Random interest in parked trailer

[rubicon327]

Escape 19 stored in driveway on quiet neighborhood street. Several times in the last few months there has been random people stopping and asking if we would consider selling. Escapes are very rare in our area so I'm not sure these people even know what they are looking at. Does this happen to other people? Maybe I'm overthinking it but it has me a little nervous that they are casing out locations to come back to steal trailers. Just by coming up to the door they are able to get familiar with the property and neighbors, size up the owners, see if there are cameras, security measures, dogs, etc.

[Eggscape]

We live in a quaint neighbourhood and have lots of people walking by with and without their dogs. You never really know who is eyeballing up your trailer. It is not like I don’t give a good look at thing’s that interest me when I am out for my walk.

Our neighbour two houses up had to run out mid day and stop two guys trying to steal his boat…and it is not that great of a boat! Two years ago the neighbour beside me had his cargo trailer stolen at 3:00 am along with 5 off road bikes inside and all the of children’s memories of them that went along with it.

I know people that read my thread Modifications to Eggscape must think I am paranoid about losing our trailer and I might be if I had not made the modifications. I would say I am confident that the trailer will be there each and every morning that I wake up and I don’t loose any sleep worrying about it.

To put the extra security features in place each time it comes home takes a few minutes but I feel it is well worth the time when the trailer, especially this time of year is sitting for 6 months.

There are going to be people that don’t give two hoots about their trailer and will just have their insurance pay for another one. That is fine for some but ours has great memories and a lot of time invested in making it comfortable for us.

To be honest, I had a hard time justifying the expense in 2018 of an Escape 19 when the used $10,000 disposable 19 ft stick trailer we had was doing us just fine. I don’t want to have to make that decision again if our trailer is stolen because I know I can’t justify a new Escape at almost twice the price we paid…just for camping.

[Ron in BC]

I think that hard core thieves don't need to knock on the door to case the situation. Also, showing their face up close and personal wouldn't make them the smartest thief around.

There are exceptions. I helped care for a 100 year old women to keep her in place in her house. Big long driveway down the side of the house so I let a friend park his tandem boat trailer there.

Guy knocks on the door and says the guy who owns the trailer said he could borrow it. My elderly friend does the classic "Oh, you mean Ron" Yah he says, but I need the key for the lock. So she looks through all her keys and of course, doesn't have it. I found out about it and my friend decided that maybe a secure parking lot was a better option.

I found out that the guy in question lived nearby. He had a f.g. boat in his driveway and the transom had been sprayed with primer, no obvious registration number. Told the cops of the guys previous exploits and my suspicions about the boat. It disappeared very quickly. What goes round comes round.

Ron

[brroberts]

Insurance can cover some of the value of the trailer, but not all in this period of rising prices for new trailers. I protect my trailer somewhat camping. At home, it’s not even locked. I store it in my barn. No one knows if it’s there or on a trip unless I tell them, or they see us hitch and go.

What can’t be covered, as has been said, is all of the time and money making just the way we want it.

[Randy in Maine]

I have a deal with all of my neighbors.....if I see somebody who is not them, doing something that just doesn't look legit, I just call the cops and let everyone figure it out in the morning.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

I think that hard core thieves don't need to knock on the door to case the situation. Also, showing their face up close and personal wouldn't make them the smartest thief around.

True Ron but I think more and more groups of criminals are working together. You might not see them again but they passed off important information to an accomplice.

[Drives1937]

I found that a Power Lock on the tongue that you can lock your chains inside of it and 2 small padlocks that you can put through the holes in your scissor chocks make me sleep better at night. It is worth the time and effort to keep people honest by making it difficult and time consuming for them to make off with your trailer. There has been reports of people taking your safety chains and rapping them around their bumper slapping a couple of padlocks on them then making their getaway. This happened to a friend's equipment trailer.
Ken in AZ

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by brroberts

What can’t be covered, as has been said, is all of the time and money making just the way we want it.

What can't be covered is the feeling of being violated. Had a B&E when I was still in University and the end feeling, even after the insurance payout, wasn't nice.

Made me an early adopter of alarm systems. There's nothing like a large fire bell on an exterior wall to get attention. I did have one false alarm over many years. A neighbor came from a block away to see if there was a problem. Inside the house the walls are vibrating. Only makes someone get out of Dodge as fast as possible.

No fire alarm bell on the Escape.

Ron

[Ooshkaboo]

Not mention for those of us with a camper at our homes, the zombies can tell when you’re out of town.

[jack sparrow]

Maybe no fire alarm, but when my unit is parked wherever I arm my Dewalt Mobile Lock. I sleep good at night because of it and many other security features I've added to my Escape. Here is a link to check out the Dewalt system. This system has been around for many years.
https://www.dewaltmobilelock.com/


Has a price tag to it, but you get what you pay for.


When I get my pictures all taken, I'll post the mods I've made.


Cheers.......and Happy Trails to ya.......Jack

[Mike G]

We had a guy stop buy twice in one day asking if the trailer was for sale. After that, I put a paper in the window (mounted to cardboard, so it's easy to stow during travel) which says NOT FOR SALE.


The Escape is parked in my driveway with just a small hitch lock, but much of the time my SUV is blocking it. And my wife is home 99% of the time, too.

[DT6]

We probably get one or two inquiries per year like the one's you described. Not sure if people know what they are looking at or not, but it is pretty evident they want a nice lighter-weight fiberglass trailer. One guy even rode up next to me on I-5 headed north and rolled his window down to ask what the trailer weights were (empty and loaded). That was a fun exchange at 55 MPH. So yeah, I think people ask about them because they are unique (in a good way).

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by brroberts

Insurance can cover some of the value of the trailer, but not all in this period of rising prices for new trailers. I protect my trailer somewhat camping. At home, it’s not even locked. I store it in my barn. No one knows if it’s there or on a trip unless I tell them, or they see us hitch and go.

What can’t be covered, as has been said, is all of the time and money making just the way we want it.

I, too, store my trailer at my home in a 3-sided metal building. The 4th side has a sliding tarp to keep the sun’s UV rays completely away from the fiberglass. The building is pretty much hidden by trees so most people do not even know I have a trailer and when it is being prepared for a trip, the casual thief would not know if we are going to be away or if we have RV friends who are visiting. Crime can happen anywhere, but as a reader of RV Travel, which posts locations and photos of stolen RVs, they seem to be most often in Texas or the Pacific NW, including the western provinces of Canada. In the 20 years I have lived where I live, there has only been one neighborhood break-in (1/3 of a mile away) and the perpetrator was caught, an out-of-state transient. As a result, I do not “lose sleep” worrying about theft.

I strongly agree with the “what can’t be covered” statement, and at my age, the amount of time I would be deprived of its use waiting for a replacement.

As I have posted in the past, I believe the best anti-theft device is a GPS tracker. Subscription prices for monitoring vary, but some are less than $100/year. These devices will notify you via a cell phone the minute motion of the trailer or motor vehicle in which it is installed (preferably in a hidden location). The police can then be told exactly where the
trailer or motor vehicle is traveling by road name or number, etc. The most gratifying aspect is that the scumbag thief will most likely be caught and subject to jail time and potential civil suit.

[iamunique127]

We store our trailer on a rural property and only have it home to load and unload for trips. When it's at home it is connected to the truck and parked on the street. I've had several ppl stop by when I'm in and out of the trailer to ask about it.

I am somewhat concerned about ppl knowing we'll be away and I try to minimize the time the rig is parked in front of the house. I'm not sure there is a lot more I can do for the house other than having the monitored alarm system, watchful neighbours, keeping the grass cut, etc.

I don't know if I'm deluding myself or not to think our 5.0TA is secure when we leave it with one of those small, colourful pin locks on the pin. The lock seems well built but maybe there is a way thieves can defeat it. This thread has me thinking maybe I should also put the wheel lock on it. I have one of those devices that fits over a wheel so it can't turn.

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

As I have posted in the past, I believe the best anti-theft device is a GPS tracker. Subscription prices for monitoring vary, but some are less than $100/year. These devices will notify you via a cell phone the minute motion of the trailer or motor vehicle in which it is installed (preferably in a hidden location). The police can then be told exactly where the
trailer or motor vehicle is traveling by road name or number, etc. The most gratifying aspect is that the scumbag thief will most likely be caught and subject to jail time and potential civil suit.

To me, anti-theft means preventing theft, like locking it up to make it immoveable or securing it in a building, not chasing the guys after something is gone. Many ppl just depend on video cameras for their security and they may prevent theft if the thieves know about them. Stickers advertising there is a GPS tracker on-board may deter theft in the first place.

Of course, everyone's trailer storage situation is different and you gotta do what suits you best.

[occer]

Originally Posted by Mike G

The Escape is parked in my driveway with just a small hitch lock, but much of the time my SUV is blocking it. And my wife is home 99% of the time, too.

That reminds me of the story; The man say I don’t need fire insurance I lives next door to the fire station. Then one day while the fireman are out fighting a fire his house catches on fire……

[Carmel Clown]

How about posting a NOT for sale sign

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by iamunique127

Many ppl just depend on video cameras for their security and they may prevent theft if the thieves know about them.

I consider security cameras part of a package. Nice to be able to glance at your phone anywhere in the world and see all is well at home.

Also, little things, like an unexpected newspaper left in the driveway. Nothing says vacant house more than things like that. Quick message to a neighbor and it's gone.

Ron

[Chamberman]

I can see where having random people stop to ask about the trailer would be a concern. A few Blink exterior camera's and some stiff theft deterrents are probably in order.

On the subject of selling the trailer that's not for sale. After years of having people call me multiple times per week to ask me if I would sell my house I've now stopped telling them NO and began telling them of course its for sale. Then I hit them with a price $100k above market value. They usually hang up when I tell them that because they're trying to pay $100k below market value. At this point I would do the same with anyone that asked if my car, truck, trailer, etc is for sale.


Of course my physical possessions are for sale, its just a matter of how badly do you want to own them...

[Elowen]

We use a Ft.Knox on our 5.0 Andersen...

https://ftknoxlocks.com/

Darn heavy duty ⚠️
{probably already mentioned elsewhere}

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by iamunique127

We store our trailer on a rural property and only have it home to load and unload for trips. When it's at home it is connected to the truck and parked on the street. I've had several ppl stop by when I'm in and out of the trailer to ask about it.

I am somewhat concerned about ppl knowing we'll be away and I try to minimize the time the rig is parked in front of the house. I'm not sure there is a lot more I can do for the house other than having the monitored alarm system, watchful neighbours, keeping the grass cut, etc.

I don't know if I'm deluding myself or not to think our 5.0TA is secure when we leave it with one of those small, colourful pin locks on the pin. The lock seems well built but maybe there is a way thieves can defeat it. This thread has me thinking maybe I should also put the wheel lock on it. I have one of those devices that fits over a wheel so it can't turn.



To me, anti-theft means preventing theft, like locking it up to make it immoveable or securing it in a building, not chasing the guys after something is gone. Many ppl just depend on video cameras for their security and they may prevent theft if the thieves know about them. Stickers advertising there is a GPS tracker on-board may deter theft in the first place.

Of course, everyone's trailer storage situation is different and you gotta do what suits you best.

Almost any lock can be defeated by a determined thief. I did not nor would I suggest a GPS tracking device is an anti-theft device. It is a recovery device and hopefully the thief pays for his/her thieving ways doing jail time. You can rest assured that even given my relatively safe, out of sight storage location I have a substantial lock on the kingpin of my 5.0TA as well as a hefty chain through the wheels, as well security camera monitoring which notifies me immediately of any motion in the area. Any potential thief coming on my property would be taking a very large risk (and that is all I will say).