Newbie Fears

[slvrpassion]

Hello! I just purchased an amazing 1967 Caravel is mint nearly original condition. It is sitting in my driveway and I have several fears - one, that it will be stolen - do people typically lock the wheels or tow hitch? My second fear is that it will roll down my driveway - several people have assured me the wood I have placed under the wheels is sufficient but I still have this irrational fear! Are there any products to help lock the trailer in place?

Thanks for any guidance!

Deja

[bobandcarla]

When I park my trailer I place a lock on the ball latch so I don't think your worrying too much. Also do you have dual axles? If you do look up Roto-Chock on the internet. Great product. Your trailer won't move even if it was parked on a hill.

[juel]

Go to Shop Camping World for RV Accessories, RV Parts, & other items for Outdoor Enthusiasts. and look for wheel chocks. Also I think we all put a lock on our hitch. Camping World or any RV dealer will have them. Actually any Wal-Mart will probably have them. Do all you feel comfortable doing to keep your new baby safe. They do get stolen. I guess it depends on where you live and how often you leave the trailer alone, and for how long. If your community isn't safe, you may want to be even more cautious.

[enduroryda]

Congrats on your purchase!! You have exactly what I want, a 67' Caravel!

I do love my Sovereign tho...here is what gives me piece of mind that it stays put...

Master Locks brings you All the MasterLock products Padlocks, combo and built-in , safety lockout system and all at wholesale

Looks pretty pricey on this websight but they can be found on Ebay for about $23.00.

Enjoy your new toy!

[slvrpassion]

This is exactly what I was looking for, thanks so much!

[r&kweber]

Congrats on your purchase! Our trailer is on a fairly flat spot at the top of a very steep driveway. For the first two weeks we had the trailer, I had the rear bumper chained to a tree so I could sleep at night! I bought some big wheel chocks from Camping World. What eventually gave me more peace of mind is to use the chocks and four leveling jacks. Now it barely wiggles.

I saw this coupler lock on a Burlington Northern trailer with a big generator on it. Those guys tend to not mess around:

Amazon.com: Reese Universal Coupler Lock - Model# UTL100: Automotive

I saw it at Home Depot this weekend for about $23.


Ryan.

[safari57]

Originally Posted by enduroryda

Congrats on your purchase!! You have exactly what I want, a 67' Caravel!

I do love my Sovereign tho...here is what gives me piece of mind that it stays put...

Master Locks brings you All the MasterLock products Padlocks, combo and built-in , safety lockout system and all at wholesale

Looks pretty pricey on this websight but they can be found on Ebay for about $23.00.

Enjoy your new toy!

Friends of ours who bought our Silver Streak bought the Master Lock kit at Costco this past weekend for $45C.

Yes, lock it up, they do get stolen. Chock both sides - safety first. I see one along a road we travel that has a chain around the bumper and to a fence post. They have a sloped driveway and I think they may have had problems with kids knocking the chock out, or perhaps just preventative measures.

Even in my out of the way back yard when the trailer is outside I lock the tongue. It takes a minutes, doesn't cost me a dime to do now that I have the lock, and it eliminates one worry.

The other thing is to make sure you take the lock with you. Heavens forbid you have a problem on the road but if you do and the trailer has to be left at the side of the road for pick up later you can lock the tongue. Hide the key though somewhere so if a tow truck is dispatched to pick it up and you are not along they can remove the lock and tow it to where you need it - - something we learned the hard way.

Barry

[Stefrobrts]

Congrats on your find! We LOVE our caravel, and this is our 5th summer with it - not tired of it yet!

Our favorite wheel chock is this item - the single axel tire leveler

BAL - Innovative Products for the RV Industry

You will never regret buying it!

And on the other side we use this - locking wheel chock

BAL - Innovative Products for the RV Industry

We also padlock the tounge, and I still worry about it when we leave it alone, because it's so small and so danged cute. But so far so good.


Bothell, huh? We'll expect to see you and your caravel at a NW forum rally soon Maybe Trout Lake? We can compare Caravels. If we keep this up we'll have one from every year attending!

[yukionna]

Has anyone ever considered a wheel lock? I'm just curious how this would work with a trailer. I understand they work well with cars and trucks.

[SaabLover]

Here are quite a few on eBay

Master Lock Hitch lock

[Mike Lewis]

Originally Posted by slvrpassion

Hello! I just purchased an amazing 1967 Caravel is mint nearly original condition. It is sitting in my driveway and I have several fears - one, that it will be stolen - do people typically lock the wheels or tow hitch? My second fear is that it will roll down my driveway - several people have assured me the wood I have placed under the wheels is sufficient but I still have this irrational fear! Are there any products to help lock the trailer in place?

Thanks for any guidance!

Deja

Deja-----If a professional thief wants something you have it's really hard to stop them. For that kind of thief the best you can do is slow them down by making it more difficult and risky. Parking in a well lit area, where it's secured with a fence ,chains locks, etc and insured well is about the best you can do. That said i refuse to live in fear of someone taking my stuff. Itjust isn't worth it. We take normal precautions, insure things well and don't worry about. ---pieman

[Kintscher]

Originally Posted by yukionna

Has anyone ever considered a wheel lock? I'm just curious how this would work with a trailer. I understand they work well with cars and trucks.

We have one of these for our 19'. When we lived in LA we had to park the trailer at a storage yard far away from home. We also use it if we leave the trailer at a camp group for the day while we are out exploring.

[firedog]

I think i have the best anti theft device.a booby trap, just kidding I have a Gps locator hidden in my trailer,if stolen I can have it activated, thus find my A/S anywhere in the USA.

Originally Posted by yukionna

Has anyone ever considered a wheel lock? I'm just curious how this would work with a trailer. I understand they work well with cars and trucks.

[r&kweber]

Deja - Absolutely true, an experienced thief will take what they want. Our job is to make the SOB trailer more attractive to steal. I like the bright YELLOW coupler lock on my trailer for this reason (not that I have one yet).

I had a Wells Cargo utility trailer stolen out from under a bright yard light. It took me 15 min. to chain/padlock the wheels, padlock back door and coupler lock it in place. Took them maybe 2 min. to steal? After the police retrieved it from a meth lab, the coupler barely had a scratch on it.

The best anti-theft device is a really good insurance policy with low replacement deductable.

[Stefrobrts]

Just my opinion, but bright yard lights just give the crooks light to work by. We also had several cars broken into under a bright 'security' light. They are more intimidated by darkness or motion lights, because walking around with a flashlight draws attention to them, and motion light come on and they don't know if it was a motion light or if they were spotted.

[samb]

I agree that many crooks don't like the dark. I worked for Oregon State Parks for over 30 years and found that vandalism dropped to almost zero when I turned the lights out at night in day use parks. It is hard to do anything while holding a flashlight and it certainly does draw attention to be shining a light where none should be.
As for my trailer-----I have an NRA sticker on it and the "bad guys" would probably get very nervous looking over their shoulder while trying to steal it.
Sam

[r&kweber]

That's right, an NRA sticker would give more fear to a theif than an ADT sign in your front yard. LOL.

[mandolindave]

I was very worried about my towing ability and afraid of making ignorant mistakes. I studied and asked questions for months before I attempted
towing. I read my way to confidence ( this forum will help ). Here are a few things to think about.
Concentration is important- avoid multi tasking
Using gentle manuvers and lane changes to avoid sway or worse, rollover
Anticipating braking situations before they happen.
Know about brake controllers, weight distribution, anti sway bars
Work with lists when hooking up so you do things in the proper order