Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Howdy All;

As most of ya know I live in an RV fulltime I receive a newsletter each Sat. & Sunday
it has some nice 'informational articles' and some other sometimes interesting stuff.
Here's one from this morning's regarding a trailer theft;

Thieves aren’t bothered by hitch lock. An RV owner in Billings, Montana woke up to find his new $35,000 Grand Design RV had been stolen from his driveway. The thieves didn’t bother with the hitch lock Nate Murphy had installed on the rig. They just used the RV’s safety chains to “secure” it to the bolt on their vehicle and towed it away. The rig was found, stripped, in a ravine about 50 miles south of Billings.

Thought ya'll might find it 'interesting'. The newsletter can be found here;
https://www.rvtravel.com/1029-12-40b/?p ... wZTd1jg%3D

hank

I get a notification on my phone when my camper moves and live tracking thanks to a Spot Trace. I also utilize a wheel lock and the hitch locked to a stand.

www.findmespot.com

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In this case, I think having a modest trailer makes someone must less likely to fall victim to this kind of theft. There's a big difference between a $35,000 RV and a DIY teardrop that can cost just a few thousand dollars. There is also just not that much for thieves to strip and sell. There are certainly wheel locks you could use if the trailer is parked for the season, and it's easy enough to make your own out of heavy chain and a heavy padlock if you've got spoked rims (paint the chain a bright color!). Personally, I'd be afraid that's I'd tear up the trailer myself because I drove off with the lock still on. :-/

That’s why I keep a padlock to wrap my chains.

Tony

tony.latham wrote:That’s why I keep a padlock to wrap my chains.

Tony

Good idea.

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I made my chains removable using quick links.

If someone wants your trailer they're going to take it. All you can do is make it harder for them.

i buy my Master padlocks by the box of 6 KEYED ALIKE

one key for large locks and one for the smaller ones

Master makes locks w/ different length bails in both sizes

the more convoluted you make your security system the more likely the thief is to goto the next/easier target down the road

good forged link chain IS also part of my system

hadn't thought about the safety chains YET butt will be adding them to my system

when leaving the trailer(s) anywhere for any period of time i also lock the stuff underneath w/ a cable

having several elements to deal with just makes theft more convoluted

a big lock w/ a long bail can be fitted to the hitch lever w/ a 5/16" drill



the stinger pin can also be fitted to accept the long bail of a smaller lock



when using "cable" for security i choose the kind w/ MANY smaller strands which foils many bolt cutters which by design have jaws that don't actually make contact

sw

Howdy All;

Ottsville wrote:If someone wants your trailer they're going to take it. All you can do is make it harder for them.

Pretty much sums it up. All we can do is make it more difficult. A pro can/ will defeat just about anything we can think up.
The not-so-wanna-be thieves will move on when a problem makes them take more time.

Those Master locks can be easily defeated with a hammer and if necessary a drift punch, a pair of open-end wrenches or a
strip cut from a pop can in less time then it took me to type this. Just check You Tube.

A trailer sitting on blocks without the hubs and with the locking bits from the ball receiver missing is not something they
want to deal with. That's an extream example, but the more they need to tote to take it the less inclined they are to want it.

hank

How common is teardrop theft? I've "only" seen a couple posts about stolen trailers on tnttt in the last few years. I think it would be my first place to go to notify the community to keep on the watch.

I live and travel in fairly low crime areas. I imagine there is a problem in certain areas. I wonder if homemade models are less attractive for thieves.

I do cable my camper to a tree or post when I am camping to discourage the opportunist. If I had a real fear of it disappearing I think I would jack up one side, remove the wheel and put it in my car. Chances of someone carrying a 4 lug on 4" wheel around seems pretty slim.

I like the idea of a tracking device. I tried one a couple years ago that worked with an old smart phone that I hid in an interior wall. It was connected to my battery through a USB charge device and in case the battery was disconnected I would still have a few days of charge on the phone. The tracking app was cheap but really sucked. Had trouble with it reporting accurate movement. I didn't renew when I ran out of my initial $30 of time. It only used $.20 / day so it took some time to use up thirty bucks. I wish I could figure out what didn't work about it. The company is still in business so I suspect that something on my end was FUBAR. Maybe someone has some experience with them... https://corvusgps.com/evertrack-app/

not so much of a problem up here, but food for thought

How common is teardrop theft?

I think it's very rare. When it happens it makes the social pages and everyone knows.

Where I live, I can drive around and see detached trailers --horse, camp, boat, utility, or whatever unlocked. Just sitting there.

So I think it's a geographic issue.

Tony

tony.latham wrote:...

Where I live, I can drive around and see detached trailers --horse, camp, boat, utility, or whatever unlocked. Just sitting there.

So I think it's a geographic issue.

Tony

Yup, same here in my fairly rural area. Neighbors all around me have unlocked trailers with snow machines, four wheelers, boats sitting in the open front yards. I rarely hear of theft, thank God!

Here in Methtern Kansas, my stuff is locked up, inside, with a security system.

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Great Idea's here.
I travel with a cable and use it;
Through one wheel, it won't turn far.