trailer security question

[freekstyle]

I am going to get a small trailer to haul my bikes on a riding trip. I'll be going a long way and staying the night in hotels and things along the way. My biggest fear is to wake up and see my trailer stolen. To me it seems like it could be easy to steal. All the crook would need is a truck with a hitch and some bolt cutters if the chain was pad locked.

Are there any extra steps I can take to prevent theft?

[hodgkins]

buy an alarm for the trailer.same as for a car.you just need to get a 12v battery and mount it inside the trailer.it should have motion as well as door switches which you could use for both the ramp and side door if it has one.I run the biggest chain and lock I can thru the wheels on mine.if you have single wheels you can run it around springs or frame.I know so many people that have had theirs stolen.you want to make it very difficult for them.I have brought the bikes into the room before.

[bumblebee]

Back the trailer up against a wall in a corner if possible that way there is almost no way to move the trailer w/out moving the vehicle.

[georgestr]

I had the same issue this summer when I went on vacation with my bikes. Wal-Mart sells a thing that locks inside the ball receiver of your trailer, making towing it away impossible. I put one of those on, plus a cable through the frames, and a tarp over the bikes. No problems whatsoever through the week.

[loufish]

I run the biggest chain and lock I can thru the wheels on mine.if you have single wheels you can run it around springs or frame.

I second that...Really big chain, and a big badd-a$$ lock can not be cut with bolt cutters.

[RedRider250X]

Back the trailer up against a wall in a corner if possible that way there is almost no way to move the trailer w/out moving the vehicle.

This seems cheapest and easiest.

[spizz5]

While it is a bit more work, you could jack it up and pull off a wheel and bring it in with you. This way even if you leave the truck hooked up they still won`t be able to steal it. Lets face it in todays world its not hard for them to take the truck and trailer all at once. On my enclosed I also have "protected by so and so" auto alarm stickers on the doors. And some time in the future I was planning on getting a red LED light from Radio Shack and hooking that up to the brake away battery for the "real look"

[spizz5]

While it is a bit more work, you could jack it up and pull off a wheel and bring it in with you. This way even if you leave the truck hooked up they still won`t be able to steal it. Lets face it in todays world its not hard for them to take the truck and trailer all at once. On my enclosed I also have "protected by so and so" auto alarm stickers on the doors. And some time in the future I was planning on getting a red LED light from Radio Shack and hooking that up to the brake away battery for the "real look" Maybe I`m just a little too paranoid?

[Kdmead]

not a riding story but a trailer being stolen story-

an older fellow that i had known for a long time went out west to hunt with a guide and stuff like that, when they woke up at the hotel the next morning his truck and trailer was stolen with a 4x4 quad inside and a bunch of guns that he had inherited from his father...so they were very old...

some organization out there heard their story and let them borrow weapons to hunt and the truck was later found but the guns were still gone...

the next day he woke up...went to the bathroom and when he came out he fell over dead...doc said he died of a stress related heartattack(not the crap)....he had been very upset over the sentimental value of the weapons.

[2wheels-drz]

just put a wheel clamp on your trailer, unless the crook has a petrol powder angle grinder hes not stealing your trailer!!

[Kdmead]

park it in a no parking zone for a few days and the cops will put a TOTP boot on it for ya

http://www.utexas.edu/parking/appeal/boot/graphics/boot_b01.jpg

[fletcher]

While not foolproof... use a coupler latch lock and a receiver lock instead of the standard pins.

[SidewinderX]

Wal-Mart sells a thing that locks inside the ball receiver of your trailer, making towing it away impossible.

That is what I use. I cannot perceive any way for them to steal my trailer with that in my hitch unless they have a cutting torch.

[georgestr]

Also, try to get the round locks that only have about 1/2" of bolt showing. They are near pry-proof.

[valla8650]

I use a keyed padlock that prevents the trailer from being separated from the ball hitch. That lock is also keyed the same as my receiver hitch lock.

I chain and padlock the quads or dirtbikes to each other and to the trailer.

If possible, I'll back the trailer or toy hauler into a blocked area that prevents it from being easily accessed.

Lastly, I can never sleep very well that night (...sigh...) but instead listen for potential trouble.

Don't know if all those efforts are perhaps overkill, but I do at least still have my toys!