Theft: what can we do to avoid it?

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by RichHog

Nice rant REDNAX. Not sure what it has to do GPS and trailer theft, but I'll raise the Texas flag for you and pop a Lone Star.

Your house (wiring and AC compressor), your vehicles (any type, any where), any metal any where is under threat of theft. Organized criminal activity (familial ties across the border) is essentially subsidized by Texans (and other border states) thru high insurance rates with low pay outs.

Some folks live in trailers. How'd any one here like to have seen their "home" disappear?

Whether it goes to the scrap yard or across three states to reside in a colonia, the nearby presence of the border makes for options for thieves of any stripe. Always has.

Trailers are simply easy money. Last I heard the going rate was about $750 for the aluminum scrap value. Few jobs clear $100/day in this state in rural areas. 100-million American families make $500/week or less (gross). A/C units and the rest have real value in other areas/countries with low incomes in original condition. Smelters across the border take scrap of all types (but especially high-grade) so demand is always there.

When copper prices were higher we'd read or hear about parking lots full of cars -- daytime -- where dozens of engine starters were stolen.

I, too, like the idea of GPS-units . . but the "truth" of Lo-Jack is that those units set off sensors at legal border crossings . . and nothing is done in response, the cars simply drive on.

I've a hard time believing in an era of budget cuts that law enforcement is going to much care about recreational vehicles . . toys.

"Property" is opportunity, doesn't matter whose it is. Could be addicts, ordinary felons, others; it's irrelevant whom. It simply falls under the radar of law enforcement . . sort of like stealing pets to sell to labs, rendering plants, others: A good business on the margins. A wink and a nod.


.

[DKB_SATX]

@REDNAX: GPS != LoJack. I don't know if LoJack has newer products that incorporate GPS, but the LoJack stock-in-trade is that LoJack has a transceiver that (when activated) sends a radio signal that can be picked up by law enforcement *IF* they have a receiver in range. The GPS asset-tracking systems are actively reporting their location via cellular data networks, so you (or someone you inform) know the location of the GPS unit (and hopefully your trailer or vehicle.) The better GPS systems can also tell you when they leave the area you define as their parking location, so even if you store your trailer away from your house, if the system is working you'll know within minutes if a thief is moving your trailer. LoJack is just sitting there waiting until you report the trailer stolen, and then starts transmitting after the LoJack receives a coded signal from law enforcement transmitters.

[RichHog]

I think from my experience and as said above, the police has bigger priorities than tracking down trailer thieves. I had a hard time getting the investigating officer to even get out of his cruiser. Before he left he asked me if was any distinguishing features about my trailer. It's an Airstream I answered. It's a big silver twinkie rolling down the road. I don't think there's a Texas conspiracy going on. I just want to Help others avoid the pain of a theft. Every time I read of another theft, i can imagine their pain. So let's find the best Gps trackers out there and put them on our trailers. Wish I had.

[Aage]

So, it looks like there are several favourite schemes, and ideas on how to avoid being a victim, and they’re mostly applicable to both the TTs and TVs we own.

Here they are in no particular order:

Good practices:
· Give thought to where you are parking regarding exposure to big roads with easy access for criminals
· Remove your license plate
· Move to Texas (you have the right to protect your property)
· Move out of Texas (the ling border exposure, general size of population encourages theft)

Hardware suggested:
· Coupler lock
· Wheel boot (like police use for parking infractions)
· Security chains
· The favourite: GPS tracking device

What To Do If You Find It:
· Cut off all valve stems and phone police
· Avoid confrontation (unless you live in Texas )

Does anyone else have any ideas on how we can protect our vehicles? For example, I’m surprised there was no mention of alarms, either for TVs or out TTs. Do you feel that they aren’t effective?

Next time we travel, I’m definitely going to looking into a wheel disabling device for our AS.

[richinny]

paint it fluorescent orange that glows in the dark!

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, I'm sorry, but if they steal it, they steal it. And the cops will tell you, "That is what insurance is for." I personally have been told this.

[Jammer]

I'm not sure how much of a believer I am in the GPS tracking devices.

A hot stolen trailer will be parked out of sight and quite possibly indoors. If you respond yourself, there may not be anything to see, and if you summon law enforcement they are going to need a warrant and may not be willing to go to the trouble.

Even in Texas you can't walk into somebody's workshop or warehouse or whatever with guns blazing on the strength of a stale gps locate.

Beyond a certain point, I think it makes sense to have good insurance and leave it at that.

[the ponz]

does lo jack provide a service/product for travel trailers?

[RichHog]

Lo Jack doesn't have a TT device but there are other devices out there.

Jammer though I respect your reasoning, you haven't had a trailer stolen. You don't just put it out of your mind. Everywhere you drive you are always watching, as if you could spot your trailer somewhere. And insurance may cover the replacement cost, but the personal items in the trailer,and the work you do in restoration fixing and upgrading go beyond money. Then there's the anger you feel at the thieves and a desire to see justice served, whether Texas style or not.

I think a GPS tracker is a cheap investment. You can set a boundary on it that notifies you as soon as the trailer moves 12 feet, so you could intercept them before they could hide the trailer.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by the ponz

does lo jack provide a service/product for travel trailers?

Hi, this was many years ago, so I can talk about it now. I owned a Mac Tools truck and was concerned about it's security. I had a break-in alarm and it was set so minor bumps would not set it off. I had a Page-Alert and it would page me if the system was violated, and I was out of visual sight of my truck. And I had a Tele-Trac system installed. The reasons for choosing Tele-Trac over Lo-Jack were:

(1.) Tele-Trac starts working the second the system is violated.

(2.) Lo-Jack had to be called to activate the system remotely when you discover it missing.

(3.) Tele-Trac has it's own team on the job tracking your vehicle.

(4.) Lo-Jack had systems that could be tracked by cop cars.

(5.) Tele-Trac allowed you free tests, where you could call them, identify yourself, and within a few minutes would tell you within 100 feet where your vehicle was.

I called at different places along my route, and they told me the address where my truck was, every time. Now here is my thinking on these two and why I picked what I did. Let's say my wife and I want to got to Vegas for the week end. Friday night after we leave, my truck is stolen. By Sunday night when we get home and discover the truck is missing, I call Lo-Jack to track it. It is now out of cell phone range and cannot be located. It is stripped and destroyed and found months later by dirt bike riders. Or Friday night after we leave home, my truck is stolen and Tele-Trac has self activated. Tele-Trac starts monitoring it, calls my home phone, no answer, then calls my cell phone. (1.) I answer and let them know I am out of town and cannot verify where my truck is. They track it and get the police involved. (2.) I don't answer my cell phone either, they track it and get the police involved anyway. The truck is located and stopped before it is stripped and burned.

I don't know if Tele-Trac is still around or not, but for my needs it was the best deal, and there was a small monthly charge for their service.

[RichHog]

Sounds like some options are coming to light. The issues are:

1. Reliability/dependability THe GPS system has to work in or on an Airstream trailer especially when needed. Battery life.

2. Cost/pricing units. The monthly monitoring fees can add up. Do you pay for 24/7 monitoring that as soon as the trailer moves 12 feet an alert is sent?

3. What if someone breaks open your trailer and steals the contents? How are you alerted to this? Is there a system that works on the road or at a campsite where all you stuff is out and you're off for a day excursion? Campgrounds used to be the safest place on the planet- is that still true?

[LydiaB]

would having a unique identifier help? maybe something like a pink flamingo decal on the back window, or a plate mounted to the side with a theft deterent warning on it. The plate could say Is this trailer worth your LIFE (if you live in texas)

[r carl]

A sign may help.

[wasagachris]

A few tips I have heard of is to remove the umbilical wire from the trailer connector. Without an umbilical thieves would not have a way of connecting power to the trailer and would not have running lights,signals or brakes and would make them think twice about pulling a trailer that would draw undo attention to themselves.
The best tip I heard was to rewire the trailer end of the umbilical so that the normal position for the charge line from the TV is actually connected to the electric brakes on the trailer. That way if a thief connected to the trailer the brakes would be applied as long as he had the umbilical connected to his TV. This of course would require you to rewire the positions on your tow vehicle as well so that when you were connected everything would work properly.

[r carl]

And another.

[Whirlaway]

Originally Posted by LydiaB

would having a unique identifier help? maybe something like a pink flamingo decal on the back window, or a plate mounted to the side with a theft deterent warning on it. The plate could say Is this trailer worth your LIFE (if you live in texas)

I do not have my "red" numbers on my AS windows and after reading all these threads I am giving a lot of consideration to putting them on. Since to a non-airstream person they all look the same.

Any thoughts?

Lin.

[moosetags]

I think that the big red WBCCI numbers my Airstream contribute to Lucy's undesirability to a potential thief. The big red numbers are large and not quickly removable. They are much more noticeable and significant than any license tag. Even though the big red numbers do not rule out theft, I believe they are a help.

Brian

[PA BAMBI II]

I use a Reese coupler lock and face the tongue in towards the garage so that it would be much harder to hook a tow vehicle up to it. It currently also has two terrible tires and a rotten frame/tongue, so if anyone takes it, they might only get a block or two before it breaks! Once repaired, I won't intend to do much differently.

I think it is terrible to have to worry about such thefts. The original writer of this thread said (I believe I remember) that he uses a coupler lock and took the tires/wheels off. What else could he do?

Dad has had big Airstreams my whole life and never took any precautions. All went fine for thirty plus years.

[RichHog]

I think the red numbers are another way to identify a trailer especially newer ones that don't have marks, dents or identifiers on them. Rigging the umbilical cord may deter a thief some but say they just don't plug it in so the brakes don't lock up. And say that cops then pull them over. But since the trailer hasn't yet been reported stolen they can come up with any alibi, after all this is one of those old Airstreams, we're just moving it to work on the lights and get her street legal.

I think the best solution is a wheel boot and a GPS that reports when it moves outside of a boundary.

[cclarkego]

As a backup to the insurance that I finally got, the locks that I know won't stop any pros, the GPS I'm determined to get, I even went around to the neighbors in my trailer park and handed out my card with my cell number on it with instructions to call me if they if they hear the slightest commotion over at my trailer if my car is not there, I don't care what time it is........

Carol