Theft protection for Micro Minnie?

[BlueSky]

We just bought a Micro Minnie and are looking for ways to prevent theft, especially someone driving off with the whole trailer. What do you use and what brand and model are you using? We can not park our trailer at our house an have to use a parking facility so there will be a gate locked and cameras, but that might be enough. Any suggestions will be appreciated!

[backtrack15]

Unfortunately almost any lock mechanism can be defeated by a determined thief. I had a high vapor-pressure teardrop previously (sold it). It was something almost anyone could tow or drag away. I protected it by using a very robust chain and lock, which I looped through the wheel on one side and over a frame member. I am not worried about the Micro Minnie so I just have the ordinary coupler locks (which will take a good thief only a minute to defeat).

[Sun_Seeker]

Originally Posted by BlueSky

We just bought a Micro Minnie and are looking for ways to prevent theft, especially someone driving off with the whole trailer. What do you use and what brand and model are you using? We can not park our trailer at our house an have to use a parking facility so there will be a gate locked and cameras, but that might be enough. Any suggestions will be appreciated!

A thief doesn't have the 'luxury' of a take-your-time crime. The best way (in my opinion, and what I do) is to have multiple locks and/or theft deterrents that it will take such a long time to mess with, and the risk of creating noise while removing your anti-theft 'obstacle course'.

Here's what I do...if not parking at home,

1. Put on a ball hitch inserter, to thwart and easy tow away.

2. Lock the hitch lock arm, to prevent its movement


3. Home made, bear claw tire locks, that looks like a metal bear jaw trap, and sits in front of and behind, your duals on both sides of your trailer, with a 1/4 inch thick bar flat re-bar steel stock, that sits on the lower outside of the two nail beds, joining them on the curb side, and the back side in parallels.

If anybody attempts to move your trailer, the jaws (flat nail beds) will sacrifice/puncture' both your tires, or all four if on each side...and will absolutely prevent any further attempt at towing off the storage lot. You would perhaps, have four tires to replace, if they even foolishly attempted it...but you'd still have your trailer unharmed, to ATTACH another four tires to...and that's a good outcome.

In other words, look at your trailer, and focus on that which turns, or parts that can get connected to...and disable them . Trust me...a thief or thieves, would see all that must be overcome...and move onto another much more easily 'theft accessible' unit....

A homemade tire bear claw trap'...is to drive 3 inch nails into a piece of hard wood, about 6 inches long (that you have screwed 1/4 inch aluminum skin to, so the wood can not be sawed in two)...and the nails 3 inches apart (very important...) Then, you use a bore drill blade, so you can thread a metal rod with threads at both ends with an inch and a half of thread that sticks out beyond your wood/nail block. To these threads, at the curb side, and the back side of your duals, you place re-bar to, to connect the front block to the back block, and thereby LOCKING your duals inside the two six inch long nail beds..one in front of your duals, the other snugly behind them. You make sure that you have three inches between your nails, so that the tires would not be supported upon a denser nail pattern, and therefore not settle down and puncture onto the nails....and finally, use LOCKING lug nuts at the front and in the back on both sides of your trailer to secure the re-bar 1/4 inch thick is all you need two inches wide, that connects the front nail bed, to the rear nail bed. You are TIRE PUNCTURE rigged, and ready to keep your property STILL YOUR PROPERTY! Cheers!

Trust me...a trailer or motorhome, that is 'rigged' to self spike the tires dead flat if moved even 2 inches back or forward, WILL NOT EVER BE TOUCHED. The thief can see what work there is to overcome your tire-spike-trap, and can clearly see what will happen if he/they merely try to torque the trailer 'over' the nail bed(s). When you make it, you will see, that it simply can NOT be done.

I got this idea years ago, from watching law enforcement use spike belts to stop perps...and in my home made trailer spike belt, not ever was my trailer touched, when I had heard reports of other trailers being stolen, or damaged, by attempting to be stolen.

Easy to make...and if you put in the time...your T.T. or Motorhome, will never be stolen. You can't make good time down the road, with a trailer or motorhome, with every tire dead flat...and the thief is at least smart enough to figure that out on their own merit! Cheers!

[backtrack15]

OP, You might want to visit the storage yard and take a look at what other nice trailers have for protection. Pay special attention to any unique fortifications on units in the Micro Minnie weight class or below. Have people removed their batteries and/or propane tanks? This will give you a better feel for how much perceived risk there is among the clientele and how much protection you need to avoid being one of the easier targets.

[Elkman]

At my my house I parked my trailers behind a steel gate that has a wood exterior. Only way to get it open is with a torch and the thief would have to first get over the gate. Out of sight and out of mind is the best protection.

An RV yard that is secure in a public storage facility that has an electronic keypad for entry and exit is the best solution as a thief is going to look for an easier target. A hitch padlock is not really an answer as a thief can chain the trailer tongue to their truck and tow the trailer to work on the padlock at their leisure. Best trailer security is by removing the wheels on one side and puttiing them inside the trailer.

I have used a motorcycle grade chain wrapped through the wheel spokes and around the axle but even this can be quickly cut with a $200 18V cut-off saw in a minute or two.

A good insurance policy is the best protection for an RV.

[Flash]

Since it will be in a lot with others, in my opinion all you need to do is secure yours more than those around yours are secured so that they take the one with the least amount of security. Putting multiple things in the way helps do this. A ball lock, wheel locks, etc. Encourage them choose another less secure one to steal.
The camera system will just show you the crime in action. Chances of finding the person is slim. Chances the cops will care is slim, they have real crimes to chase.
When I was an investigator for a state agency I once had a case where I had done the entire case, had all the evidence. The theft was just under $100k but I couldn't get any law enforcement agency to take it, it was too small for them to get involved with. They have to triage everything these days.

[Ret.LEO]

Originally Posted by Flash

Since it will be in a lot with others, in my opinion all you need to do is secure yours more than those around yours are secured so that they take the one with the least amount of security. Putting multiple things in the way helps do this. A ball lock, wheel locks, etc. Encourage them choose another less secure one to steal.
The camera system will just show you the crime in action. Chances of finding the person is slim. Chances the cops will care is slim, they have real crimes to chase.
When I was an investigator for a state agency I once had a case where I had done the entire case, had all the evidence. The theft was just under $100k but I couldn't get any law enforcement agency to take it, it was too small for them to get involved with. They have to triage everything these days.

Please don't use a bad experience with your local agency to blanket say "chances the cops will care is slim" far from the truth for the vast majority. In my State anything over $750. in value is a felony theft. Taken very seriously. The VIN, Color/Year/Make/Body Style/License all gets entered into a national data base. Sadly things like travel trailers, car haulers get cut up for salvage.
The best thing to do is make it as hard and long to take as possible. Best hitch lock you can afford, locking wheel chocks. Anything that slows them down or makes it more attractive to move to another victim is good. A good heavy log chain ran through wheel openings with a heavy padlock concealed behind a wheel is good also.
A dash cam is a good idea with it posted right on the hitch that they're being video taped could be a help. Be sure to video tape your RV to show it was in great condition along with recording as much of the interior items as possible for insurance settlements. Speaking of which, be sure to insure for replacement value and along for the contents inside the RV, not actual value.
If something does happen leave everything alone such as a cut padlock etc. I had a car trailer stolen and found the body of the hitch padlock in the nearby weeds. Our local agency finger printed it to enter into the national data base.

[Sun_Seeker]

Originally Posted by Ret.LEO

Please don't use a bad experience with your local agency to blanket say "chances the cops will care is slim" far from the truth for the vast majority. In my State anything over $750. in value is a felony theft. Taken very seriously. The VIN, Color/Year/Make/Body Style/License all gets entered into a national data base. Sadly things like travel trailers, car haulers get cut up for salvage.
The best thing to do is make it as hard and long to take as possible. Best hitch lock you can afford, locking wheel chocks. Anything that slows them down or makes it more attractive to move to another victim is good. A good heavy log chain ran through wheel openings with a heavy padlock concealed behind a wheel is good also.
A dash cam is a good idea with it posted right on the hitch that they're being video taped could be a help. Be sure to video tape your RV to show it was in great condition along with recording as much of the interior items as possible for insurance settlements. Speaking of which, be sure to insure for replacement value and along for the contents inside the RV, not actual value.
If something does happen leave everything alone such as a cut padlock etc. I had a car trailer stolen and found the body of the hitch padlock in the nearby weeds. Our local agency finger printed it to enter into the national data base.

Sorry to read that you were theft victimized. Like you advise, and I also advised, you should use multiple methods (and quite visible) to impede for a fast (T.T.) theft-and-haul, or an R.V. break in, jack the ignition, and haul. We all know, as the thieves do...that anything can be cut, jimmied, torqued, this...that...with any sufficient portable power tools. Your, and my idea...is to slow down the process, or make it such a P.I.T.A. , that the trailer sitting next to ours...will be the one connected to, and hauled away, if at all. It's all about how fast a thief or thieves can leave the point of theft, and be on the road. Make it an anti-theft 'obstacle course'...and more than not, your trailer will still be there, after somebody else's..isn't. Trailers and R.V.s get stolen. Make it hopefully too much of a hassle (for) that it is yours----> that is...