Security - trailers

fits

I've just bought an ifor williams and they seem to be a prime target for thieves.

Can anyone recommend certain clamps/hitch locks for a horse box, or any other advice on how to deter thieves?

Farls

I have the same at home and found the best way to keep it safe is either keep it in the garage or leave the van (rarely driven) parked infront of it so its impossible to move one without the other.

The barrell locks that come on a lot of those hitches are useless you'll find that the one key will open the most of them. Other options that I didn't investigate are putting a wheel clamp on it, getting one of those clamps that you bolt to the ground or putting a ball hitch in concrete and putting it on it and finding some way of locking it.

You'll find though if a thief takes a notion none of the above will deter them so the out of sight practice is probably the best. Keep gates closed and locked at your house/sheds too. We had problems before with salesmen landing up selling gennies, power washers etc but what they were really doing was possibly casing the place for later on.

Also, put your own mark on the trailer, ie. on the inside of a tail lite scrape in your initials or similar and keep all details of the reg of the trailer just in case it is taken this might help in recovery.

Farls

Haha Slidey...salesmen in hiaces to be completely PC

MrFoxman360

Well first off out of sight is out of mind and that makes a big difference. Secondaly, thives, (salesmen or not) will only go for the easy option so if you make it that it is not easily accessable it will be a big deterant. Having it behind a locked gate, or near where a dog might be or something like that.

I cut the ball off a hitch and have that locked in there when not in use, the lock on the hitch is useless as thievies are known to have a tow ball with a slot cut in it to accomadate it, and somnetimes will even put a chain around it and jusat drag it away.

I also have mine chained to a tractor rotavator, not the kind of implement that can be moved by hand. Its done discreetly, in the hope that this wouldn't been seen by any potential....uninvited users, until they tried to drive away, at which point I hope they would give up and leave.... well thats my theory on it :rolleyes:

fits

What about those wheel clamps? Any good?

I dont have keys to the hitch on my box. It will be parked on someone elses yard as well so I cant really lock it to anything (except a newer fancier trailer perhaps).

Farls

fits wrote: »

What about those wheel clamps? Any good?

I dont have keys to the hitch on my box. It will be parked on someone elses yard as well so I cant really lock it to anything (except a newer fancier trailer perhaps).

Your safe enough so, they'll take the newer fancier one!

peasant

a little google image search throws up the following:


A wheel clamp would be fairly pointless ...just remove whole wheel including clamp (especially on a double axle trailer, as the thief wouldn't even have to worry about bringing a spare)

Chaining the handbrake lever into the fully locked position might also be an idea