Securing the Teardrop

[Shadow Catcher]

Supplement to if you can get a bolt cutter on it, it is toast, cables come under the heading of you can get a bolt cutter on it. Do a youtube search on bike lock testing, a couple of them. Also add if you can get a chisel on it.
The locks I use with the bull dog hitch.

[KCStudly]

For my UT and boat I, too, use a coupler pin lock similar to the small brass locks shown. However, when I lock the coupler when it is not connected to the TV I lock it with the catch lever up, not down. My reasoning on this is that it would be really simple for a thief to disassemble the adjuster nut from the bottom of the couplers keeper, drop the coupler on the thief's tow ball, then reassemble and tighten the keeper securely. With the coupler locked in the up position, there is less chance that they could get a secure hook-up. The locking balls seem like a good idea, but I haven't invested in one of those yet (none of my junk is that nice that people are likely to steal it).

Now TPCE is a different story. The custom swivel hitch coupler will not be compatible with anyone's tow ball. While coupled to the TV I will use a locking draw bar pin to keep them from taking the whole draw bar with the rig attached. I am adding a provision for a coupler lock on the removable U-joint swivel pin and I plan to run a chain thru a wheel and around the axle as a hindrance.

[aggie79]

Although, I use both a coupler pin lock and a ball lock, no lock is really effective.

If someone is going to steal your teardrop, travel trailer, utility trailer, cargo trailer, etc., they will make handy use of your safety chains, or supply their own chain, wrap the chain through/around your tongue and connect to their vehicle, and drive off.

In this regard, I feel the side tent and pop-up canopy that are strapped to my teardrop and the tongue jack and rear jack stands in the down position, while camping, are more effective than my coupler pin lock and ball lock.

[rowerwet]

thanks to all of you I realized my tear isn't secure, I found the hitch ball lock could be cut so I threw it away, then my coupler lock could also be cut, so I threw it away, the cable through the wheels could suffer the same fate, so I threw it away. a quick couple cuts with the sawzall and PRESTO! no more tongue! try stealing that! then I removed the wheels, but, somebody could come up with the matching wheels, so I cut off the wheel lugs off.
but... I still couldn't sleep, somebody could show up with a ramp truck and steal my tear (I've seen cars missing wheels dragged up on to ramp trucks) so I removed the axle and springs, then I welded the frame to steel I beams embeded 10 feet deep in my yard. no ramp truck jockey is gonna drag this thing up on his deck now!
BUT... I still couldn't sleep, cranes... forklifts... excavators... steel I beams can be dug or lifted out of the ground. After a night of tossing and turning Imagining that call from my wife or the PD...
I called red-E-mix, they filled my tear in seconds. NOW TRY AND STEAL IT!!!

[woodywrkng]

Crimestopper auto alarm wired into my teardrop. I only use the vibration sensing function.

[ksmack01]

I may have under thunk my security. I boondock alot in the middle of the woods during hunting season. Some days I leave my rig before daylight and dont return till way yonder after dark. I wanted a way someone had no way of hitching up and taking myrig. What I came up with was a removable hitch. I have two bolts that hold it in place and in about 45 seconds the entire thing unbolts chains and all then......BAM, no way to hookup without the hitch that I have in MY vehicle. You can see the blank tongue if you zoom in a bit on the pic.

[Crabapple]

So now I'm wondering if this wheel lock gives better security than the coupler locks most posters are using?

[Verna]

I use the wheel lock with the coupler lock. It means it will take a thief longer to remove my 3 locks....maybe they will leave me alone and go try for a 5th wheel or something like that

[bonnie]

thanks to all of you I realized my tear isn't secure, I found the hitch ball lock could be cut so I threw it away, then my coupler lock could also be cut, so I threw it away, the cable through the wheels could suffer the same fate, so I threw it away. a quick couple cuts with the sawzall and PRESTO! no more tongue! try stealing that! then I removed the wheels, but, somebody could come up with the matching wheels, so I cut off the wheel lugs off.
but... I still couldn't sleep, somebody could show up with a ramp truck and steal my tear (I've seen cars missing wheels dragged up on to ramp trucks) so I removed the axle and springs, then I welded the frame to steel I beams embeded 10 feet deep in my yard. no ramp truck jockey is gonna drag this thing up on his deck now!
BUT... I still couldn't sleep, cranes... forklifts... excavators... steel I beams can be dug or lifted out of the ground. After a night of tossing and turning Imagining that call from my wife or the PD...
I called red-E-mix, they filled my tear in seconds. NOW TRY AND STEAL IT!!!

[twinight]

My trailer frame has a receiver while the coupler and chains are on a tongue extension that can be removed and stored in the TV
I just use a hitch lock through a metal end plate and there's nothing to hook up to, no anchors for any tow chains.
They would have to cut the hitch lock off and bring their own receiver bar with coupler to haul the trailer away.

[ctstaas]

If you cut the shank off a ball and lock in in the receiver when it not attached to you TV it makes it a real pain to steal a trailer and it a cheap solution.

[tdprice54]

with a trailer I had in the past, I felt uncomfortable leaving in certain areas. I simply removed one of the tires and left on a jack stand. Most thieves only steal if it's handy.