Attempt on Trailer theft - this time Manly

[Scalem]

Escaping for a quiet fish in the bay on a Monday RDO my brother reports the car park was nowhere near the hustle and bustle that I experienced on the weekend. But with much fewer people around someone had a go at stealing the boat trailer. This is scary stuff, he padlocks the chain to the car as well as having the trailer lock to the tow ball.

He noticed when he got home that the padlock on the chain was open and the padlock on the tow ball lock is severely damaged/ bent.

It's happening everywhere, whats' the solution? ( my trailer alarm is only one other deterent)

Scalem

[dnej]

Scalem,
Some things that help/
Reverse in where possible, and get the wheels hard up on a kerb. It makes it very difficult to get off the tow ball, and if they do, they cant get past the MV.
David

[PinHead]

don't know the answer Scalem...but there is not may things that, with the tools in the back of my ute, that I could not get off if I wanted to.
I proved that easily with the wheel clamp.
I went to a hardware store and asked the bloke there for some chain for the boat trailer..I told him i wanted it bloody tough to cut..so what does he do..cuts it with bolt cutters..I told him not to bother.
Not sure if hardened would be better.

[Scalem]

Scalem,
Some things that help/
Reverse in where possible, and get the wheels hard up on a kerb. It makes it very difficult to get off the tow ball, and if they do, they cant get past the MV.
David

Thanks,

that was the other thing - he had reversed the trailer up against one of the trees to make it harder, not impossible. Keen!!!!

Scalem

[Jabiru658]

Were you using a wheel clamp?

They are probably the most effective device at reducing theft of trailers although they are a time consuming nuisance to get on and off.

[PinHead]

Jabiru..they are useless..I proved that..can have it gone in under 30 seconds..don't rely on them to save anything.

[timddo]

Yip.. Dewalt battery operated angle grinder will cut throught anything. Heck i even have 4 batteries to use.

The only way to deter theives is to keep ur trailer nice and dirty.
It would be nice if VMR or coastwatch have secure parking say $10 a day.

[PinHead]

only 4 batteries..got about 8 plus the sabre saw plus jigsaw etc etc..plus boltcutter..all just for a days work...damn..starting to sound like thieves now.

If anyone wants a Defender wheel clamp they can pick it up from my place..still in the box. I won't be using it after the other joke I bought

[Chris Ryan]

I think you can get stainless chain - its exe but hard as. Compared to the cost of a new boat/trailer its cheap.

Failing that make sure you have good insurance. ;)

[PinHead]

wanna know the really stupid thing..break into the tool boxes on the ute and all the gear is there to flog my trailer from my car..some of us are not real birght at times.

[Heath]

what sort of hitch lock did he have Scalem? One of the cheapie ones or a hitch helmet?

[Chris Ryan]

I don't think a high IQ is on the prerequisites for a trailer thief... :)

[tropicrows]

I heard one story where the trailer was locked onto the toe ball with a helmet lock. So they just cut through the draw bar with an angle grinder and left the guy with a foot of trailer. It they want it that badly they come prepared.

[Scalem]

what sort of hitch lock did he have Scalem? One of the cheapie ones or a hitch helmet?

Heath,

It's one of these, at least it survived an attempt

http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp223/Scalem/security13.jpg

[Mr__Bean]

Jabiru..they are useless..I proved that..can have it gone in under 30 seconds..don't rely on them to save anything.


Wow, what sort was it and how did you get it off?

I have a Klampit and thought it to be quite good until reading your post.

I have sharpened the edge of the part that digs into the tyre and find it near impossible to get off now without demolishing it, but your post now has me wondering.

- Darren

[robersl]

Why can they not use part of our rego's to put camera's at all ramps and be monitored at a local police station or security firm they certainly are not putting all the money back into ramps ect

shane

[BaitThrower]

Or just have a crappy old trailer that no one wants to steal when other nicer ones are close by :)

[Far side]

Stainless chain 5 seconds with battery grinder
Hardened locks 6 seconds with grinder
Trailer lock 10 seconds with grinder
Padlock 3 seconds with grinder

Put them on because it stops the dumb ones but if they are determined then the trailer is gone

[finga]

Were they after the trailer or the car??
His car makes sense to me as it's fairly high on the "cars to pinch" list and makes it hard to run from the coppers with a boat trailer on the back.

[finga]

He noticed when he got home that the padlock on the chain was open and the padlock on the tow ball lock is severely damaged/ bent.
Scalem
How does Poo put the padlock on the chain??
How did they get the lock open??

If they could pick one lock they would be able to pick the other lock and have no need to bash the crappers out of it I'd think.
Something else might be on the cards here.

[Scalem]

Don't know that amount of detail Scott, the lock through chain then through the hole in the tongue was easy enough to do on my old Ford. How they got it open ... I dunno, I wasn't there at the time and neither was he:P But it was open when he got home.

The car? How do you steal a HSV R8 with immobilzer and all the bells and whistles? Pretty specialized theft if they managed it, or are you still thinking he has the Pajero?

[PinHead]

HSV's...easy to flog..the pros can take them while you are sitting in thing .

[finga]

Nope, I knew he had the HSV.
Seems funny one locked was picked and the other mangled. (I hope he had a rated D on as well and not just the padlock)
HSV are very high on the thieves hit list..indeed very high.
Immobilisers, gps trackers and every other form of deterrent is just that.....a deterrent not a solution.

[Mr__Bean]

Thankfully I can park my boat in the back yard, behind a locked gate, in with a very good dog.

If I was forced to park out front of the house again I would look to have a 70mm tow coupling fitted to the trailer rather than the standard 50mm coupling.

Huge overkill in towing capacity but I think it would severely hamper theft by your everyday bogan.

- Darren

[PADDLES]

have any of you guys tried the "talon" trailer hitch lock? it uses a "bilock" key barrel and looks the goods. i was considering buying one myself. google it and see what you reckon. i'm pretty suss on the amount of trailers "nearly" getting pinched these days, we tend to go out for weekends in our boat and i'd be absolutely frothing if my trailer wasn't there when i got home.

[tropicrows]

Paddles, you may want to talk to a locksmith such as "Barnes john & Co". The place I work for replaced all our old locks with bilock system a few years ago, and then changed to Abloy system two years latter as the bilock are easy to crack if you know how.

[finga]

Same as the rest Paddles.
A battery angle grinder and it's off.
I reckon a good whack sideways on the top and the casting would break (don't know what it's made of though as they don't say or if you have a Hayman Reese type towbar all they have to do is take the whole tongue out and slide it into their getaway car.
You will never stop them but taking precautions will reduce the chances. ie backing the trailer against something immoveable (rock, fence, tree). Make the ba$tards work for it I reckon.
Me...I have the oldest/dirtiest trailer there. They might leave me alone and go for the shiny one :)

[charleville]

Me...I have the oldest/dirtiest trailer there. They might leave me alone and go for the shiny one :)


My trailer is starting to give me the same sense of security for the same reason.

Touch wood because I have never had a problem with theft despite going and coming from ramps at very odd hours - and indeed discovering the police coming to have a look at me at some of those odd hours. However, I am starting to wonder if it may be worthwhile joining the MBTBC to use their fenced in secure ramp.


.

[finga]

Bruce..old oil and grease all over the trailer and go for a drive up the dustiest road you can find.
The oil and stuff goes hard after awhile and makes the trailer look very undesirable. The grease and oil helps with the rust too as a side benefit.
That's actually a bit of a lie as two of the 3 trailers are painted and I polish them. Never seems to go missing though.
I painted them so I can easily see if any rust comes and take care of it easily.
'Junior' has the apparently dodgy one but I'm thinking of making an aluminium one for him...and polish it :D

[Leighton]

Heath,

It's one of these, at least it survived an attempt

http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp223/Scalem/security13.jpg

Scalem they are only as good as your padlock
I removed the padlock off mine with 1 hit with a Hammer and cold chisel
Its hard to find a decent lock that goes through the trailer hitch

[MEGA'bite]

i sure there is plenty of welders/fitters that can fab some thing better than whats on the market and make them fora small donation if you know what i mean

[dazza33]

My old man before he retired was an auto elec and wired his boat trailer to his car alarm. Before locking the car he'd flick a switch under his dash so if the trailer plugs where disconnected his car alarm would sound until they where connected again. I think the alarm had a timer of 10mins or so as well. Had something to do with breaking the circuit or something. Again not foolproof as if it was the last thing they did they could have it on their car and driving off before anyone's suspicions where aroused i guess. But i would say a shock to those attempting the theft. He used to say it's good enough to deter the honest thieves!

Daz.

[Tim Hutchison]

i had my work trailer stolen. it had a trailer lock on they just undone the bolts put another coupling on the draw bar $35 bucks from super cheap $8000 worth of tools so now i weld the coupling to the draw bar as well as the bolts.

[FNQCairns]

i had my work trailer stolen. it had a trailer lock on they just undone the bolts put another coupling on the draw bar $35 bucks from super cheap $8000 worth of tools so now i weld the coupling to the draw bar as well as the bolts.

hey you know that's it illegal to weld the coupling to the trailer but i wonder if remains illegal when there are also bolts fitted?

[finga]

hey you know that's it illegal to weld the coupling to the trailer but i wonder if remains illegal when there are also bolts fitted?
Yes it is as it states on the coupling do not weld.
I always out a pigeon poo weld on the bottom of the bolts so the nut cannot be taken right off and does not upset the bolt strength too much.
No matter what you do if they want it they'll take it.

[gutzy]

Loosen the nuts on the trailer or take them off altogether , take a few wheels off. Takes time but works.

[drireech]

Buy a cheap prepaid mobile ($29) keep a few bucks worth of credit on it. Strap the mobile (hidden) to your trailer. If your trailer is stolen, Optus, Telstra, etc can track it to within a few metres in the city and towns and within a km in the country. Only the police can request this service, but atleast they can catch the f%^&kers.

There are also some battery operated GPS tracking devices available (up to 800hrs for shipping container trackers) that you can leave hidden on your boat and move to your trailer when your using the boat. Having these fitted will also reduce your insurance premium and remove your excess if the boat isn't found.
http://www.clubmarine.com.au/internet/clubmarine.nsf/docs/mg22-4+technical

[charleville]

Buy a cheap prepaid mobile ($29) keep a few bucks worth of credit on it. Strap the mobile (hidden) to your trailer.



Not such a bad idea, thanks.


I bought a Motorola mobile phone for $20 including $10 of Telstra usage credit from Crazy Clarks a few weeks ago. It is an awesome, basic (no camera), very slim phone. The credit is only for one month but adding $30 credit gives 12 months duration.

Such a phone would suit such purpose easily, I reckon.


.

[cormorant]

Buy a cheap prepaid mobile ($29) keep a few bucks worth of credit on it. Strap the mobile (hidden) to your trailer. If your trailer is stolen, Optus, Telstra, etc can track it to within a few metres in the city and towns and within a km in the country. Only the police can request this service, but atleast they can catch the f%^&kers.

There are also some battery operated GPS tracking devices available (up to 800hrs for shipping container trackers) that you can leave hidden on your boat and move to your trailer when your using the boat. Having these fitted will also reduce your insurance premium and remove your excess if the boat isn't found.
http://www.clubmarine.com.au/internet/clubmarine.nsf/docs/mg22-4+technical


Trying to get the police to act - you have buckleys chance. Loal coppers would laugh at you unless it was later involved in aserious hit and run or something.


Do you know the initial cost and ongoing costs of the system you put up the link for ( they say a $1200 package to win) but is their a monoing monitoring cost??

The smart thieves stealing quality boats know about these systems and how to disable them. They really have to be triggered not only by the geofence but by external triggers like door, glass break and cabin sensors so there is some notice before they turn em off.

Lots of cheaper style ones on epray with no fees.

[drireech]

Getting the police to act on anything is hard... but you can do the work for them.

The reason I suggested mobile phone is that while standing in local cop shop I saw a bloke walk in with his a mobile and hand it to the desk cop. I overheard the guy tell the copper that he had optus on the line and with his permission the optus guy could locate his stolen car with his girlfriends phone still inside.

Needless to say, with the bulk of the work done for him the copper wrote down the location and dispatched someone to check car. I don't know the outcome but they can be pretty reasonable if you do the leg work for them.

The GPS locators on ebay that need a phone sim card to work would do the same job without the cops. Just weld a tin box on the front of the trailer and put the GPS locator and battery inside. Paint "axel grease" on the box and job done. No-one wants to stick their fingers in a greasy box;D

[Argle]

However, I am starting to wonder if it may be worthwhile joining the MBTBC to use their fenced in secure ramp.


.

Money well spent if you ask me. Good ramp and pontoons wash down etc etc.

Cheers
Scott

[cormorant]

It would be so good if the process for recovering goods would really work like this on a regular basis. I can give another example where a phone company refused all efforts to release position to police of a phone that was held by a disabled child who was missing and although picked up the phone was unable to say where he was. After a whole kerfuffle kid was found without the help.

Some days with coppers and phone companies you might get lucky but if they want to take it down teh offiial channel it won't be instant if at all.


There is a whole process of authority , privacy and internal controls .



Getting the police to act on anything is hard... but you can do the work for them.

The reason I suggested mobile phone is that while standing in local cop shop I saw a bloke walk in with his a mobile and hand it to the desk cop. I overheard the guy tell the copper that he had optus on the line and with his permission the optus guy could locate his stolen car with his girlfriends phone still inside.

Needless to say, with the bulk of the work done for him the copper wrote down the location and dispatched someone to check car. I don't know the outcome but they can be pretty reasonable if you do the leg work for them.

The GPS locators on ebay that need a phone sim card to work would do the same job without the cops. Just weld a tin box on the front of the trailer and put the GPS locator and battery inside. Paint "axel grease" on the box and job done. No-one wants to stick their fingers in a greasy box;D

[charleville]

Money well spent if you ask me. Good ramp and pontoons wash down etc etc.

Cheers
Scott



Must go and have a look. Wash down and pontoons both are sounding attractive to me.

When the water crisis hit, the Port of Brisbane people disconnected the tap at the southern Manly ramp and that was a dreadful shame.



Likewise, that awesome jetty at the southern ramp is about 5 metres too far away from the ramp to be really useful to the solo boatie.


.

[URAGANGI]

Cormorant

You know your red hot on that idea! There's a site called OZSPY.com. Now these guy's handle all sorts of trackers and GPS locators. Google it up you'll be blown away with what you can get there. All they sell is P.I. and James Bond gear, trust me it's well worth the look.

The gear your after isn't going to bleed the pocket either. I'd hide your tracker in the dryest part of the R.H.S. structure of the trailor, out of site and mind type of thing. Just an idea hope it helps.

cheer's Gav.

[tunaticer]

I wonder if soft flexible cable would be a better deterrent then chain?
Soft flexible cable is painful to cut with a grinder with a cut off wheel because it grabs the wheel if its not held tight and still. Cutting it with side cutters is a very slow and painful process. Cable about 10mm thick would deter most i think.

[cormorant]

I wonder if soft flexible cable would be a better deterrent then chain?
Soft flexible cable is painful to cut with a grinder with a cut off wheel because it grabs the wheel if its not held tight and still. Cutting it with side cutters is a very slow and painful process. Cable about 10mm thick would deter most i think.


Cut at the crimp, ferrule or the lock that holds it on. Whoops shouldn't tell people how to do it. Something larger than teh opening on most bolt cutters is a start.