I get a phone call at 7:00am, on my way to work, that the site was broken into, and my Amish Framer's tool trailer was stolen. The thieves cut the chain, backed a truck in, and took the trailer. It had a hitch lock on it, but they probably used the safety chains to drag it off. I spoke with the manager of the business across the street. She said she laft at 4:00, and everything was locked up. When she came back at 6:30, the gate was open. They did it in broad daylight. The cops didnt seem to care either. Of course the trailer had all his tools in it, so no work is going to get done today, and he is behind schedule as is. :cussing Now my question, I am going to replace the chains on the gate with a higher grade, but I dont know what to get. I was leaning toward grade 70, or even 100. I have good quality padlocks, but I am considering replacing them as well. The problem is, if I replace locks, I have to change keys, and there are 20 people or so who have keys. Any suggestions?
A good quality lock can be keyed to you keys. Was the chain the weekest link?
I grade 100 would definantly stop anyone with bolt cutters. I used to make up my own chains for tiedowns and used grade 70, 3/8" and to cut it I used 4 foot cutters and there was no way that I could have done it with a hand on each handle. I could only do it by bracing the cutters on the floor and pushing down on the other handle. As for a lock, like Dwan said, a good lock can be keyed for you, and they have the locks out there that are bolt cutter resistant. http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=34543-382-40KADPFCCSEN&lpage=none 2-3/4" Stainless Steel Disc Lock This is just an example but I would think that graingers would have something like this but of better quality.
A motion detecting 12V alarm system can be made for less then $200. Good old car battery 12 V infrared motion detector cheep solar panel for charger car horn. if you have 120 V on site then it can be made for less then $50
Thanks guys, I am going to get some 3/8" grade 70 chain. I may keep my current locks, as they are the commercial grade hardened locks. I dont know the value of all his tools, but it was upwards of $10k. The theives knew what they were doing, and knew what they were after. I just want to take some steps to make sure it doesnt happen again.
The same thing happened to our carpenters: trailer full of tools, towed right off the site...however, this was in a secluded subdivision in a small country town in the middle of the night. Although they had to go out and get new tools to finsih the house, the police eventually managed to recover the trailer and also a lot of other stuff that the crooks had taken over the past few years. It's probably only a matter of time until the cops find out where your carpenter's trailer went and bring it back. But I'd still set up some security system or something because they often strike more than once. (The same guys also took our Jacuzzi a few nights later.)
Do you have sort of tracker systems available. Might be worth including one in the chassis or body of the new trailer if available as you just know they will be back for the replacements as they will be brand new.
I got some grade 70 chain for the gates. He replaced some of his tools today, and will start back to work tomorrow. His new tools are locked up in a gang box, which is locked up inside the model unit, so they are out of sight, and should be well secured. I have a full list of the tools, with their serial numbers, the plate number for the trailer, etc. We have a maintenance man that takes care of our rental properties, he is keeping a close eye out. He said people approach him all the time offering tools for sale. He knows what to watch for. I am also going to watch Craigslist, and FleaBay for his tools or trailer to pop up. The framer mentioned about getting a security system on his new trailer. He is only a subcontractor, but he is a nice guy, and works hard. I hate to see tools stolen, especially from my job site. I have inspected and replaced some sections of fencing, and replaced the chains. Short of sitting on the roof with my AR-15 every night, there is not much more I can do. The guys knew what they were after, and were determined to get it.
Get a satellite tracking security and alarm system for your trailer, or don't leave it onsite. Simple as that. It's hard to believe the number of contractors that leave stuff out on site, and then are steamed when they show up the next day expecting it to still be there and it's gone. Don't bother with cameras, your tools and equipment will still be gone, and unless your camera is of the very highest -- and most expensive -- quality, the grainy pictures will be of little help, plus you will spend hours looking at nothing. There is no honor among thieves or employees, either one will make off with your stuff in a flash given the chance. I've seen it. I been the victim of it too many times.
Thieves... absolutely the lowest of the low... and vandals. It's happened to us too. OCR
we have half inche chain holding the gate closed at our shop...the best thing to do would be to electrify everything and maybe put a few hidden landmines or gun turrets...but i dont think that would be practical if you are only on a job for a few days
Use any size chain that will keep the hungry Doberman attached to it from running off...
That is the best deterant, except I would go with an akita or shepherd. Bigger and far tougher than any doberman (my opinion).
A Rottweiler would probably work too...
Yeesh! Stories like this make me glad I live where I do....the only thing that ever really goes missing is the wrenches and usually the neighbor borrowed them while you weren't home but he brings 'em back with a six pack.:drinkup
Just as bad as having the diesel pinched out of a machine.
That's becoming a big problem here in Kern County (and elswhere I'd imagine). Farmers and construction sites are getting hit for Diesel and anything else not nailed down. I caught two guys eyeballing my road drag/sled so I moved it after they left. Later that night the same truck and two guys came back. All they found were two 80 pound dogs and and a motion sensing security light.
I got some information over the weekend that 3 other sites in the area were hit this weekend. One they did severe damage to some equipment. Another they detroyed the steel stud framing, and stole a welding generator. The third site they stole a bobcat. I am going to do whatever I can to prevent it again, short of shooting these guys.
Has anyone tried this: http://www.dewaltmobilelock.com/main.asp They have sensors for equipment, trailers and conex boxes. I too have been hit by thieves too many times. I have had my conex boxes broken into so many times, the only funny thing about it is my old Bomag jumping jack tamp has survived 3 thefts sitting in the box. Even theives don't want it! All the small tools thieves like are located on the crew trucks in locked tool boxes. One of the worst places to have something stolen out of your truck is the parking lot of HD or Lowes, I always put up anything of value in the back of my truck when I am there and lock the tool box. One of my foreman had a chainsaw stolen in the HD parking lot and another came out to the truck to find someone going through his tool box.!
Don't rule it out. Makes for a great deterant. Guys hear theres this crazy builder who shoots first burys later.... Anyway the dog idea is a good one, becuase if like you said cops didn't much care. Well that means the only way to get the stuff is to kill the dog, if they do that the cops will be very interested becuase now there's a armed and dangerous felon out there.
Well, on a side note, a detective stopped by today, and walked the site, and went over the report. They are going to bump up patrols around the site after hours, and on the weekends. He didnt have alot of suggestions as far as improving security. He said they would probably strike again, and we should be diligent about picking everything up, so there is little to steal.
i want them thoroughly erased in this world! But, then again it can't happen. What we can just do now is to find ways on how we can evade their "evil doings." They never fail to make my head hurt. _____________________ shipping from United States
And if you checked he probably didn't even use um. He just wanted an excuse to bring a few :drinkup round :cool2
Atlas Rob; I bet you are right. I know I would
Its hard to stop them. If you have hardned chain or locks, they just use a grinder with a cutting wheel or torch. They even backed up to my storage shed, tied a chain around the lock and pulled the whole end off the bulding. Have burglar alarms but that doesnt deter them very much. Phone rang one night, (I have a burglar alarm dialer) took my 9mm and by the time I got there, they had cut the locks off my storage trailer and took two dirt bikes. Cops dont care. Next door business had 9 converters cut off cars. He got a piece of ply wood, drove sharp nails in it and covered it with leaves. Come in one morning with ply wood thrown out in the road with blood on it. If you have a nearby neighbor who pays attention, sometimes a siren or horn hooked up to a sensor works. The police asked me it it was worth shooting and maybe killing someone over my tools.. Instead they should be asking the crimininal is is worth dying for. Out society is so screwed up and it is only going to get worse. About eight years ago I had almost $30k in equip. stolen. I tracked down a person who was selling some of the small stuff at a flea marked. When I called the sheriff, they treated me like the criminal. Just basically let the fellow go. He said he bought them at a pawn shop. No recipt or proof. Pawn shop denied it. I have heard some pawn shops have waiting buyers to take large lots off their hands, quickly.:beatsme
what's worse? thieves or vandals? some some a beach threw rocks thru both loader windshields last nite...thank gawd they are flat glass....185.00 each.
Hey landrvnut22, Not sure where you're working but things in Akron have been crazy! Stopped a couple of weeks ago at Copley & Collier intesection to write up a Delivery Ticket, went home that evening and heard on the news about some crackhead robbing a woman on Copley Road. I'll be intersted in watching how long the New Neighborhoods down off of North Avenue and down by the Zoo will remain New. Drugs are at the core of these thefts issues. Shoot first - ask questions later!
Thats when you look him straight in the eye and tell I him catch he's dead. You have the right to protect your property, especailly when they wont. I don't give a **** if it's a $10 hammer or a $300,000 excavator. I still say nothing like a big mean dog to make folks think twice. A thousand junk yards can't be wrong.
I am working 2 blocks south of Exchange st. Close to the University. It is not the greatest area, but we havent had any problems till now. I have always made sure everything is locked up, and all the tools, and what not are put away. I have picked up tools, and taken them home with me, if I found them left out. I am going to look into the Dewalt Mobile locks, and see what they cost. It doesnt seem like a bad solution depending on price. It sucks to have equipment or tools damaged/stolen. We make a living with our tools, and some scum bag who never worked a day in his life steals them for drug money. I know I am seriously considering getting my concealed carry license now. I am also looking for alternate storage off-site for tools on the weekends.
I'm sorry to hear about that, is it common for guys to break into sites(besides kids just screwing around)? By far the best Idea.
Hey Adam, I am right over in your neck of the woods, and we had 16 converters stolen off of our equipment. $26,000 just for parts!!! That happened over Memorial day weekend. The cops did come down and write up a report, and I am happy to say that late last week, they caught the guys and they confessed to that job and a couple of others. The bad news is, we are still out $26,000!!! The guys will go to jail, but they don't have a pot to **** in so recouping any of the loss from them will be impossible. To prevent this from happening again, better fences and razor wire are being installed, but if someone really wants your equipment, they are going to take it. I'm not sure if there is a good solution to theives (shooting them is a good option, but it does take up a lot of time).
After reading these posts - I want to donate to the Police Mans Assc.- there so over worked and under paid !
I got good news today. They found the trailer. It was hooked to a stolen pickup truck. It was found all the way up in Ashtabula, which is abotu an hour east of Cleveland. About 2 hours from here. The framer lives in Burton, which is only a half hour from Ashtabula. No word yet if the tools are there or not. I also dont know if they caught the guys, but I will get more details next week. Enjoy your weekend. :usa
Good to have a bit of good news, getting the trailer back will be one less lot of paperwork and I suppose the truck will get returned to it owner also :thumbsup Police in the UK had a purge on plant on the move a little while back, it was nationwide and they had some good results. One force stopped a 4X4 towing a trailer with a mini digger on. All 3 were stolen from different counties and a couple of additional sets of different number plates in the back of the truck helped pinpoint other places it had been and caught on camera. :drinkup
good work i got stopped at 3.00am in my case 590 ,they thought it strange to see a digger out at that time i had just finished a burst main and was roading back to where we were working during the day,i thanked them for stopping me ,and after showing some ID i was on my way cheers graham
I am glad you thanked them just like you they were doing their job, but I bet they were on their guard in case you decided you didn't want to be stopped
I as well would thank them. I have been checking on jobs before on the weekend and other non-working hours and have been asked for ID from the police that were cruising by. We usually end up talking about how we hate thieves.
yeah but if some one doesn't want to stop for the cops and there in a heavy piece of equipment then the cops can't do much other that shoot at them granted most guys would stop but some would just make a hard right or left and go off road so really the cops would just have to watch them drive off and hope they run out of fuel
Ever watch cops? I have seen everything from tlbs to dozers, buses and my favorite a tank. The fuel compasity and there stupidity is much less than there (cops) persistance and tanacity. They may be able to reck havoc until they are either in jail or dead, but make no mistake about it one or the other usually happens.
I wouldn't try to outrun the cops in anything. Especially not in a piece of equipment. A big, slow moving machine that sticks out like a sore thumb, and cant keep up with traffic on an interstate, no way is it going to outrun them.
No but there is no shortage of idiots that will try too. Makes for great tv though. Guy in tank and guy in bus both payed with thier lives.
never thought of that! LMAO!
What about the guy in the Killdozer?
A little update from this whole saga. The trailer was returned this Saturday. No damage. The tools.......well.......all the tools are accounted for, except for a couple of extension cords. It is a miracle that he got everything back. I dont know the whole story, however, the pickup was stolen from a construction site in Ashtabula, along with a bunch of tools. They used the truck to steal the trailer. The whole combo was parked on private property, and the owner called police. When police ran the plates, they found out both were stolen. The theives got rid of the tools stolen with the truck, but didnt get the chance to move the tools from the trailer. Finally a happy end to something like this. Be careful out there.
I'm glad your framer got his trailer and tools back. It's a miracle the tools were still there.
WOW, one very very lucky chap, I didn't expect there to be anything other than the trailer returned and that would have been a result from my experience. Sounds to me like the thieves were waiting to see if either the truck or trailer were trackered. Very lucky that the land owner contacted the police :thumbsup
Congrats...did they catch the thieves yet?
Yes, they caught the theives also. Apparently they are lifetime criminals, just out of jail 2 months ago, going back for more.
Glad to hear everything is back to okay Adam, on a sidenote did you see the house move?