Trailer Anti-theft

etjeep

New Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2005
Location
Cary, NC
I am looking for recommendations for a good quality tonge lock for when the trailer is both on and off the ball. Not sure if this means I need two devices.

Not afraid to spend a few extra bucks for quality. Any good ones out there? Any ones I should avoid? Thanks.

Eric
'78 Wag
 
I am about to go looking as well. I have seen some that have a ball on the and a lock that cups over the top of the hitch. They seem to be the best for disconnected security. Masterlock make one that goes through the flip up mechanism on standard utility style hitches. Mine is the old military style (or I am told) where is has a collar that slides over the two peice ball surround and locks it. Not sure how to secure that to the truck though.
 
Don't forget the obvious

Make sure you weld the bolts that hold on the hitch.
I've heard of unbolting the ball reciever and putting on another one.
Just think, most are only held on by a couple of bolts. :gay:
 
The "Trailer Coupler Lock" from this site is pretty good: http://www.allfortrucks.com/script/CategoryMake.asp?category_id=623

Keep in mind that a lot of trailers have the coupler bolted onto the trailer with four bolts. No lock is going to keep someone from unbolting it and bolting a new one on.

If you are overnight parking somewhere that you aren't 100% comfortable I would invest in one of those locks that bolts over the wheel. You can put a lock on the coupler and put a lock on your receiver, but I've heard of people just unbolting the ball from the receiver and bolting it onto their existing receiver with it still locked onto the trailer. If you think about it, that is almost too easy and I have yet to see a ball that locks onto the receiver. How would you like to come out of your hotel and see that?
 
I got a master lock tongue lock. It has a ball on it, you slide the ball in, then tighten this gizmo over the coupler and key lock it down. Its the best tongue lock ive seen. Ive also got a master lock cable/lock that I tie up the wheels and lock it down to the trailor.

Anything can be stolen with the right tools. You just got to make it difficult enough to where nobody wants to deal with it.
 
yup lock the pin in the reciever and i need to weld the ball to the reciever...

the cable lock is a good idea, also rich had one of robs ramps stolen. So ill be adding ramp locks eventually... Dont forget your rig on the back

Im thinking one 50' cable wraped around everything :)
 
yager said:
Dont forget your rig on the back Im thinking one 50' cable wraped around everything :)

If you leave your winch connected to the battery (or where someone can connect it), all it takes is one paperclip for some punk to do just that! About 4 years ago there was a rash of that going on...winch cable around the Jeep, the Mercedes in fornt of you, the Geo behind you...as you can all well imagine the pressure of a taunt cable can do some evil damage!
 
Eric
The good thing about our trailers is you can lock the front jack in the down position and they would need to cut the jack off to get a chance to tow it.
Most drop foot jacks will work that way.
Also for when it is not hooked up you can take an old steel wheel and weld steel to that and a ball on top then lock the tongue on it. Kind of like a big tripod.
Jon
 
In addition to locking the coupler, etc, when parking at a hotel, I always try to back the trailer tires up against a curb, so that the trailer is sandwiched between the truck and the curb.
 
Caver Dave said:
If you leave your winch connected to the battery (or where someone can connect it), all it takes is one paperclip for some punk to do just that!

2 paperclips for any Warn with 4 solenoids, like all the newer ones.. :flipoff2:
 
Friend of mine came back to find his coupler and part of the tongue still chained to the telephone pole! They used a gas powered cutoff saw on it, don't know how they drug it off though. If they really want it they'll get it.
 
Good question :) . The owner of the trailer was a highway patrolman! They probably loaded it on another trailer we guessed, like a deckover.
 
I run one of those theft proof cable locks thru the holes in the rims. Unless they cut the cable, which ain't easy, they will have to bring two tires to steal mine if they take those two rims off. I have a bull dog coupler which is not lockable.
 
Thanks for all the good tips so far. I have no illusions of being able to stop or foil "professional thieves". Its great information to know what y'all do when overnighting at a motel, like Richard advised.

Keep the ideas coming!
Eric
 
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