How to keep thieves from stealing our 16' trailer?

[Blue_Warbler]

We have a small camping/travel trailer that we're leaving at home when we're snow birding. We bought it this year and were wondering how to secure it. Removing the wheels, chaining it to a tree, or? We don't have a garage. Thanks.

[jake2250]

Exactly as Gulfcoast said! Secure it with what means are available to you IE; hitch lock, door locks, wheel locks whatever. If it gets stolen,, and you can prove that you secured it. Then you have done your part,, let the insurance do their part.
If they deny the claim, have them prove that! Otherwise its called "bad faith" and it really hurts their ratings!
You file a bad faith claim on them and they have to provide the reasoning behind it!

I asked my insurance guy what he suggested because I store mine in a storage yard.
he said lock it and close the window blinds,Take a picture of the locks on it and itself in storage.
Thats about all you are liable for!

P.S. Always check your insurance company for any "Bad faith" claims against them! If I discover ANY,, I will go somewhere else to get insured!

[Gulfcoast]

I put a lock on the hitch and trust my insurance company to do the right thing if I have a claim. There's nothing else I can do to prevent a theft of my trailer, if someone really wants it.

[wanderingbob]

My brother parks his trailer in a storage lot . He bought at a junk yard a wheel with a flat tire that he installs when leaving the trailer . He takes the spare and the other good tire with him . Does it work , he thinks so and thats what matters !

[westend]

The harder you make it to move it, the less a thief wants to take it. I would suggest bolting a piece of heavy steel to/through the wheels. You can also buy locking/security lug nuts which make it harder to remove/install wheels. Anything that makes it more difficult is the aim.

[DM6156]

Remember the old saying... where there is a will, there is a way.

I like some of the responses.. good stuff.

I have a hitch lock on mine as well as a lockable pin that fits into the lever to engage/dis-enagage the hitch. Sure, they can be pryed off and/or cut off. Some of these type products are better quality (harder to pry/cut) than others - there's some youtube videos that are good to watch on that subject.

If mine gets stolen, I have proof that I attempted to prevent it so shouldn't have issues with insurance denying the claim (yeah, i know, noone wants to deal with insurance!)

Don't let this keep you from enjoying snowbird lifestyle.

[2manytoyz]

I had a camper stolen. Almost had a second one stolen, but my security efforts worked. Full story here: http://2manytoyz.com/stolen.html

Hitch lock did nothing to stop the trailer from rolling. They hooked up the chains, drove away. Happened during the day, neighbors watching! The thieves waved, so it appeared they weren't stealing it.

Years later, I had a travel trailer stored at a gated storage facility. They have a security guard who lives inside the compound. I used a heavy duty bike cable and large lock.



A few months later, thieves broke into the back of the facility, pushed up all the security cameras with a pole, and quietly cut locks at the storage units. I had things stolen that night when they got my unit too. But they didn't take the trailer.

Shortly after that, I bought another house, with a larger lot. The travel trailer is stored next to the house, and I've added a different style of lock.



https://amzn.to/2CoLBIe

As for padlocks, a 36" bolt cutter slices them like butter. It makes virtually NO SOUND. One hand operation. I've tried this on my hardened locks after the storage unit was hit. I was surprised by how easy it was. Locks keep the honest people out.







For those thinking a disc type of padlock is more secure... I had one get filled with sand, and had to cut it off. Less than 30 seconds.







Tip #1, get it insured. Photo document EVERYTHING you've put inside the camper. Those are separate line items on a claim. This process is a major pain, and took a while to get paid. On top of that, State Farm kept 10% until the items were replaced, then they paid the rest.

Tip #2, prevent the trailer from rolling. Locks on the hitch is almost a waste of time.

Tip #3, if you can put a security camera watching it, that's actually a visible deterrent.

Good luck!

[KKELLER14K]

No ball lock is going to do the job on it's own. What about the chains?...HELLO!! You can still tow away a trailer by using the safety chains...make it so you can remove them when you store it. The combo of a ball lock, wheel lock, and no chains deterrence will most likely make a thief move on...anything can be stolen...just make yours real hard. I agree with Grit dog...don't be foolish and keep anything of value in it while it is stored..

[Jebby14]

proper insurance

[jaycocreek]

I use this as a deterrent..Hitch Lock..

[Grit_dog]

I’d be more worried about mice than thieves, but basically , just make it harder to steal than the next guys. Hitch lock, coupler lock, chain wheels together or remove and put on blocks.
Most simple thefts are crimes of opportunity. Just make the opportunity harder to come by.

[rbpru]

Where do you live and who would want it. I live in the country, have an eight year old TT "out back".

My only fear is some idiot will drive up my lane and steal it for a METH lab when I am not home, so I have it insured for replacement cost.

Their fear or course is being met by a person with a 12 ga.

If I lived in a populated area I would use a secured storage facility.

[Chainwright]

So we live in a really safe neighborhood. But apart from that we take extra precautionary measures. If I was in your position, I'd get that thick heavy duty chain, that you can buy at Home depot by the foot. I got myself 6 ft of it and chained it around part of the chassis of my Flatbed, and screwed the last link into a 18 inch diameter stump from a old tree I had to cut down, with a foot and a 1/2 (18 inch) mega screw. Using heavy duty chain to secure it around a huge tree is a good idea too. AS if that wasn't enough the DW got those Cameras that you can strategically place around your property and sinc it up with an App on your smart phone, so you can watch it from where ever you are 24/7. It also comes with night vision features. So now you have eyes on and it's chained down. OR you can have all of the above AND tell your neighbor to keep an eye out.

[Grit_dog]

Removing a wheel/wheels is one of the easiest and most secure methods of theft prevention but it don’t stop everyone.
We do that on message boards etc that we leave on the highway for periods of time. Some @$$hat towed one away a few months ago. Only made it a 1/4 mile!
Then it tipped over, lol.

If you want to keep your trailer from going far, leave the wheels on, but loosen all the lugs. Then at least you’ll get the trailer back and won’t have to drive far to get it!!

[Community Alumni]

You can do things to slow down a thief, but a determined thief will get what they want. I remember reading about a stolen fully furnished mobile home that was on blocks. The thieves showed up with a low boy with a winch posing as repo guys. No one ever questioned them.

If you pull the wheels, they'll show up with their own. Locks can quickly be cut off with battery powered tools. Thieves will bypass the locks completely and haul the trailer away by fashioning a sling over the coupler.

The good news is that thieves often aren't planning Ocean's Eleven style thefts of travel trailers. These days thieves are pretty lazy. They don't like working and are looking for easy targets. A simple coupler lock alone is enough to deter a lot of them. Thieves are mostly interested in quietly making a quick buck. Hauling a trailer down the road garners quite a bit of attention, especially if it's been damaged in some way. They're probably more interested in the contents of your trailer since it's full of things that can be unloaded quickly and easily like electronics.

I keep it simple. Ensure all doors, windows, and vents are locked. I use a lock on the latch and a lock on the coupler. Beyond that, I keep it insured. If someone walks away with it or something inside of it, at least I'll be compensated for it.