Trailer Security

[CReynoldsMIZ]

So I got a question that nobody really likes talking about. Only thinking about this since, well a couple of days ago my neighbor had his custom 6x12 open trailer stolen from his driveway while he was out of town. He had is 2005 Polaris 500 Sportsman on it as well, it was covered up and locked with a heavy duty lock, but apparently that wasnt enough. We live in a nice neighborhood where you would never think that could happen, but it did. I have been leaving my trailer at my grandmothers lately with my ski on it, and now it has me wondering and nervous. How do you guys lock your trailer? I moved my ski to the back of my mothers house and dont worry about anyone seeing it now, but I have a 6x12 utility trailer as well at my grandmothers still as no one lives there, it is on the side of the house so not super easy access as a driveway.. I keep a lock on it but it isnt too strong and i believe could be easily cut.

I know basically all locks can be broken, but i want something that i dont have to worry about. What do you guys do?

This is the type of coupler that I have on my trailer. My other skis stay inside the garage so dont worry about it but might think about them when we take them out.

View attachment 25490

 

[racerxxx]

I lock my trailer ball latch in the up position as well as using a gorilla tongue lock. That slides over the flange of the hitch and has a pin the goes up into where the ball would be. That's 2 locks they would have to break. I say in the up position for the fact that they could undo the nut on the underside of the hitch that holds the ball wedge, put it on their receiver and out it back together if it were in the latched position. You gotta think like a thief, or I might just be on crack. The more locks you can have on it the longer it will take them or deter them.

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[Coastiejoe]

Locks that fill the ball area are your best bet. Even in my locked garage I use a lock. Just how I am.


Repairing and selling iPads, iPhones and Mini iPads.

 

[Brian J]

Remember when the trailer is on your truck and you have a locking pin on your tongue - also have a locking pin on the drop hitch. I see a lot of people with the tongue locked but just a regular pin in their drop hitch that any thief could easily pull out.

 

[LouDoo]

Chris,

Go to the animal shelter, get a big ol pit bull, preferably one named killer, leash him to your trailer.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

Locks that fill the ball area are your best bet. Even in my locked garage I use a lock. Just how I am.


Repairing and selling iPads, iPhones and Mini iPads.

these things ? we had a thread on this on another site, one or two bangs with a hammer and its toast...
but it WILL keep honest people honest....

re: coupler locks, again, I think they keep honest people honest, but I don't think there is much on the market that will stop a determined professional thief...

...except maybe a well hidden GPS device.

I have a good quality lock for the pin, a coupler lock and a ball lock, and honestly, I carry them around in a pouch but rarely if ever use them except maybe tampa/miami, I'm half lazy, half trusting. But I figure that a real thief will get whatever he wants, and that those 3 devices will just complicate my life when I lose a dam key, i'm insured,, so fug it.

 

[Coastiejoe]

That style is good. One thing to note. If you can get to the nut on the bottom that hold the guys into the tongue of the trailer then no lock will save the trailer. These parts will come right out, the lock will fall out, then you out the parts right back in,,,,

Repairing and selling iPads, iPhones and Mini iPads.

 

[racerxxx]

Chris,

Go to the animal shelter, get a big ol pit bull, preferably one named killer, leash him to your trailer.

C'mon Lou, this guy would have melted your heart. He didn't have a mean bone in his body-he was raised the right way by us. He was attacked by 2 St. Bernards and received 25 stitches in his underside, he never fought back. His life was eventually cut short by Lymphoma at 7 years old.

 

[racerxxx]

That style is good. One thing to note. If you can get to the nut on the bottom that hold the guys into the tongue of the trailer then no lock will save the trailer. These parts will come right out, the lock will fall out, then you out the parts right back in,,,,


Repairing and selling iPads, iPhones and Mini iPads.

That's why I mentioned I lock my latch in the up position. They would need to cut the lock to be able to operate the latch. The more you can do to slow them down the faster they'll move on.

 

[Tytan]

If the coupler is bolted to the tongue of the trailer the thief only has to remove the two possibly four bolts, install a new coupler and all locks on the coupler have been bypassed. Weld the coupler to the trailer or at least tack weld the nuts to the bolts.

 

[CReynoldsMIZ]

hmmm if there was a way to like bolt a lock to the trailer so they would have to remove the bolts and break the lock

 

[CReynoldsMIZ]

Remember when the trailer is on your truck and you have a locking pin on your tongue - also have a locking pin on the drop hitch. I see a lot of people with the tongue locked but just a regular pin in their drop hitch that any thief could easily pull out.

Hahaha I just realized that I am guilty of this. Im going to harbor freight to buy a hitch lock tomorrow

 

[Coastiejoe]

I chuckle every time see it hooked up like that.


Repairing and selling iPads, iPhones and Mini iPads.

 

[KK40384]

I've got a lock on the tongue and a steel cable out of sight that anchors the back of the trailer and axle to the fence post that a thief is likely to miss (I'm crafty like that). If they busy the lock and take it it'll make a racket when that cable is stretched. I'm hoping by that point I can address the situation if I happen to be home. Someone is always home at my house and if not it looks like they are. As a last resort there's insurance.

 

[Brian J]

That's why I mentioned I lock my latch in the up position.

A thief could just set the tongue onto their ball and drive off, allowing gravity to hold the tongue down, or even rig a strap to hold it down. Sure it could easily fly off on a bump but they don't care. And all they have to do is drive a few miles to a hidden spot where they could take their time cutting the lock off.

My dad accidentally drove around with his latch up and made it 20+ miles before it was a problem.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

That's why I mentioned I lock my latch in the up position. They would need to cut the lock to be able to operate the latch. The more you can do to slow them down the faster they'll move on.

This sums it up nicely, your average thief is looking for the easy ones, with little or no protection so its quick in/out. A determined professional will get it if he wants it badly enough. Any steps we can take to make it just a little bit more difficult is generally enough to convince them to move along to an easier target.

A thief could just set the tongue onto their ball and drive off, allowing gravity to hold the tongue down, or even rig a strap to hold it down. Sure it could easily fly off on a bump but they don't care. And all they have to do is drive a few miles to a hidden spot where they could take their time cutting the lock off.

My dad accidentally drove around with his latch up and made it 20+ miles before it was a problem.

I made a 45 minute drive to the ramp just like that a couple of years ago and noticed when I got there lol.

however, I also did the same thing about a year before that and only made it to the first turn, mayve 1/4 mile, thankfully the chains were on, but it was embarrassing to have the trailer pop in the neighborhood, and it took a few minutes to get the tongue out from being wedged under the car.

 

[racerxxx]

A thief could just set the tongue onto their ball and drive off, allowing gravity to hold the tongue down, or even rig a strap to hold it down. Sure it could easily fly off on a bump but they don't care. And all they have to do is drive a few miles to a hidden spot where they could take their time cutting the lock off.

My dad accidentally drove around with his latch up and made it 20+ miles before it was a problem.

Not really, I have another lock that covers the ball. Here's my set up.

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[lamajama]

This does make sense on the video. A cover for the entire mechanism. About $100.

http://trailergator.com/