Chris, This is Chad with Ft. knox Locks, thanks for the mention and demonstration of how the chains can lock up in our system. a side note for those wondering, we have actually began to recommend an alternative solution the chains actually, and that is to cut the first link in each chain and replace that link with a removable chain link so you can take the chains off altogether when you arent using them. Chad Odom
@@ChrisSgaraglino This is actually extremely common. Most people who have stolen a trailer (like the way your trailer was stolen) were likely prepared for the safety chains being locked up.
Almost the same thing happened to me, it was about the time he was connecting the chains when I came up from behind him with a bat. I gave the side of his truck a solid hit and scare the crap out of him. My son went into the passenger side and grabbed the keys out of the ignition. He was arrested a day later. I now take the fuse out of my inline fuse holder
I keep my welding trailer up on concrete blocks at the corners. No dragging it off without jacking up each corner and removing blocks. I also took the safety chains off so it cant be towed away using them, The new safety chains have a shackle on each end. Inside the trailer is an old fashioned mercury stitch so that if the angle changes it sets off an old style red fire alarm bell.
No level or degree of security will stop a thief that is determined to get your trailer. But enough security will encourage an opportunist to go elsewhere and find some "low-hanging fruit". I can't keep my trailers at my home, I don't have the space for them. But a friend of mine allows me to park them in his vacant lot that is next to his house. And I do, despite it being a rough neighborhood. When I say that it's a rough neighborhood, I'm saying it's rough. His trailer was stolen a few years back. He normally chained the trailer up to his house, but one day he just forgot and found it gone. Someone from church spotted the trailer and called the police, but the police wouldn't act on it because they couldn't identify the trailer as belonging to my friend (all identifying markers were removed, the VIN plate and the license plate). My friend did get his trailer back by buying it back from the guy who stole it. His neighbor (same neighborhood, obviously), is a retired welder. He had two trailers that were packed with welding equipment. One trailer was secured with a chain, and the other one was not. But the one that was not was blocked in by the one that was chained up, making it "theft proof". Problem was, the chain was tied to a tree that just wasn't quite big enough. One night someone hooked up to the trailer and took off with it, yanking the tree out of the ground and dragging it down the street. The thieves stopped, untied the chain from the tree, and took the trailer. By taking the first trailer, that left the second trailer open to theft, so they came back and got that one too. Before anyone says "the owner should of heard something!", he had a stroke and was in in-patient rehab at the time, he wasn't home. So far my trailers haven't pulled a Houdini, they're there when I need them. For security I installed quick detach coupler and safety chains, chains that lock the wheels on both sides, and another big chain (1/2" grade 70) that ties to a really really big tree. With enough effort, my trailer could be stolen by cutting the locks and/or chains and if the thief were to bring his/her own coupler or safety chains, but I guess there's enough low-hanging fruit out there that they'd rather take an easy score than have to "work for it". Thought I'd mention, to show how determined some thieves can be, in Houston, TX some thieves broke into a storage facility and stole several trailers, despite many of them being equipped with very high-end locks and security. Apparently the thieves brought a portable oxy-acetylene torch (they weigh like 30 lbs, and capable of temperatures well over 6,000F) and just melted the locks off the trailers.
All that money spent on security when you could've just gotten a $60 GPS device that notifies you when the device leaves a designated zone. You get your trailer back, and you get to see who stole it
@@kalyddessalines769, I'm a used car dealer that offers in-house financing (otherwise known as Buy Here, Pay Here). I use GPS on every vehicle that I sell. I appreciate and take full advantage of the benefits offered by such devices. I also appreciate the shortcomings of those same devices. I have had customers who defeated GPS without even trying, completely unintentionally. I'm not saying that GPS is a poor investment, quite the contrary, I personally invest in them myself. Given how GPS can be defeated with little to no effort, I am of the opinion that the use of GPS alone to protect my means of income is foolhardy
@@moriscondo5511, I had forgotten all about my comment, but my trailers are still staying put, they haven't disappeared on me. I've since added another layer of security, a quick detachable crank handle for the trailer jack. I raise the trailer as high as it will go and then remove the handle and take it with me, along with the coupler and safety chains.
Heavy chain, in addition to this tongue lock, run through the wheels would really slow them down, somewhat easy to do and make your rig less desirable, and maybe they'd just go to a less secured rig?! YMMV
Some good information. Some good comments - food for thought. Thank you Chris and the rest of y'all for sharing. I guess I need to see what I can do to slow down a would be thief.
I have disconnected the 12v aux lead so it doesn't power my trailer. I also remove the safety chains. I also have a Proven industries tongue lock. BTW those aluminum puck locks are fairly easily defeated. See the LockPickingLawyer video. I have Proven industries Stainless Steel puck locks. Then lastly I active my Tracki subscription and hide it on the trailer. Those things won't make it Fort Knox, but it will slow a thief down or possibly make him go to an easier target.
Remember, that the tongue jack works as soon as plugged into a vehicle, it does not need the RV Battery. My puck is steel, and LPL picked a regular keyed lock, their version I have is the round key and he mentioned how difficult it actually is. Also, most thieves are opportunists, key typically don’t know how to pick. With all that said, and what you are doing - the whole object it to make my (your) trailer least desirable to that opportunist thief.
I use a Proven Industries tongue lock that also secures the safety chains, no one can use that technique to steal mine. Also, instead of twisting the chains, just loop them behind and around the bottom of the tongue jack which takes all the slack out of the chains.
So I believe my house got cased last night. I pull the fuse for my tongue jack, cause it’s connected straight to the battery. I wrapped the chains around the jack and locked them. I also ran a 10” lag bolt into the ground, with my emergency brake cable attached to to. Hopefully if the camper is moved, it will pull the key and activate the emergency brakes. Any other thoughts?
1. Get quality tongue lock that covers entire coupler , chains 2. Need to get heavy chain and lock the tires up on each side so can't roll and takes long time to cut and get the the lock off. And Or remove offset tires on ground so can't even role. 3. Get GPS trackers, and not apple air pods as those tell people around the pod are being tracked. 4. Disconnect the damn electric jack!
Problem is, a thief can bring their own chains! I have a ball & chain lock box, but I also added a tire grabber and two different lug nut locks in case the thief decides to remove the tire itself and brought a spare trailer tire. It will slow down thieves but not completely prevent. A remote controlled, time - delay, motion sensing alarm may also help. And keep the horn mounted near the roof away from being silenced!.
Nothing really. Please remember, this is ONE element of my video. I posted this because Dome Life just had their trailer stolen and they are fill-times and not homeless! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0ek3CfUmqFQ.html
- Hiding your own chains is not a bad idea but I think a good thief would carry his own chains - just as he would carry an angle grinder for when he finds that vacant lot. In this scenario, maybe disconnect the power jack entirely or disable its switch and remove the hand crank?
they just bring a chain and hook to the loose chain below. I remove my wheels and tires and put on one spare with no tire and chain it to the suspension with super heavy, very hard to cut chain. Can be defeated of course, but they will have to bring 4 wheels and tires and take a lot of time dealing with all that
Unfortunately locks only keep honest people out. If they want your trailer that bad they will just bring their own chains and wrap them around your tongue and their hitch.
It’s an efforts game. Hunting through national forests looking for a candidate, is a lot of work. Looking in unattended lots with lots of options is much easier. With that said, over the winter I do lock the wheels. I have a Grade 80 chain that is long enough to go through both wheels on either side.
This is a decades long way of sterling RVs. I’m just showing the world what thieves have long known. We can’t protect ourselves if we don’t know how to
You missed the point! Every set up is breachable at some point with enough tools, and knowledge. The average criminal is looking for the easiest target not one that’s going to be difficult and challenging. They don’t steal to solve the puzzle they steal to take property.
