Thieves steal our equipment trailer. We build a snow bunker with a new loader. We break up ice Banks with the backhoe, then stack the snow into a bunker and we pile the equipment inside.
Hey Stanley, (Almost retired cop here), a few things that might help catch these guys, (which you may already know)... 1. Video - If the businesses around you can turn a camera onto your equipment, it might be beneficial to LEO's in catching them. If there are no cameras, set up your own. Trail cameras with low intensity infrared is very affordable. You can set them up for still shots, interval shots, and video recording. And you don't have to check them every day. If you can't get one pointed at your equipment, see if you can install them at access points to catch plate #'s and suspect vehicles approaching or leaving. 2. GPS Tracking Devices - These are now available on the internet believe it or not. If the battery holds and you can find a place to hide it, set up a few of your pieces with them. You can track down your gear and call your LEO's when you find it. 3. Spread the word to the businesses around your storage areas. You would be surprised to find out that someone saw something or someone that might help catch your bad guys. 4. Your LEO's - Ask for patrol checks from the law enforcement agency that covers the area where you store your gear. Often times, patrol officers will make that area their new report writing area and park there in addition to checking the area often. 5. Latent Evidence Processing - Advise your LEO's that your company has been hit pretty hard with thefts. Ask if they can process for latent fingerprints and more importantly, latent DNA evidence. Its pretty easy to do, but they will need 'known samples' from any of your crew that touches the equipment regularly to rule them out. 6. - Alarms - There are small high pitched electronic alarms that you can install, (hopefully in a hard to get area), where you set the contacts on hatch panels, door access areas, etc. When the circuit is broken, the alarm screams loudly, (deafeningly). Its a good deterrent, especially if they can't get to where the alarm unit is hidden. I hate to see good people getting victimized. I hope that you get your equipment back, and I sure hope that bad guys get caught!
@@Dirtmonkey Hmm... you might also want to see if you can get a motion detecting camera that you can have send you a text message when it detects significant motion (set it so a bird or stray cat won’t set it off, but a thief will) and have it setup so you can see the camera’s video on your phone just to double-check before calling 911. The other thing you might do is put out trip-wires and/or pressure plates rigged to send you a text. Personally, I’d probably rig it up with a raspberry pi; but I’m a software engineer. I figure there’s gotta be commercial solutions to this though... 🤔
@@Dirtmonkey Another thing comes to mind: see if there’s an easy to remove, non-generic (so a battery cable probably isn’t the best choice) component that must be present to start the machine; and take it with you when you leave. Perhaps an electronic module of some sort? Or part of the wiring harness? The idea is that they wouldn’t be able to move the machine that’s blocking in the rest of your gear...
@@darkwinter6028 install hidden quick disconnect inline with starter or battery. Alternately, my truck doesn't even need a key for the ignition key housing to freely turn, and start the truck lol Oh well.
In Australia if your cars stolen they pay you for the car but the policy is also cancelled. Yes the insurance steal your insurance? You have to buy the policy again.
Dude your empathy for your fellow human being is so admirable!!!! Dump truck driver or not. It helps keep my faith in humanity when you speak from the heart like that. Thanks Stan!!
They can just grind it off and paint over it. It would leave some evidence though. Double wheel locks for trailers that cover the studs so they can't pull the wheels off and put on their own without at least cutting through the locks with a grinder. Hydraulic jacks are an advantage if you remove the controller so they can't break in and lift the jack to tow it away.
I really respect how you manage to stay positive throughout the whole thing even if people steal from you. We had a guy digging through our center console and we caught him red handed. He took off running and we got a laugh when he ran into a neighboring lot that was a sheet of black ice and kept slipping and getting back up.
A friend of ours boss came out to his flatbed 4500 at Lowes in the middle of the day to find a bunch of illegals had backed their tiny Toyota up to it and were trying to free a huge roll of steel he had strapped down to the truck. He told them to "go ahead". Once they got the roll of steel moving it never stopped and rolled over and crushed their entire pickup. Don't recall if he even bothered to call the police or just got the Lowes guy to reload the steel with a forklift and drove off.
gps tracking on everything, locks on everything. leaving trailers unlocked and not monitored on a site is just careless. theft is a crime of opportunity so make it not so easy and youll deter 9/10 thieves.
@@artdeco5464 quite right. But we were talking about stopping thievery. Also, you only find what you have LoJack on. I dunno about you, but my $8,000 aluminum trailer is worth maybe 10% of what's inside of it.
They make super small and battery operated gps devices now. I have hard wired ones in my equipment and have battery operated ones I can move around. If I leave equipment somewhere I create a geofencing around it’s location. If it moves I get a text and email. I can then literally follow it on a map. It’s cheap insurance. So the hardwired ones can also text you if the key is turned on.
There are also companies that specialize in this. Some even have RU-vid channels. They add GPS *AND* radio transmitters to each and every equipment/part and they are able to track the radio signal in case the GPS is removed/taken down/found. Of course for places like this I would kinda put up a camera at the nearest property or something. It gets a bit techy, but there are mobile routers and cameras that can operate from USB (thus from a power bank). The extreme cold does complicates things.
LOJACK BEEN AROUND 25YRS THOUSANDS OF CARS SAVED - In fact LoJack has saved thousands of cars that didn't have a LoJack because only one of them did and they found the entire stash It's completely inactive until you send the signal to activate it and start pinging it
If you have a good idea where the GPS is on the frame you just got a hit it with a stick welder a couple times in the facility that goes for any and all equipment short it out
They make them for kids and pets. You can get a commercial GOS account even cheaper when you are tracking multiple devices. Don't have to worry about recharging them on the powered equipment. Then you can track your guys productivity on the job, or if somebody is taking a 2 hour lunch/nap.
Awesome work Stan!!!!!!!! That was very smart to surround your attachments in snow. There is no possible way anyone could steal anything with that kind of security. Great video!!!!!
@@Dirtmonkey The liability of you "catching" them is too high. It sucks how our system works, but you'd get "cancelled" so fast if you went vigilante. And the police "have better things to do." Why do thieves do this? Because they can and nothing will be done.
You aren't really in business unless someone is trying to steal your stuff. I woke up on a Sunday to no trailer while I was in the middle of a 20 yard mulch job....we had a new trailer monday morning full of mulch by noon and back on the job. It happens. I have insurance but they r kinda crooks. Then my other friend said his dump trailer got stolen and I smiled at him and said congrats. He was super mad that day but he knows mine was stolen too and I probably had the same look on my face
I see one guy who prevents his stuff from getting taken,, paints all his trailer and small equipment bright purple or something like that. Making it very hard to sell..
My uncle got his truck stole- They found it a few days later but it went from red to blue and he walked right past it not thinking it was his own truck.
@@Dirtmonkey thats why we logo everything or put special stickers on that no one notices except me when i look. If it has remains of a logo on it that makes it easier to find
@@Dirtmonkey please have all your equipment weld-branded in both conspicuous and inconspicuous places so that you can prove verification. Even a simple etching of your name and or logo would suffice. GOD Luck.
overcharging customers because the neighborhood says you can is wicked!!! so the money he cheated simple homeowners out of because they live in a rich area, is coming back out of his pocket. evil is paid with evil i know you wont see it that way but its rear to find a pure heart in this world
I would have parked 2 skid steer side by side the the tlb deere across the back of them in the snow bunker! Make them Pos really work for the equipment to steel it! Happy late birthday Sam!
@@thewonderfulwizardofcodsaq3472 Petty theft of a few dollars is fine but people cutting off cats and stealing work equipment should be executed. Im serious. It works in Islamic countries and Asian countries. We in the west make too many excuses for criminals and wrongdoers. In the US we are the stage where the police are the bad guys and the violent criminals are the good guys. We need to wake up and stop being so soft and tolerant. Crime and murders has exploded across the US since this anti-police narrative of liberals.
They probably loaded those plows they stole on the trailer they stole from you! With all the theft around there, I'd seriously consider LoJacking my equipment...
Sorry Stan... In my contract I would get permission from the property manager to install a camera system on one of the light poles. Grab power off the lighting circuit, and use cellular internet. One cam is plenty, it just has to cover your equipment. As soon as motion is seen, you get a phone notification. Will work like a charm. The folks at Supercircuits set me up...no monthly fees, phone app works great, DVR will email you the picture of motion, you just monitor until you catch the devils. Of course this will probably cost about as much as an old trailer is worth...but I can't stand a thief...and the peace of mind is totally worth it!
How does Stanley make moving dirt and snow so interesting? Given that l live in sunny Australia, I just have no concept of snow and ice like this in winter. Full credit to the men and women who live and operate in these climates. (I too have had things stolen, as a 20yr Police Veteran, nothing pleased me more than catching a thief who had stolen from a hard working family or individual). Western society would benefit from an Islamic approach to thieves, chop chop!
Some of your equipment can fit into a shipping container. Maybe a shipping containter that is bolted into a set of metal stakes in the ground, can reduce theft?
Stumbled across your site. Very enjoyable. You resemble a Sr Pastor (Doug) at New Life Church in Alamo, CA. Very educational & interesting for a city slicker. Also enjoy how you label the music playing. Good stuff.
Sorry to hear about the stolen trailer, that sucks. I’ve been watching for a while now and I gotta say you and your whole crew would be awesome to hang out with and swap stories. You guys all are very hardworking down to earth guys, more people should follow your lead.
I really feel like on average if you just put aside what you pay in premiums, 99% of the time you would be ahead in money saved even if you have an accident. Premiums are paying for the insurance companies salaries, properties, utilities, executive bonuses, etc. and only a fraction is going towards claims.
@@young11984 Not a government per say, but a ruling clan, or cabal. They control/rule everything. Along w/money, government is probably their most strategic control. Read the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion, it explains everything; far too accurate to be a smear tactic, hatchet job. Remember CA "wildfires" that miraculously avoided ornamental gardens, carefully manicured hedges, etc., but leveled massive, trophy homes. I'd be willing to wager the unfortunate homeowners of those ruins hadn't paid their protection $$.
I have replacement cost insurance with Liberty Mutual. One of the reasons I use gooseneck trailers is that they are not as common to theft. It's a little aggravating getting used to them and they do cost more tho.
@@Dirtmonkey dude just wrap a grade 70 3/8 tow chain through and around the pintle rings and lock em up with an abus padlock. It won't stop all the thieves but it will stop the stupid ones. Either that or put a chain through the wheels and lock em to the side rail of the trailer.
Gotta use wheel locks on both wheels cuz they can just remove one wheel and drive away on the other one. And locking up the tongue doesnt do much since they can just hook it up with chains. Locking the jack helps though because that makes it more problematic for towing it away if they can't lift the foot.
Myself, I'd prolly put a "Moultrie Mobile" trail cam half way up a light pole. You get pictures sent to your phone and the cam(s) are heat/motion activated. Not terribly expensive either.
This is Bill from Bill’s Mowing and Landscaping Service here in PA. When I move snow from a parking lot, I first throw some salt in the back of the bed to help it slide right off.
Stan, you have a great attitude after being robbed. That's a lot of work to prevent theft, but a great idea. Feel bad for you buddy! Hope the rest of your snow season goes well!
Someone tried stealing my trailer in a lowes parking thank God for the pad lock,great video stanley,if you got time give a shout out to Benji's lawn Care in Albany NY. Thank you.
Sad we have theives in this world but all we can do is keep trying to prevent it. Like you guys did. It's awesome that you signed that machine for the buyer. O and happy 30th birthday Sam.
I've hauled mini excavators, loaders, etc in our trailer like your orange one. When we can get the equipment in right. I put the bucket of the excavator on the tongue beams and strap it down. I put buckets of the skid steer up on top of the walls leaned back into the trailer strapped down. Always find a way to move equipment.
@David Lukas it definitely sucks to have to go down that road but you have to end the theft those tools are how you feed your family. As a plumber I know I’ve had tools stolen from me.
Cat controls are the right controls, Deere controls are backwards! If I remember correctly tho, you can switch the lines to reverse the controls, and newer models have switches that allow the controls to change sides. Been a long time so my memory could be off on that.
Thanks for the shout out Stan, Would love to meet and talk business I could always use a another mentor lol. The plus side in local as well im out of Inver Grove Heights
412 PSE Kustomz, LLC Shoutout request. We are a Family/First Responder owned & operated upfitter. Specializing in any off the cuff service vehicle. You dream it we build it. Thanks Stan, we love ya man! Been a fan from the start. God Bless, be safe & hope you, your team & family stay healthy through this craziness.
So great to see somebody in the Southeast Metro who drives cool equipment. I discovered your channel a few videos ago and I’m excited to see how you operate. Keep up the great work and if you land down in Cottage Grove for anything, give me a shoutout. It’s great to recognize places I know in your videos.
I used to run a Case Drott Cruizair 40 way back in the 70s. Had an orange peel clam and an electromagnet combo. Did metal salvage at the landfills, rail salvage along railroad tracks, and worked at the salvage yard. It's a pleasure to watch folks who are good operators. Also, thieves are pretty low creatures, I have had the thrill of encountering a few trying to take property. The gotta hate when someone nabs their truck keys as they are stealing someone else's hard earned equipment. All is well that ends well. Belated birthday wishes for Sam!
@@Dirtmonkey I use Zeitdice self powered TimeLapse Cameras. Hide & mount anywhere. Size of a baseball. Can connect to cell service & solar power if needed. Easy to custom configure. Police love photos. Handy to record work in progress & leave as site security cameras. No photos/video = no clues for Police. Also hide tiny GPS Trackers to hide inside assets. Handy to show real time asset location on a map. Helps Police quickly recover your assets. Google GPS tackers. Have fun catching the bastards they will come back!
You might wanna pay one of your trusted employees to play security guard and make periodic checks where you have expensive equipment parked or use a video surveillance system ? Just sayin 🤷♂️
Shout out for Mark Tomkalski Finest bobcat service,Stan your not the only polock out there,relocating from long island to florida,thanks guys ,very cool content .Enjoy the vids.
Happy late birthday sam! One upside with trailering the skiddies to the site from the shop, is you can start them up on the trailer and theyd be warmed up once you get to the site. Just trying to help find a silver lining somewhere. Thats just really crappy of people.
@@Dirtmonkey i get that. I guess i opened my mouth before watching the whole video. Lol. I also realized you dont have one truck and trailer for every machine as well so that'd be hard to get around unless you used the two dump trailers and the two dodges as well as the two fords to haul skiddies there. I dont know, though. Its been a few years since ive worked snow removal and even then i was a sidewalk shoveler.
Rogers , wow memory lane , I lived off of 101, and 81 in Daytona Mn there , there's a mobile park there on that corner lol woe that was 20 years ago , in my mid to late twenties . I remember when that area was farmland .
We just had our first skid steer stolen. Our first machine ever bought that we worked so hard to pay off. Frustrating to know it’s gone!, out of our control and to authorities and insurance to give you the run around..... who will actually investigate this matter??? Umm no one apparently??? We all worked so hard for equipment for low life to come and take it .... urghhh That my rant for today lol Thanks for putting things into perspective Stand. It’s always inspiring to watch you channel and podcast 🙏. Pat
Some one might have made this suggestion already but you you might consider buying one of those boots that locks over the tires and use that to park in your attachments to the snow bunker. Good luck!
I see an issue... they are blocked in by a machine that probably millions of people have a key for so unless there’s some other lock on the machine they can just use it to load em all up
Could always take the battery out and unplug a critical sensor, pretty quick and most won’t have enough sense to deal with it, most engines won’t start with a couple of sensors misreading 🤯
Someone used to cut the pigtails off our work trailers randomly. They finally got a surveillance system. Definitely unfortunate...great attitude though!
Stanley,, We are all caught off guard by your skill set being caught off guard with something so simple as security cameras in this age of technology, redeem yourself!!
@@Dirtmonkey thanks, luckily it looks like its gona be warming up, and they about got the water situation and the power figured out, well the water in my town that is.
I have a strange feeling there is more to this story than being told... It was nice commercial for the cab-forward all the same which we all know was the goal
How do these trailers not have "locks" on them. One of the oldest ways to prevent theft is to chain up the axel and tires with a heavy duty chain and lock..
I had 4 "uncuttable" locks cut off mine. Unfortunately, uncuttable means 12" bolt cutters can't break them. Still take less than 10 seconds with a cordless grinder and cut off disk. They can also cut off parts of the trailer is less time, like the haspnto get inside. Locks only really deter opportunitistic thieves. Those who make a living by stealing have more tricks than us.
Yeah everyone of the trailer/ball locks are junk most of the u can take a hammer and bust them all to hell I was looking for the best one and started looking on youtube they are all junk
I know that snow forts are fun, but they do make cellular security cameras. They were about $200 a while back, and they send real-time images to your cellphone while the a-holes are busy at it. Very similar to a trail camera. I think that would provide some good content too.
There is something about these European designed loaders that work so well. As mentioned in a previous video, I ran an Avant cab-forward loader for 4 years and the thing was an animal. Could lift a loaded pallet of block (even though it wasn't supposed to) but could fit through a garden gate into a small residential backyard in Edina. I tell people they are worth the investment.
No way would I risk keeping my equipment in a wide open parking lot. Is there a vacant building or empty lot nearby you can lease to store the equipment? What about erecting a temporary fenced storage yard in that giant landscape area at 16:18? Snow bunker is a good idea...but they can walk in/over it and be concealed while molesting your equipment.
@@davidbedwell8512 maybe I'm just going off what I see on RU-vid and stuff for brands, never seen a JD backhoe here, mostly JCB or older fords or massey fergusons
Also I had all of my irrigation stuff stolen from me 2 years ago (end of my first year in business) it hurt. Ditch Witch 3700, 2018 enclosed heavy duty cross trailer, small tools, pipe carts, and about $30,000 in product! I WAS way under insured and learned my lesson quick. Best of luck with getting stuff back. Not a single piece of mine was recovered. The rough part is the police station who was investigating the case was the one burned down in Minneapolis since our location is just a few blocks away. It will eat at you if you let it so best to let it go and only think about it is when you see something familiar (check serials).
About 15 years ago we had a farmer that killed a thief. For about two years nothing was stolen. But then it started up again. So even killing is good but for so long. So now the going theory is you don't have to make it impossible to steal, you just need to make it less convenient than the other guy's stuff. It's so sad.
I ran a case loader in the Army The problem with the front mounted cab is sometimes you lose track of where the rear half is steering to.but I can run both it really doesn't make a difference.
The doc filters can be sent out to be cleaned alot of the cummins ones would be sent out to big kilns and would bake them clean still a price but cheaper than buying new and best thing to do is delete it and it'll last forever and be better on the environment won't have to make extra nonsense
19:52 I see you can unbolt your hitch pin I imagine that you could probably unbolt it if you’re gonna leave the trailer somewhere for a period of time. Or use a hitch pin lock on it that will slow and deter the thieves because that’s what I use on my trailer and it has not been stolen and it’s been over five years. I have a tandem axle dump trailer I like it a lot bought it locally $7500 it was a demo
Stan the man please get a cellular trail camera,get 2 or 3 and mount it on them light pols use the loader to get high , Exodus outdoors makes a great one !!!!!!