Visit our Popular Forums

Jennifer657 · 11-24-2021, 10:02 AM

Hello!

We have a 25 foot AS Excella. We use a trailer hitch lock when we are camping. Works great, easy to use, heavy duty.

Honest Ray · 11-24-2021, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robert claus

A trailer will only be stolen if there is a market for it. That's why Ford and Chevy pick-ups, followed by Honda sedans, are the most stolen vehicles - plenty of market for parts, if not the whole thing. A vintage 30' Spartan would be next to impossible to resell without getting attention, and the parts market is next to nil - unless you already have one and need parts. A good deadbolt will keep the curious from finding out what's inside - that's about your only risk.

Finally, sanity prevails. Not to say prior opinions/suggestions are not useful, but given the specifics if your equipment I think you are greatly overestimating theft potential of your trailer for the reasons stated above.

Your truck is probably a significantly greater theft risk than your trailer.

Ray

mwodzinski · 11-24-2021, 02:10 PM

You can only slow down a professional thief not stop them. The best you can do is make your RV harder to steal than the next one. When camping in BLM areas, you could be out of sight giving thieves more time to do their damage. So the best advice is that there is safety in numbers. Find some RV buddies or make some along the way. If you like to camp on your own then get a Rottweiler or pit bull to guard your “stuff”.

I use a hitch “vault” (covers the hitch and safety chains). Note that some thieves have stolen trailers using just the safety chains or they bring their own. I also have wheel locks, locking X-chocks, a Spot Trace GPS tracker and Internet broadcasting video/trail camera. So far the only “thieves” I have caught on camera are bears and deer. I saw on camper on a BLM site remove the wheels on his RV and put them in his truck which made the RV pretty hard the steal.

If you want to piss off your fellow campers you can install an alarm system. You could also join a camping/caravan club and travel with friends. I have never had any real problems but I always camp where there are other people around and I make friends with my fellow campers or campground hosts.

Finally, get some good RV insurance and check the fine print. Many policies only cover the trailer itself and not the removable things inside (generators, free-standing solar panels, grills, etc.). Just consider an RV as an expensive vehicle and remember sometimes bad things happen and there is nothing you can do to prevent it - you can only mitigate the damages or loss.

There are some videos on YouTube about RV theft. The price of RVs is high now so theft risk might be higher than mentioned in the videos. As others have commented, if the campsite does not look or feel secure, move on to a better one. Trust your instincts.

Happy camping.

- Mike

RichHog · 11-24-2021, 05:04 PM

I’m one who has been through it when my 72 Tradewind that I had spent many hours working to remodel and a lot of $$$ on was stolen from on Labor Day from behind my office in Houston. My guess is in less than 30 minutes they had cut the lock and chain to the gate. Cut the tongue lock and smashed the Husky lock cover with a hammer. The battery was dead to the front lift motor but they knocked the cover off off it and had a wrench to jack it up, Hitch it up and drive it out of there. Maybe 20 minutes but once it was 100 yards away it was gone never with a trace to this day to be found. Police did nothing.
My advice, don’t have a false sense of security on chains locks and hitch covers. A determined thief will find a way. I wish I had bought a GPS tracking device that would have allowed me to show up at their place with the police. Also don’t let your shiny Airstream be visible to someone from the street and I always park a vehicle in front of my trailer that they would have to move first to get to the trailer..

mythbuster88 · 11-24-2021, 08:43 PM

Lets see...
Remove the safety chains. Easy to modify the chains for that.
Disable the electric jack. Easy, I use a switch.
Park a car or two in front. If you can.
Get a tracker. Easy
Use a non traditional hitch like Pro Pride.

Also here where we live we pretty much leave the awnings out 24/7.
And the stabilizers are down, and there are power chords, and plumbing, and stuff underneath.

So they can steal it but will have to do some work, and we get to watch it all happen on a security camera.

WhereStream · 11-25-2021, 05:50 AM

I keep the trailer next to the house, behind a gate chained shut (you can't see the trailer through the gate, though if you are paying attention you can see the top of the AC, so a hint).

I hook up a "pretty good" hitch lock (paid $40-$50 for it) that I like and have confidence in.

Then ... I don't worry about it.

And I've never been concerned about anyone stealing a trailer when in a campground.

**richard5933** · 11-25-2021, 05:58 AM

This whole thread is starting to remind me of the cartoon scene with two men being chased by a tiger. One yells to the other "we've got to outrun that tiger". The other yells back, "not me, I've just got to outrun you".

My goal here is not to make my trailer impossible to steal. Rather, I'm just trying to make it a less attractive target than other trailers.

wave man · 11-25-2021, 08:12 AM

To the OP. I went through the same thing when I bought my 2018 FC… kudos for being aware and seeking far and wide for answers to those niggling worries. Like I discovered then, lots of great viewpoints and advice to mull over. Hope you left with more than you came with…Best wishes and many happy days and nights to ya friend!

Mollysdad · 11-25-2021, 08:31 AM

Yes, it's relatively easy to steal a trailer.
So why aren't more stolen? Security measures and also the kind of thief who specializes in RV's is rare.
In the movie "Gone in 60 seconds" not a single vehicle was an Airstream!
I chuckle when I read all the best ways to secure a trailer. "Take the wheels off", put it on jack stands, use a boot, bury a chain through a wheel.
By the time I made it secure enough, I wouldn't want to undo it to use.

PB_NB · 11-25-2021, 09:58 AM

I have a few deterrents:
- Proven Hitch Lock
- Custom made wheel Lock
- Chains Removed
- Apple Airtag (hidden)

Thinking about adding a couple of wifi cameras so I can see the trailer and surrounding area on my cell phone.

I could also take the wheels off and put them in the truck but that is going a bit over the top.

I am still concerned about leaving the trailer without my truck parked in-front of it.

I know how easy it is to cut off any deterrent with a small grinder and in a secluded area is all it would take where noise isn’t going to bother anyone. Even the truck can be dragged away to clear the way to drag the trailer away.

A flat deck and winch would be even quicker.

Best protection is to make sure that you have theft insurance. I wasn’t as paranoid about losing my Camplite as I am with my Airstream. Maybe the cost and the personal attachment is greater?

Lily&Me · 11-25-2021, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richard5933

This whole thread is starting to remind me of the cartoon scene with two men being chased by a tiger. One yells to the other "we've got to outrun that tiger". The other yells back, "not me, I've just got to outrun you"..

Or…like a dog, or two, chasing their tails.

Maggie

Steve In MN · 03-29-2022, 08:41 AM

To the OP, you mentioned unhitching from your truck when in cities as a possibility. I'd advise against this as depending where you are it may be the city that 'steals' your trailer. I know that Minneapolis has an ordinance against having unhitched trailers parked on the street. If it is seen by police or parking enforcement it's in the impound lot within 15 minutes. The worst part of all this is that your pets would then be dealt with by animal control and end up in the pound. NOT ideal at all!

When we're traveling and want to get some city time we try to camp within an hour of where we're going. We spend a day or two at that campsite to be sure we're ok with the level of risk leaving all our stuff behind, then head in to see museums, restaurants, or catch a ball game and return 'home' at night. This is in no way foolproof but to date the worst losses we've suffered is chairs blowing into the woods after high winds.

dave10a · 07-08-2022, 08:03 AM

A tire immobilization like the city uses is the best theft prevention. No one has been able to defeat them. While hitch locks can either be defeated or bypassed without connecting to the hitch.https://www.etrailer.com/Wheel-Locks...nt=30%20-%2060

Silvr_Bullet · 07-09-2022, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave10a

A tire immobilization like the city uses is the best theft prevention. No one has been able to defeat them. While hitch locks can either be defeated or bypassed without connecting to the hitch.https://www.etrailer.com/Wheel-Locks...nt=30%20-%2060

Something to think about, when cities use these devices, they are not targeted by the professional thief as opposed to that same professional who is intent on stealing a maybe not so well visible expensive Airstream. So any statistics to tapering with tire immobilizing devices on a car not targeted for theft as in my / whom ever trailer, may not be relevant.

Mollysdad · 07-09-2022, 07:34 AM

I try to balance security with accessibility. We can make it so secure it's a pain in the rump to use it.
I store it in a gated covered storage lot that's 90% motorhomes, and I never see people who look like they don't belong there. Then I have a coupler lock by Proven Industries.
That's as far as I'm willing to go.

Airlock · 07-09-2022, 07:43 AM

If you have an electric tongue jack, remove the fuse. This will disable the tongue jack.

**richard5933** · 07-09-2022, 08:07 AM

If a thief wants your trailer bad enough, they're likely going to get it. My goal is not to make my trailer theft proof, but rather to make it less appealing than the next one down the row.

My basic plan is to do things like using a good coupler lock, etc. to make mine slower to take the the next one so hopefully they'll move on. Beyond that I have insurance.

hikingcamera · 07-09-2022, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave10a

A tire immobilization like the city uses is the best theft prevention. No one has been able to defeat them. While hitch locks can either be defeated or bypassed without connecting to the hitch.

https://youtu.be/CrL5tqFczPE

https://youtu.be/9k2FBKv8-YU

There are many more videos of folks breaking through wheel locks. Though I do use them, I use them in conjunction with other deterrents.

**richard5933** · 07-09-2022, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hikingcamera

https://youtu.be/CrL5tqFczPE

https://youtu.be/9k2FBKv8-YU

There are many more videos of folks breaking through wheel locks. Though I do use them, I use them in conjunction with other deterrents.

Or a cordless angle grinder with a cut-off wheel.

PB_NB · 07-09-2022, 11:54 AM

I made a wheel lock as an added deterrent to my hitch lock and removable safety chains. I think this wheel lock adds about 5 minutes of deterrent obstacles. It could be cut off with a cordless grinder but would make some noise. Or take the wheel off and replace it with the spare. Still takes time!

This is my attempt to make the trailer less interesting and hope the would be crooks will move along to easier prey.

If they really want an Airstream, I guess they will make the effort to cut off the wheel lock and drag it away.

My little apple air tag might be helpful to find it and insurance will be there if not.