Security

[WillyB]

Outside of surrounding your life with Razor WIre and Attack Dogs the best defense is a good insurance policy.

Sure, getting things back in order can be a hassle but life is way too short to waste time worrying about what "might" happen.

[MyronL]

A friend of mine had a great idea he told me about recently, to deter thieves from stealing an extension cord that might be left outside the trailer. He suggested wrapping it with black electricians tape in several places, to make it look like a splice was repaired. What thief wants an old, used extension cord, right?

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by MyronL

A friend of mine had a great idea he told me about recently, to deter thieves from stealing an extension cord that might be left outside the trailer. He suggested wrapping it with black electricians tape in several places, to make it look like a splice was repaired. What thief wants an old, used extension cord, right?

That's a Facebook meme that's been floating around for quite a while now.

[MyronL]

Dangit, and Jan led me to believe it was his idea. Sly dog!

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by MyronL

Dangit, and Jan led me to believe it was his idea. Sly dog!

Doesn't matter who's idea, it may work! Other than the fact electrical tape get sticky after a while, I think it's a grand idea.

[bborzell]

Originally Posted by MyronL

A friend of mine had a great idea he told me about recently, to deter thieves from stealing an extension cord that might be left outside the trailer. He suggested wrapping it with black electricians tape in several places, to make it look like a splice was repaired. What thief wants an old, used extension cord, right?

I was thinking about getting a large vinyl crack decal running top to bottom at an angle across the entire camper body.

[Nindy]

Well, I'm on here today searching what kind of hitch locks everyone likes. Yesterday morning some meth head tried to haul my trailer away but didn't get more than 18 inches due to my Brahma lock on the wheel. He cut off my hitch lock. Silly me thinking I didn't have to worry about a good one with that Brahma on the wheel. But he was dumb enough to think he should try it anyway I guess. I'll inspect it and hitch up and take it to get the axle looked at in case there is damage. (The manager had put those chocks back by the wheel although I had them on the other side.)

His consolation prize was taking one of my Lifeline AGM batteries off the bumper. He had tried hard to steal a popup camper first but we're not sure why that didn't work out. Then he went through storage compartments on a boat and found a few things he liked.

I moved recently and that's the second incidence of vandalism to my trailer in three months at this storage facility. I'm in a rental house with a HOA while I build on my property so can't park it at the house like I did previously and I also used underground cave storage for the coldest months. Never had a problem.

He entered on a lady's code and she immediately got the text that someone used her code but was confused and didn't act on it for several hours and by then the manager was at church. There is a lot of video of him and his truck including the license plate number. And him trying to put the code in, rechecking the number he had, putting his glasses on, putting the glasses up to the keypad...

[DT6]

I spent some time recently reviewing which hitch lock to get. I started with the Proven Industries as some had recommended it, but I found a review where someone was able to easily drill through the puck lock on it and remove the whole thing within a minute or two.
Then I found Ft. Knox locks. Same idea as Proven Industries, not as pretty, but more effective (at least from what I was able to find out). I chose the best puck lock from Ft. Knox that they had to offer which they said was hardened steel and it takes longer to drill through their puck lock than most. Any lock can be picked or drilled or cut off, but the idea is to make it as hard as you can so the thief hopefully moves on to the next trailer and leaves yours alone.
The Ft. Knox staff was very helpful and returned my call fairly quickly. I'm very happy with it, just note that these things are heavy, so take care to not drop them on your foot while installing or removing.

[Nindy]

I'm looking at the Proven Industries website and for $100 extra you can get a stainless steel puck instead of aluminum in different colors. I'll look at Ft. Knox too.

[gklott]

Originally Posted by Nindy

I'm looking at the Proven Industries website and for $100 extra you can get a stainless steel puck instead of aluminum in different colors. I'll look at Ft. Knox too.

Agree on Proven Industries.

73/gus

[Eggscape]

I am not sure if you can buy one of their assembles without the puck lock…but I would want to get one of these cone puck locks which makes the drilling of the regular flat surface more interesting.

[brroberts]

I bought the Proven without their puck, and got a puck recommended by the lock picking lawyer. I don’t remember off the top of my head which puck it was, but it is stainless and not cone shaped.

[HABBERDABBER]

Bummer, sister, that you have creepy dirtballs trying to make off with your Escape. It looks like you had dang good protection to start with. You're in the mode now to get absolute protection of theft. Anything you do or add will help, but my lame suggestion is to check your insurance coverage, deductibles and all that. A smarter, better equipped or more experienced scoundrel might have had better luck hauling your Escape away.
We can do most anything. Jez, 53 years ago the USA went to the moon. Most any security lock can be defeated with enough brains and some money for tools.

HOLD FAST!

[Nindy]

My next step, besides getting a really good hitch lock, is to move it to a more secure storage facility. I liked that this one is just 3 minutes away but seems there is a newer one just 7 minutes away with indoor and outdoor RV storage. Probably more expensive but may not be in this town much more than a year or so anyway.

Dang, those Lifeline AGMs like I have are up to $400 each and I’m going to have to get two!

[Nindy]

Originally Posted by Eggscape

I am not sure if you can buy one of their assembles without the puck lock…but I would want to get one of these cone puck locks which makes the drilling of the regular flat surface more interesting.

Wow, that is a great idea.

[HABBERDABBER]

Originally Posted by Nindy

Dang, those Lifeline AGMs like I have are up to $400 each and I’m going to have to get two!

Your insurance?
Have you inquired? Heck, I don't know the specifics of my trailer insurance, but I'm going to check the nitty gritty of the policy soon.

It's worth a call.

Lifetime AGM's? Whose lifetime? 2 new Trojan lead acids (or Interstate , non-Costco versions) will set you back one of those AGM's

[Nindy]

I actually just had my insurance policy out earlier today before I found out about the theft since my financial planners like to see a copy every year to make sure I'm well-covered. All's good there but I imagine I'll be talking to my new agent real soon. Called the sheriff today to file the report.

Yeah, I'll shop around on the AGMs.

[DT6]

Originally Posted by brroberts

I bought the Proven without their puck, and got a puck recommended by the lock picking lawyer. I don’t remember off the top of my head which puck it was, but it is stainless and not cone shaped.

I also looked at a lot of the YouTube videos from the "Lock Picking Lawyer" and they are an excellent resource. He was the one that pointed out the severe problem with the Proven Industries puck lock.

If Proven has an upgrade, that might be worth considering, but I would review the Lock Picking Lawyers videos to find the puck he recommends. While it is easy to lose faith in any lock watching his videos, remember that he is very experienced in picking locks and I believe he has even said that a good lock can be very difficult for most people to pick. It is all about slowing the crooks down and making your trailer a less desirable option than the one parked next to it.

You might also consider putting in a GPS tracker or at least an Apple AirTag in it. There was a separate posting regarding stolen Escape trailers where trackers were discussed in quite a bit of detail, so you may want to find and review that one if you think a tracker will help.

[BobG]

Because of the way my driveway is, I have to disconnect the trailer and use a power dolly to park it. I connect the dolly, turn the trailer 90° and then drag it to the garage door. This leaves the tongue up against the garage. It would take quite an effort to drag the trailer out to the street and turn it around to connect to it.

My dolly is powered but I am thinking if you have a fairly level area to work in, you might be able to maneuver the trailer with a non powered dolly if it is single axle. A dual axle trailer would need a power dolly unless the trailer could be lined up straight into its parking place and then use a hand dolly to pull it straight to the parking spot.

Not a very practical solution to theft but for some situations, it might be.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by MyronL

A friend of mine had a great idea he told me about recently, to deter thieves from stealing an extension cord that might be left outside the trailer. He suggested wrapping it with black electricians tape in several places, to make it look like a splice was repaired. What thief wants an old, used extension cord, right?

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Doesn't matter who's idea, it may work! Other than the fact electrical tape get sticky after a while, I think it's a grand idea.

If they are addicts looking for their next fix the extension cords are going to be stolen for the copper scrap value.