Best way to lock up utv

IMHO, have it insured. If someone wants to take it, doesn't matter how secure you have it.

Recommend a guard dog remain with the UTV for the duration of the trip and do what DOITHARD suggests.

A cheap motion activated alarm on a dedicated battery and a round chambered if the alarm does not scare off potential thieves. Loss of property is not worth taking a life and it is not worth risking your life to protect your property, but they don't have to know that.

Are you using an enclosed trailer? That would be a good start.
If not, can you take the wheels off and chain it to the trailer?

DOITHARD is correct.if someone really wants it, they will probably take it. Deterring and slowing down the thieves is about all you can do.

I have 2 dozen ATV's running around the Western US, 2 per flatbed trailer. The field crews that use these ATV's stay in motels. All we do is run a length of chain through the ATV frames and around the trailer steel sides then use a lock to secure the chain.

In the past 15 years the only ATV that has been stolen was in Tucson AZ and it appears that the crew forgot to chain this one up. Its running mate was still on the trailer chained up.

We leave ATV tire repair and emergency stuff in the soft bags setting on the ATV's and have never had anyone mess with that stuff. Some times the trailer with bikes is left in the motel parking lot with just a tongue lock attached and no one has ever drug off a complete trailer set.

I use a 30' 3/8" Gorilla cable and good security padlocks. All this does is keep the petty thief honest, as the career criminal will have the proper equipment to defeat ANY precautions. When you lock up the machines, do not forget the ramps and/or tailgate too.

thiefs look for easy takes. they don't want to spend time getting to your stuff.
so, that being said, make it difficult. heavy metal chains locking them down to the trailer. not only to they spend time cutting, it also creates noise. back the trailer in so the are not able to just roll them off a trailer and go, park other vehicles on either side.
however, i agree with the others, have everything well insured w/ photos. in the end, if a thief wants it, they will get it.

I'm always amazed by what I read here.... In forty years I've never done anything more than simple precaution and I've never had anything stolen or vandalized.

Consider selling it up North and buying another rig down here.

DuneJunkie wrote:
thiefs look for easy takes. they don't want to spend time getting to your stuff.
so, that being said, make it difficult. heavy metal chains locking them down to the trailer. not only to they spend time cutting, it also creates noise. back the trailer in so the are not able to just roll them off a trailer and go, park other vehicles on either side.
however, i agree with the others, have everything well insured w/ photos. in the end, if a thief wants it, they will get it.

I agree locking it to the trailer with a good chain/cable is one way, but I would make it hard to get off the trailer too, by locking the ramps/ramp gate up too.
Another thing if you have any after market accessories radio, gps, lights/light bars, and wheels/tires that can be taken off do so, as these are what most thieves are after, just ask my SIL.

P.S. make sure that the trailer is locked to the TV the best way too.