Securing a cargo trailer?

I'd like to think it would be safe to assume that just pulling the wheel(s) off one side would just about perfectly secure the trailer itself from theft. I doubt many trailer thieves run around town with a supply of spare wheels in the back of their truck.
I, myself, don't bother with that - too much effort & trouble. I just put cut-off balls in the hitches and padlock them. If anyone steals any of them I've got insurance.

Carb Cleaner wrote:
....

Or, have the sides lettered, "Murphy's Manure Hauling"....

lol, I was just going to post similar!

The trailer I had used spoke style steel wheels .
I ran a chain through the spoke over the axle , probably a 1 /4" diameter link .
I used the common HD master padlock .
It was a pain but I connected the chain ends underneath the trailer with the padlock near the axle .
Somebody did attempt to steal the trailer once .
They may have been thwarted because it took too much time to get the padlock open .
I hated crawling underneath the trailer each time , but it worked .

Here's a sticker:


Or, have the sides lettered, "Murphy's Manure Hauling".
I'm slack about our cargo trailer security. I use my safety chains and a padlock to immobilize the tongue jack's crank handle.

I have a haul trailer that I keep in a storage facility for the past 10 years. I do two special things. It is tandem axle, I store it with one tire flat on each axle on opposite sides. These are good tires with low air that can be inflated with a porta-tank. I lock the jack in place with a heavy chain and lock.

The most important part is having it in a storage facility with a full-time 24hr real live security staff. It also helps that the trailer is older and not as appealing as the easier to steal new ones. Since I have been there, no trailer has been stolen off the lot.

Now where's that piece of wood I need to knock on????

pompomgirl wrote:
...DH has never put model airplane markings on his trailer, and only a very small scale modeler builder sticker on the Odyssey. Markings for ID should say something like "Joe's Plumbing."

Good idea, then they will only break in thinking they are getting tools and scrap copper. Tools are one of the most desirable things for thieves, easy to sell.

I think plain white or some custom graphics. Don't put names that would lead a thief to thinking they know what is inside.

Very good points. I definitely will be insuring it, but if someone wants to take it, it won't be easy. At the minimum, the would-be thief will have to fight for it.

If I went with locking lug nuts and either the above J-lock, or decent boots, would that be good enough for most cases? Nothing stops a thief 100% (especially with cordless angle grinders that make quick work of almost anything in short order), but I don't want to make it easy for them. The advantage of the "winter wheels" is that even if a thief got them off, the trailer will still not be theirs unless they magically happen to have a set of rims/tires with the same bolt pattern and size. I mainly wonder what the realm of realism is, versus needless overkill (as pointed above, replacing wheels can be time consuming, and requires a torque wrench... and that doesn't have to be done, so much the better.)

There are a lot of storage areas in Austin... but unlike my TT which gets stored out of town on rural property miles away from any paved road, I'm looking to store this small cargo trailer closer to me so it can double as storage on the off season. Even the "secure" storage areas oftentimes may not be, so I rather pack my own parachute in this case.

As for marking a trailer, I don't see if that helps much. A quick coat of glossy white rattle-can, and none of that will matter. Instead, I pull the trailer's license plates and take those with me.

If the trailer is attached to the tow vehicle, it can help to back it up to an immovable flat object, like a fence or the wall of a building. Once they get it disconnected, it's harder to move.

I had a friend in my RC flying club had one of his utility trailers stolen even with Usual padlock through the latch and a lock on the tongue and very distinctive trailer markings with airplane decals etc.

For exactly this reason, DH has never put model airplane markings on his trailer, and only a very small scale modeler builder sticker on the Odyssey. Markings for ID should say something like "Joe's Plumbing."

If you go through so much trouble to protect the trailer, someone is going to think there is something valuable about the trailer, and do what is necessary to steal it, or break into it

I like this wheel lock at Northern Tool.