a thief even more! Thank you for your time!
I can vouch for the proven industry coupler lock. Very heavy duty. Had my tool trailer stolen about 3 years ago with about 18k worth of tools and it was never recovered. For my new trailer I have the coupler lock, gps locator, a couple scissor tire locks and put on an electric tongue jack that has a kill switch in the trailer. I figured redundancies would be better.
Thanks for sharing your story and recommendations! It’s good to hear what is working out there for others. I agree with you. If we can limit the opportunities, maybe they will move on. Keep up the good work and thanks for watching!
I have one as well. Love it.
Damn I don’t know if I could handle 18k worth of tools being stolen
Genius on the electric tongue jack. Thanks
I like the log chain idea, sure they could cut through it but it'd make them think twice before stealing it. I was going to suggest, if you have more than one trailer you can tie them up together with the log chain ensuring you use a hefty lock to secure it. You can also lock your trailer to other heavy equipment which doesn't have wheels. The key is to deter them from taking yours, because it would likely mean a headache to steal or they could get caught in the act. Thankfully our dogs tell us when anything screwy is happening around our place.
Dogs are a great deterrent. I had a gentleman mention earlier he had several trailers for sale at his store chained or cables together. A potential thief hooked up to one trying to rip it loose and it didn’t give. Unfortunately it slammed all of the chained trailer together damaging them all. I wouldn’t of thought about that. Thanks for sharing and for watching!
All good ideas, and I use a few of them. I have the yellow coupler lock that you showed, although a good smack with a hammer would break it off, but also causes a bunch of noise. I also have a pad lock that goes through the coupler lever. A cordless angle grinder with a cutoff wheel will make short order of that. Again, noise. I wrap my chains and lock them like you showed. I have an aircraft cable that goes over the axle and goes around the post of the house that is between 2 of my garage doors. The lock is then inside the garage. My boat trailer has a swing away tongue, so I swing it and lock that. On my camping trailer, I lower the stabilizers at all 4 corners just to cause the bad guys more time to put them all up. I take the license plates off them so if its going down the road with no plate, a cop might see that and pull it over to fine it. Other than that, I have to rely on insurance to take care of me if it disappears. Could always chain a big dog to it..... Rottweiler or German Sheppard maybe.
Sounds like you are doing a great job so far. I agree with you. Some of the items are quick work, but the combination of several does take time. Hopefully it's enough to deter or get spotted. Best of luck and keep up the good work!
Good suggestions, I have always used a hitch pin lock, even more important now as I bought an expensive GenY hitch and I can prove I own the camper serial number but that hitch would be gone. Good idea on locking the propane tanks, those would be vulnerable on mine. Having a camera or 2 pointed at the driveway also helps. Also my camper sits at a bit of an angle on the driveway so I chalk all 4 wheels, to the point I have to back up a few inches to get them off when we go to leave. Hopefully all that deters someone from taking the entire trailer.
Thank you! Sounds like you have a great routine in place! Anything you add from there can only help. Unfortunately we learn from others misfortune! Losing propane tanks would be a bummer, especially if you were already on the road. I appreciate your comments and thanks you for watching!
I had a trailer stolen years ago, it was chained to a light post.
I was thinking of a tie down, like a screw-into-the ground, a doggie tie out. Lock that hitch real close to the ground, and possibly another one or two for the tires. That would be too time consuming to get it loose.
Great ideas in your video!
I like that idea! Check out some of the great homemade tips from folks below in the comments. Thanks for sharing and for watching!
You can also run a chain through your wheels to the axle... This is a constant problem for ATVers as we often have to leave our Truck and trailer in a secluded area... Stick a trail camera in overlooking your vehicle... gives me peace of mind... The harder we make it for a thief the more likely they will move on to low hanging fruit... Thanks for the ideas....
Thank you and Great tip as well!!
I had a covered bumper pull trailer stolen 4 times. The same trailer! I didn't get it back the 4th time but I'd say my success rate in getting it back was nearly unheard of. Once they are stolen, they are typically GONE!
Wow! Yeah, that's pretty unusual. I bet you would have pretty good odds in Vegas! Did you anything (markings, distinguishing marks, gps) that helped you recover it each time?
Had someone try to steal my trailer the other night. Just had a coupler lock on it but I don't doubt they'll be back. Thanks for the tips!
Glad that stopped them so far. Hopefully a couple more layers will keep them away for good! Thank you!
Great video, I use a hitch pin lock, a coupler lock & a ball lock, my hitch on my Jeep is still there & my RV is still in the yard.
Good job being proactive! It has paid off!
A couple of more tips in regards to car trailers or boat trailers- if you have an electric winch- either peen one of the bolts over so it can't be removed without a grinder, or fit a decent quality padlock through a hole in the winch base and mount plate- I have seen waaay too many electric winches 'disappeared'... it takes only seconds to undo four bolts and chuck it in the boot of a car... 😞
(I have seen a boat ramp where thieves made off with over a dozen electric winches without anyone noticing...)
And if you have like mine an onboard battery in the battery box for the winch- I have a small 12w solar panel epoxied to the lid of the box to keep the battery topped up when not in use- you can find a 'GPS tracker/locator' for $20/$30 online- they look just like a normal 'car spotlight relay'- wire this up to your winch battery, it looks like its part of the winch controls- and as soon as it moves out of its 'geofence location' it triggers an alarm to your phone- many also have an switchable output that you can turn on and off from the phone- connect it to the electric brakes if it has them and the battery- and then you can turn the brakes on from your phone- or trigger a siren or alarm from it...
(rather than 'ye old siren' I used a 'record-able message box' $6 online lol) that has a recording of a siren sound and 'this trailer has been stolen, please note the rego of the car towing it' which loops over and over, and I can switch on from the phone...
The phone also displays the trailers location via the GPS- so you can wait until they are stopped in town and then trigger it 🤣) or just track it and follow them...then call the cops...
Tech stuff is fun.....😁
This is great stuff Steve! I think you are the 1st to mention winch protection. I didn’t even think of that! Tech is getting so affordable these days, it’s a great way to find things if they are ever stolen. Sounds like you got a great setup. Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing!!
Thanks for the ideas, and additional ideas from viewers. I have had two trailers stolen from under my bedroom window. Both were commercially made with serial numbers, "uncuttable" chain and lock, with another "uncuttable" cable running through the rims, around the axels to a telephone pole. One with the trailer jack all the way on the ground, the other with the jack all the way up. Haven't bought another trailer yet, waiting to mount the gate fence with a 6" steel pole in the ground, add the GPS tracker, will weld the half-link and chain around the axel idea, and all the other ideas that were given. It is sickening to find the trailer stolen, have also added the security camera, motion detection to a monitored alarm station, and to my cell phone, the added idea is the tripwire connected to a bear warning system, such as the "Fith Ops Shotgun Perimeter Alarms", I have told the neighbors if they should happen to hear a noise just what it might be. The city police have politely taken my information and provided me with a case number to give to the insurance company. I have not collected the insurance money because they raise the rates when you make a claim, as well as the deductible, etc. I will be watching for additional ideas. I believe they take orders for trailers, drive around find one, take pictures of the trailer, then send the crew out to pick it up. Nothing is being done to stop the sale of stolen trailers. The only thing I have heard that works are to hold the criminals at gunpoint and call the cops saying your life is being threatened. (Obviously, you can only do this if it is true.)
Sorry to hear that happened. Sounds like you have an excellent plan now!
been there and zero back up from our Sheriffs dept . not to mention they know Henry Fowler is the thief he's just as untouchable as Hillary Clinton
It's true
Here is by far the best way to avoid having your trailer stolen,
I welded 1/2 of a chain link to the inside of the rim on each side, then using a pad lock, lock a short chain to the 1/2 link and then wrap the chain around the axle. If the chain is short enough it won’t be seen and as the thief pulls away both tires are locked solid and won’t roll making a very loud screeching noise as soon as the trailer is moved. OR
RUN A CHAIN THRU THE RIM OVER THE AXLE ACROSS TO THE OTHER RIM AND LOCK IT.
The key is having the chain hidden so the thief don’t see it.
It’s going to make a lot of noise and hop/bounce down the road,
Either the tire will pop because of the flat spot from being dragged or the noise will make them release the trailer.
This is great! I actually laughed out loud imagining what that would look like as the thief drug it away! Good stuff! I appreciate the tips and thank you for watching!
Chain or cable lock a bunch of random iron to the axle, so it drags. If they drag a trailer in any manner it will be obvious by the noise and marks being made.
@@akbychoice People might think they just got married.
Won't that make your tired run out of balance when you're using it
just remove the tire or tires
I had a family member that had their cargo trailer full of tools stolen while they were asleep in the house. Never recovered.
I have 3 others that had their campers stolen out of their yards while they were away. Never recovered.
When I had to leave my flatbed trailer in a small one owner motel parking lot for a week while pulling another person's trailer I was worried about it being stolen. I took off one tire and took it with me, I put a chain and padlocked it through the other tire and around the axle, I put a padlock on the coupler lock and I took the jack handle off. Luckily it was still there when I got back.
Everything I did could have been defeated but it would have slowed the thiefs down and maybe enough to get caught.
Excellent video and I'll recommend it to my friends and camping family
Thank you Steven! Sounds like you did a great job! Sorry to hear about the other trailers. You all stay safe!
Great video Chad. What I do on the boat trailer is to remove the safety chains, all but one link, when we go to use it I attach the safety chains using a chain quick link...no chains to hang over the thieves hitch to haul away. You can have the best tongue lock in the world, but if you have loose chains, they can be looped over the thief's hitch and driven away. Additionally, I jack it up, use safety stands and remove the wheels, it can't be towed and the rubber keeps better without UV rays. My utility trailer, I recessed a 3' deep belled concrete footer with a hardened D ring where a cut-resistant chain goes through it, the axle as well as a wheel, of course, safety chains are removed with tongue locks as well. I build all my trailers, utility, goosenecks and horse trailers (except the boat trailer), I put a lot of work into them and, I want to keep them all.
Outstanding! These are excellent and cheap ways to ensure your trailers stay put. I appreciate you sharing these! I’m hope others will see your tips too! Thanks for sharing and for watching!
Make your trailer hard enough to steal they skip it and go steal your neighbor's trailer.
I am also a fan of removing wheels and chaining to a large tree.
Great video and lots of really useful tips. For chaining my trailer to something immovable I dug a big hole in the yard where I park the trailer, put a couple bags of concrete in the hole then dropped the center of a 20’ heavy duty “cut proof” chain in and covered with the remainder of the concrete in the hole and covered it back up. I wrap each end around a different section of the tongue and frame and locked them with the hardest lock I could find. It’s obviously still possible to get my trailer but they’re gonna make enough noise and spend enough time they won’t get away. I forgot to take the chains off one morning and my duramax wouldn’t pull it out of the yard. Just spun all 4 tires LOL. So you’d definitely have to cut the chains to get anywhere.
This is a great idea. Mine was similar but a piece of rebar in the concrete. I like your idea better. Ultimately if someone would design a system where you backed over a clip and it hooked around your trailer axle and released via Bluetooth I think it would be flipping sweet.
@@wnybricky1559 that would be awesome but just like everything like that some smart guy would figure out a way to mimic your Bluetooth signal and then your trailer is gone LOL. I have cameras and by the time you get one lock or chain cut I’ll be outside
@@marka1712 I hear ya. I just leave with my trailer almost every other day and don’t want to be crawling under the trailer to unhook a chain. I doubt Joey 3 teeth meth head is going to bring a computer.
Great tip Mark! You did it right if a Duramax didn’t pull it out. Thank you for letting us know your idea and thanks for watching!
@@C10TruckNerd no doubt man. I was so stumped for about 2 seconds before I remembered the chains then I was happy I did it because it gave me a little piece of mind knowing it actually holds.
A low impedance electric fence charger with a ground rod drove into the ground nearby with the hitch jack sitting on a piece of rubber can leave a lasting impression, works great for Camp Trailers and Metal Sheds too. ZAP, ZONK OW!
I like your style! I bet your neighbors don’t borrow anything from you without your permission!! Thanks for watching!
Lmao !
😂
That’s great ! I never would thought to do that.
Brilliant idea. I grew up on a farm and we used electric fences. Now why didn’t I think of that.
@@C10TruckNerd Top it off with one of those tempting glitter/glue filled boxes that explode when opening too. LOL 😂
We had our enclosed trailer stolen out of our yard, thief drove across our yard, cut off the U bolt style hitch lock and drove off, my new trailer has a wheel chock lock, the red receiver lock and a ball release lock. Unfortunately you are correct if they want it they will get it. I have since added security cameras as well. In addition I've made some unique identification marks under the trailer for proof of ownership if recovered.
Good information. I have a good locking pin for the trailer ball clasp and a really heavy duty locking bar for the ball assembly. I also use one of those yellow ball bars with the rounded bar that fits over the ball clasp. My safety chain hook ups and my pin locks, etc. I make sure they are lubricated well and I use thick zip lock bags to put over them and then a thick garbage bag which protects from the weather. I wrap up my wire and trailer plug also in a zip lock bag and a further plastic bag for protection. In summer weather I just use the zip lock bag on my electrical trailer plug. It prevents little buggy creatures from making nests inside that impede proper connection. I have had to pick some out in the past with a paper clip. These days if the bad guys want to cut off chains, etc. They can use a cordless cutoff tool with a metal cutting wheel.
You have a great setup! I’m going to steal some of your tips! Thanks for sharing and for watching!
I bought one of those Proven Industries locks to lock up our camper. We had an inadequate vehicle to tow it as well as no place to store it (lived in our commercial building downtown) and left it at our campground full time. We even left it in Pennsylvania for a few months when we moved to Missouri because we needed to tow an extra uhaul to bring all our stuff (and my wife didn’t want to tow it for 1200 miles as her first time, she did pretty well with the box trailer though). Sure enough the camper was still there in one piece when we made it back to bring it home with us! It would take some serious effort and make a heck of a lot of noise to cut that lock off. Best purchase for our camper, hands down. We even lock it up at the campgrounds we visit now to make sure it’s still there when we come back from food shopping after we set up!
Awesome! It's good to hear from folks that have and use the locks to get 1st hand reviews. I think they are well worth the money. Keep up the great work and stay safe out there!
To help identify your trailer drill a small hole somewhere it wouldn't normally be. Example, on the frame exactly 14 inches from a marker light screw then 15 inches on the other side. The hole can be 1/16 inch. Note the locations on the police report and if recovered you can prove it's yours. You can also go under the trailer and make a very distinct mark with a grinder and take a picture of it. Just make sure it can't be buffed out.
Great tips! Thanks for sharing!
Acid etch your name in the underside of the trailer
@@fadelfarae6019We wielded our company name and postcode on the frame of the trailer.
Excellent advice and presentation. I like all 10 but can I add number 11. Remove crank handle off trailer jack, replace (weld on) odd size nut. This will deter most and also speed up the process of connecting and disconnecting trailer if used often. I keep my Dewault impact handy with the odd size socket so I can remove and attach quickly. Sure someone could use a crescent or vice grips but that would be a lot turns. I lower my trailer down low after disconnecting as another deterrent.
I would think leaving it up high would be more effective, because if you leave it low they can simply pick up the tongue and drop it on a ball. If you leave it high, they need to lower it or else the tongue jack makes driving away difficult.
Great tip! I appreciate the tip and thanks for watching!
Thanks for the tip! I know some will say raise it up and some say lower it all the way down. I think both can be right depending on what type of trailer, weight, fixed or removable jack etc. Removing the handle is a great idea! I appreciate you taking the time to give us your tips and thank you for watching!
I have a similar set up on my trailer as well but I use a Milwaukee fuel drill. I saw it about a year ago on the Internet and works awesome
Not here. Most carry cutters, impact with sockets, and grinders. Nothing is safe if someone wants it
Great video & awesome tips, sir! I got a fairly heavy duty bumper pull that I park in the back of my 125 foot driveway, which extends far back enough so it is blocked by one side of the house. Me and my wife’s cars are parked directly in front of it, so it is pretty boxed in & hard to see. They’d have to come from the back or the other side which is close to impossible without being detected, because the neighbors have too many sheds/obstacles in their back yards, as well as driveway barriers that I have that were there when I bought the house, so they’d have to tear everything down, and when you factor that in with a GPS tracking system, dome security camera on the house, some of the deterrents that you mentioned (which probably aren’t necessary in my case, thanks to the residential layout) Plus, the fact that the neighbor is always up at night, it’d be almost impossible for them to get away with it!
Good work! Boxing them in is an excellent free way to keep them safe! It’s nice to have neighbors that keep an eye out when you’re gone or asleep. Stay safe out there and thanks for watching!
Good tips...I always put a tongue lock on mine & park it behind my house where it isn't seen...I never thought about securing the chains though...I live in a very low crime area, but it's not a no crime area, so I still lock my trailer...my dad never locked his & someone took off with it, but I found out where it was & went & got it back...he keeps it chained up now, but still won't use the tongue lock I gave him...I'm diggin' that C10...I'm still currently restoring mine...should be ready to paint my rolling chassis this spring...then I can start on my engine & transmission...new sub!
Keep after him. Every layer of protection might deter the next guy. Thanks for the new sub and I got you back!
Awesome! Soon as I can cure my video editing problem, I got more videos to upload...I can't seem to find an editing program I don't need to pay for & I lost the hp program that came on the computer when it crashed several months ago...I may just have to buy a new computer...
@@Road_Rash Technology!
I've had a 3/4 ton truck with a flat bed trailer both stolen while stopping at a truck stop in Texas. They both were stolen in the time to walk in, grab a soda, check out and walk out. 3-4 minutes tops. They found the frame of the trailer in Oregon and the bed of the truck in Utah. I had the keys with me the entire time with the truck locked.
Sorry to hear that! I still believe karma will catch up to folks like that one day! I appreciate the comment and thanks for watching!
And you know there is plenty of satellite footage to catch these guys. They are prob greasing enough pockets to keep that at bay
I was actually looking for more unconventional ways to secure a trailer. But you did give me a good idea!
I will be making a follow up video in the near future with a lot of excellent tips from you all! Stay safe out there!
I use a special lock made by Glock. It's their .40 cal version and anyone I catch stealing my trailer, gets to see my Glock in person. That seems to make people put back what they are attempting to steal. Good video!!
Haha! Locks by Glocks! Catchy name.They sell the small locks model 27 all the way up to the big boy model 22. Some practice required! Stay safe out there and thanks for watching watching!
The city tire boot is probably the best method. The 2nd would be using a strong cable and intertwining the cable to the axle and frame side(s) and attaching to some post. I would use these 2 methods if I had to be gone for an extended period. I would also place a gps tracker on my equipment.
Those all sound good to me! Keep it up!
Just want I was going to say, it will also work for many classic cars.
I use the Optimus tracker system on mine. It is great. You can get really good data on trips too.
A GPS tracker is best method.
@@petecastiglione9710 ... how much a month also how much was the device?
I didn’t have a lock for my gooseneck trailer for a while so I used a really big log chain and a big railroad style padlock and chained it to my other trailer that was locked. Worked great. I forgot about it and hooked up and couldn’t get away with my own trailer😂😂
Outstanding! Hey, it worked. That’s what matters. Thank you for reaching out and for watching!
Outstanding!! I have had my 14' cargo trailer stolen from inside a fenced enclosure and lost about $5000 worth of stuff inside it. I had the gate locked, but they simply bent the yoke out of the way, swung the gate open, dropped the 2 5/16 hitch over their 2" ball and off they went... I watched the whole thing on video. I've actually watched another trailer stolen with thousands of dollars in scrap loaded onto it from the yard it was parked in. Both could have been avoided if chains were used to lock the gate. The second one I'm referring to, the gate was a sliding/rolling style. They simply lifted the back side of the gate off and swung the gate inside of the yard...easy. The solution there would have been chaining up both ends of the gate... which is what we did after that theft. All you need to disassemble most chain link fences is a 1/2 wrench and side cutters... you did know that, right? If it's under cover of night and no one's around, a cordless saw can easily cut off fence posts (fill em with and set them in concrete). If they really want your setup (inside job and they know what's inside is high value), chains or cables around the axles and secured to a secure object. Even then, cordless grinders with cutoff wheels will cut any chain or cable. The best deterrent is trapping the trailer behind a vehicle. I have a boat in the driveway, and it's locked up and there are always vehicles boxing it in. As long as someone else's high value rig looks easier to steal, that's the one they'll hit. You're goal is to keep them moving because yours looks like a hard target. Great video, Mister Chad.
I’m sorry that happened to you! I do believe Karma catches up to those people. You hit the nail on the head. Fences, gates, locks and chains are just a deterrent for most and most of the time that’s enough. Like you said, some of the best deterrents are free like blocking or trapping them in. I appreciate you reaching. Stay safe out there and thanks for watching!
Thank you. Adding an Apple Tag (or similar device) inconspicuously to each trailer may be useful in recovering/identifying a trailer if it is stolen.
Great tip! I am fairly new to Air Tags, but I really like them so far! Thanks for reaching out and for watching!
All great suggestions. I’m using several of them to keep my trailer secure, but I recently added a tilt/vibration sensor tied to my smart home hub. Even a slight bump will notify me and trigger a series of actions, including all the yard lights coming on. I’m using one from Aquara, but there are several brands out there.
That is a great idea! I hadn't thought about anything like that!
The only bad thing I hate to say but if a thief wants something there usually gonna get it no matter the cost!
@@mattkooken639 true, but that's no excuse to do nothing and make it easy for them to take it, especially when there are a few easy ways to greatly reduce the chances of getting something stolen. You don't have to make it impossible, you just have to make it a little harder for them to take your stuff so they move on to easier targets.
@@BillMacfarlane Cordless power tools, was the greatest gift to criminals. My genset was stolen as I was brewing coffee at 6 a.m. It was secured with a heavy lock and cable. 5 seconds with a $1 cut off wheel, will defeat a $40 lock and cable Pulled on my pants, grabbed my rifle, and he was pulling away as I rounded the back of my RV. It was that fast! The only thing that could have stopped the theft, was my rifle. But then, I would be the one going to prison!
It's such a shame people steal from a working person. 😞
My buddy got a new trailer sweet rig. Spent a few weeks artistically repainting it to look rusted out. Replaced the plywood with older plywood. He also cut portions of the rails and made it look decrepit but with quick connectors to make it serviceable when needed. It looks 75 years old especially with 1 tire missing. During drivebys thieves keep driving.
I dig it! Thinking outside the box on this one. Good stuff!
LOL. Guess one would not have to care about the esthetics to do that but worth it as a deterrent.
Trailer theft where I live in Oklahoma is rampant because the state doesn’t require tags or registration. Generally it’s a crime of opportunity, just don’t make it easy for them. Whenever mine is parked outside it’s near the house with a motion light nearby and the tongue is locked. I’ve caught two possible thieves on camera scoping out my trailer in the middle of the night but they left when the motion light came on.
You are right about the registration rules! Without good tracking history, buying stolen trailers happens all to often as well. Keep up the great work!
Thanks for sharing. I own a 12' X 10' utility trailer. I'll use some of your suggestions for sure.
I appreciate it! Stay safe out there and thanks for watching!
I had one taken out of my driveway back in ‘08. Had one of those coupler locks with the notches. Probably took 10 seconds to defeat. If your trailer mens a lot to you, I’d encourage you to take every measure you can to protect it.
Good to know! Several have mentioned the yellow one stinks. I borrowed it from my neighbors trailer, so I will let him know. Thanks for sharing!
I had that Masterlock, it broke off sooo easy when I rolled back a little when I put my truck in park. I now use a Proven Lock on my boat trailer, it was an investment but it's a beast.
However, my confidence in padlocks was forever lost when a thief stole my 24' enclosed trailer in seconds with a cordless grinder and cutoff wheel in broad daylight.
Good to know! Thanks for sharing and I hope you Proven continues to work for you! Thanks for watching!
Got my Proven Lock and boy was it worth the money! Good luck if anyone tries to break it open. Sucker is heavy and hides the chain hooks too.
They are a beast! I haven’t heard anyone disappointed with them so far. Stay safe out there.
Thank you for suffering injury to make this video
Very helpful, much appreciated
Very nice truck too
I appreciate it and thanks for the support! Stay safe out there!
I’ve done all those things in So. Cal and they still tried to steal it. But failed. 👍 I think removing one wheel and putting locking lug nuts deterred them the most. One more thing that you didn’t mention is to put the hitch area on mason blocks chained to the frame and raise the jack all the way, then remove the handle. And I even put a lock thru the bolt hole to make it hard to turn, which was the first thing they cut off but didn’t get thru the ball or wheel locks.
Excellent work! Some think this may be overkill, but you proved multiple layers of protection can work. I like your outside the box ideas! I am learning a lot myself. Thank you for sharing and for watching!
I usually torch my trailer in half and separate it by 5’ that way everyone can see that isn’t of any use. Then I weld it back together when I need to use it.
Love it! I needed to read this on a Monday!!
But when the thieves bring a welder...
So many good tips here. I hid mine somewhere on our 320 acres that are fenced in. It would be difficult to find it in thick woods.
I’m jealous!
your right about Locks they only keep honest people honest. I generally use the biggest chain I can find, with a corresponding lock. I chain it to a tree, or to the bumper of my truck that i back up to the front of the trailer. When my three German shepherds bark at night I investigate right away with 1-2 of the dogs.... So far nothing has been stolen.
Excellent work! The dogs are a great deterrent. Stay safe out there!
i was at a sams club with my trailer, when i came out, the trailer was gone. i was not in the store very long, so i decided i would get in the truck and drive in what i thought was the most likely direction that the trailer may be heading. when i got in the truck, i noticed a baby seat in the rear seat (we had no baby) it was then i realized, my rig was a few spots further out. (yes it was an identical truck, same color, and model) anyway, that taught me a lesson, as silly as i felt, i now take great care to secure my trailer. good video, great suggestions!
Thank you for sharing this! It made my day! I had an unnamed family member get into a strangers van that looked like ours with them in it a while back. I almost cried laughing so hard trying to imagine both of their faces! Stay safe out there and thanks for watching!
Recently in 'the news' a guy discovered his House Door key fit every house in the tract. Apparently the builders got a bulk discount LOL
Another good way to keep them from driving off with your trailer is to just remove the lug nuts. Trailer will just sit there fine without them but when the bad guys hook up nd try to leave the wheels fall off their plan. It is a win win. You keep your trailer and more than likely you will either get their truck or recover someone's stolen one.
Most important thing to remember though is to remember to put them on when you go to move it.
I like it! You just need a security camera close by so you get some entertainment out of it too! Thanks for sharing!
That is the best idea I've read so far. I was also thinking about remembering to put lug nuts back on before I got that far in the text. Damn good idea. They would have to have enough extra lug nuts to get anywhere.
I heard an idea about removing your breakaway pin from your cable (if you have one) that way when they try to take off or move it, they won’t be able to!
@@JBullock54 breakaway is powered by your battery. So if you pull that pin your going to have a dead battery soon
@@mikeb.7183 Good point, wouldn’t last long enough
This is so thoughtful! Thank you for taking your time to make it!
I appreciate it and thanks for the kind words! Stay safe out there!
Thank you for all the safety ideas
You bet! There’s a lot of great tips in the comments as well! Thanks for watching!
Protecting your trailer from being stolen is such a Giga Chad move. Thanks Chad
Haha! Glad to help!
We just came up with a new beer drinking game---take a chug everytime Chad throws his hands open. Guaranteed to be totally blasted by the end of the video 😊
It’s a new hand jive dance I was working on! That or a nervous tick. You decide if you’re sober. Lol
ROFLOL
Thank you thank you thank you
Never noticed that before
Totally agree about locking the trailer. Thanks for the video.
You bet! Thanks for watching!
Yep I use most of these options, I also use a tried and true measure....a 2 part measure....Rottweiler and a 12 Guage.
I like your style for sure!
In addition to the locks and other physical security measures I take to protect our travel trailer ( caravan ) stored at home on our drive in the UK I take other measures too. The trailer has it's OEM fitted alarm but I have also added a tracker. THE MOST UNUSUAL ADDITION I have added though is I have extended a spare zone from my house alarm to a box on the house outside wall near where the caravan is stored and I wired a 13 pin caravan connector socket on the box where I plug in the caravan to form a normally closed alarm loop through the brake light circuit in the caravan. When that alarm zone is activated the house alarm will sound as well as the caravan alarm if someone unplugs the caravan from the house. When away in the caravan I OMIT the zone that the caravan would be on. When at home during the day I OMIT all zones except the caravan zone - occasionally caravans have been stolen off drives when occupants have been home during hours of darkness. If you show your friendly alarm engineer the brake light circuit of your caravan and provide a caravan socket and box for him ( or her ) I'm sure they would be able to do this for you - I did my own as I'm a retired electronics engineer.
Really cool idea! Why not utilize what you already have. I like it! Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing you ideas!
Years ago after several nice trailers were stolen, I modified the replacements with a removable and collapsible A-frame. No way that it can be stolen. Haven't lost a trailer since incorporating that feature. If parked for a time or overnight hooked to the tow vehicle, I have a 1-1/4" hardened rod that inserts through the wheels from side to side and padlocked under the trailer making it very difficult to remove by cutting or grinding. The bane of all locking situations is the cordless grinder so any theft prevention strategy has to consider the employment of the grinder, so add a heavy channel cover of some sort over the locks to prevent access by a grinder or bolt cutter
Good stuff! I like the A frame idea. It sounds like it working. Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing.
I cut the safety chains off my 2 trailers and put hooks on the ends so I just remove the chains when not in use. I also cut the ball off old ball hitches and lock the ball inside the coupling so it can't be quickly hooked and stolen. Good video advice.
These are 2 excellent tips! Thank you for sharing them with us!
After I connect the chain to my truck I put a long shackled padlock in the hole on truck and through the first link in the chain, locking the chain to the truck. I also hid a Tile tracker with the new anti-theft mode so it can’t be scanned to find it. Thanks for the other tips!
Great tips as well! Trackers are becoming very affordable these days.
Chad...I'm sorry to inform you that all those measures even though is good advice are only slow downs for a determined trailer thief... my car hauler was stolen twice. The second time it was behind a locked gate... chained to a 4 bag of concrete anchor that was dug under the edge of a concrete slab with a 1/2" high tensil frame machine chain and a HUGE padlock, and one of those worthless yellow coupler locks. Cordless cut off wheel defeated all that. Now all my trailers have a removable hitch...think 3" receiver on the tongue....can't steal a trailer with no hitch. So far so good... I also have removable jacks so thieves can't lift the tongue... I usually don't bother with that but if I had a breakdown in a bad neighborhood overnight I'd take the jack with me too...I also own a big bumper pull dump trailer with a coupler that adjusts up and down with 2 bolts.. takes too long to remove and a thief could bring his own coupler so I welded together an iron "muzzle" that fits over the whole coupler assembly it has two 5/8 × 4" plates that go back behind the VEE of the frame at the top and bottom. Then I drop a 1 3/8" pin down through the plates and strong padlock with " grinder shields on both sides. So far so good with that... it's regularly parked in shady neighborhoods for many days in a row at job sites... not criticizing your tips but thought your viewers might like more extreme measures... the removal of tires is probably the best thing, but time consuming, and thieves could bring their own.. keep the videos coming!
That sucks that it was taken twice! Any advice we all can spread to help others is awesome! I think your ideas are great! I bet the thieves get stumped now when they see your trailers! I appreciate you adding your great tips and thanks for watching!
So annoying the extreme measures we need to go to avoid scumbags stealing things. Imagine a world full of decent people
@@samrichards8251 I live in Southern California--that's tough to imagine. lol
I'd like to add 1 more trailer theft deterrent by completely removing the roll up and down jack on a heavy or loaded trailer. Use a farm jack or hi-lift jack to raise and lower your trailer. Keep it locked up in the bed of your pick up truck with a synch cable through a whole or loop connected to the bed. Hope this will help someone out.
Great tips Joe! Thanks for sharing them and thanks for watching!
The idea to lock the chains tight is good quick step. thanks for that. the apple trackers can help now too, for cargo trailers, or if very expensive trailer, that is hooked to power regularly, can install low jack.
You bet and great tips! Trackers are the way to go now that technology is coming down in price. Thanks for watching!
First time viewer. Love wandering Sunday mornings as I try to continually educate myself. Great video and very timely as thefts are finally increasing in our area as the theft population is moving out of the cities. Subscribed
I appreciate the support Jim! There are a ton of great tips from others in the comments as well. I hope some of them can help out. Stay safe out there!
I use several of your ideas, but I have considered getting a Trailer Trunk Monkey and arming it with an AR-15. That would do the trick.
I miss those old commercials!
A couple more tips...
Setup a camera to capture their license plate! It's not a bad idea is to have a simple inexpensive game camera attached to a tree where it's not easy to spot, and point it at the front of the trailer where the truck would have to back into clear sight when hitching up. That way you can get the license plate # and have something valuable to turn over to the police. Some security cameras (not sure about game cameras though) have cloud uploading which means they can send the video over the internet where it's impossible for the thief to go grab the camera after taking the trailer and walk away with the evidence. It's important in my opinion to not only secure your stuff in multiple ways (make it miserably difficult to steal) but also catch the criminal on camera and make sure he gets caught. Any way to get the license plate of his truck is incredibly valuable information if you can somehow manage to capture it.
Don't just chain it to a tree or chain your axles to the wheels... be sure to loop your chains so the lock doesn't snap when they drive off!! If you wrap chains in/through your wheel rims and chain them to the axles (which is a great idea!), or if you simply chain it to a tree, be sure to loop the ends of the chain so that if they should try to drive away, the stress won't be on the lock to hold things together. Let your chain (preferably a grade 70 or better) take the pressure and abuse and your lock simply keeps your chain in place. I discovered the importance of this when I accidentally drove off with my own trailer not realizing I forgot to unlock it from the tree. The padlock I had was just a minor bump I barely even felt as the truck pulled away. I came back and saw my lock totally ripped open like it was nothing laying on the ground. If I looped the chain properly the chain would have taken the abuse instead of the lock.
Great tips Robert! Good call on wrapping the chains. I hadn’t thought about that. Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing with us!
I did have one trailer stolen! It was a used trailer and not in the best shape but it did do the jobs I wanted it to do. 3 days later I was driving over to a neighbor's house to recover some loaned tools that had not been returned. Right there in front of his barn was my trailer. It had all of the exact repairs I had made to it with all of the different colors of spray paint I had used to quickly cover the metal I had welded into it. I got all of my tools that I knew he had borrowed and a few more that I did not know he had taken, loaded up the trailer, strapped it all down well, hitched it up and drove home. The next day, I got out the old logging chains, dug a couple of 3' deep, 2' wide, and 4' long holes, laid I the logging chains in propped up off the bottom with chain coming out of each hole on on each end about 5'. Then i filled the holes up with large aggregate concrete, and covered the 6" to the top with dirt then sod. I welded 4 tie down loops of 5/8" rec rod on the trailer frame. While I was welding on the trailer I welded my name on the tongue of the trailer. I painted the welds with metal primer, and I painted the chains above ground wit the same stuff. I bought 4 big heavy duty pad locks, then went back home and chained the trailer to the ground loosely. Several days later I found my neighbor's 2 ton truck torn half apart at the mount points of the truck's hitch and a lot of the truck frame bent, sitting in the drive back at the barn. He had tried to steal my trailer again. He did mangle the trailer's hitch badly but the rest of the trailer seemed unscathed by the attempted theft. I called the sheriff to come out and I took pictures of the scene. When the sheriff showed up I made a report of the attempted theft.
Wow! Tried it twice? Sounds like you got him good the 2nd time. I hope they prosecuted him!
Some good tips. All the advances in cordless tools has made it easier for thieves. Rental companies have been hiding GPS trackers on their equipment. Although this is not practical for the average Joe.
Thanks Martin! You’re right. All these cordless tools aren’t helping the good guys. Stay safe out there and thanks for watching!
I had my trailer stolen about 3 years ago. I started looking on Craigs list and there it was for sale, in my own driveway! The nerve! Marketed my trailer before they even stole it. Bastards! Kept looking on Craig’s list and found it again for sale in someone else’s driveway. Called the police and they went out there with us and we got it back.
Sure wish I had one of there locks on it to begin with…
Wow! Photographed it in your own drive? Great job tracking it down on your own then calling the Police! Sorry that happened.
Lots of great tips! I like to run a pipe through the wheels side to side and use a round security style padlock to each end or by welding a big washer to one end and the padlock to the other end.
That's a cool tip! Thanks for sharing and for watching!
Mine is made with 1” steel round bar
One end has 1” x 3” welded T & heavy duty lock 🔒 going through bar on other end.
@@wlswbs I bet that's strong!
Excellent tips! Thanks for sharing
I appreciate it and thanks for watching!
Had a trailer stolen out of my yard, old beat up flatbed with two flat tires I only used every other year. I followed the drag marks down the road to the park where they must have stopped an aired up the tires (tiny town with highway in and out). That same month another trailer with a four wheeler and another four wheeler were stolen as well. Now I lock up everything, use chains and heavy locks, I put the locks under and inside the frame so it is harder to access with a hammer or punch, I also use extra chain and drape it over any "loud" part like fenders or inside and around boat seats hoping the extra noise will wake up dogs or neighbors. For my other trailer I sunk a post into the ground with an eyelet to secure a chain. Short chain tied to axle will not allow the trailer to be pulled around, and in order to cut the chain they will have to crawl under the trailer and have limited space to work.
I'm glad to see you taking the extra steps to keep them safe! I enjoy reading all the homemade inventions. That hidden chain tied the axle is excellent. Keep up the great work and thanks for watching!
One more layer is to add a removable tongue jack, especially if you have a cargo trailer or RV as they usually have enough tongue weight to cause a hernia to the would be thief. By nature thieves are lazy and you want them to move along to the next target. The one I used is the "Ultimate Trailer Jack", there is a short wordless video demonstrating it on my channel.
Thank you for the tips! Slow down the honest criminals! I will check out your video. Thanks for watching!
I don’t use a trailer often enough to own one. I can rent one from Uhaul for about $15 a day. Not having to insure a trailer covers a few rentals each year, and I can rent several different style trailers depending on what I need it for.
Great point! Do they provide you with locks or any safety devices when you rent? Just curious.
@@C10TruckNerd They do not provide any anti-theft devices. I've never had any trouble with one disappearing, fingers crossed. Although I did breakdown on the highway not too long ago and the tow truck asked if I wanted to leave the trailer on the side of the highway. I wasn't comfortable doing that so I paid them to tow both car and trailer.
Looks like you know what you’re doing to this viewer! Thank you and keep up the fantastic Work!!
Thanks John! Unfortunately we have to learn the thieves tricks before we and learn to slow them down. Stay safe out there and thanks for watching!
Im taking the tires off and putting it on jack stands.if somebody steals from me im going to prison
Thanks for the tips I’ll look into them before I get my Polydrop.
Thank you! Spending a little money up front is definitely worth it in the end. Stay safe out there!
I have the Proven Lock for my travel trailer and after three years, no issues. Even when at an RV park, I use it. My travel trailer is in a completely fenced-in area on the side of my house, Even my everyday utility trailer has a good lock system and as with the travel trailer, it is also in a locked fenced area behind my house.
I am glad to hear their lock is still holding up good for you! Keeping them behind that locked fence is great. Keep up the good work! Thanks for commenting and for watching!
I have to agree, they are the best. I have 5 of their locks on different trailers from dump trailers to gooseneck. When you order new locks, you can ask them to get it keyed the same as their other locks. All of mine take the same key. Not cheap but hell of a lot cheaper than a new trailer.