Trailer security

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Neil

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I’m swapping my Sadler for a trailer sailer with a view to towing it to range of venues perhaps for several days at a time. How do others manage their car and trailer when off boating? I’m guessing a wheel clamp for the trailer near the slip. Might I anticipate any problems?
 
Recently somebody tried to steal my son's caravan from his garden in his absence. They would have got away with it except that he had a very fancy wheel lock. It is bolted to the chassis with a complex arrangement of lock and steel plug passing through a wheel. Serious kit, no doubt not cheap but well worth it.
 
Neil said:
I’m swapping my Sadler for a trailer sailer with a view to towing it to range of venues perhaps for several days at a time. How do others manage their car and trailer when off boating? I’m guessing a wheel clamp for the trailer near the slip. Might I anticipate any problems?
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The cordless grinder is the devils tool
 
I had a 3.5 tonne purposs made trailer for my joinery business. When it was made I had my name welded into the chassis in 4 places along with my post code. It was done in a position that was awkward to grind away & the weld would always be there as even when flush it would be burned into the steel. then I had a large box type lock over the towing bar. That could be cut with an angle grinder but it would have needed quite a bit of grinding.
Clearly one cannot de everything but one can only try.
Bulldog lock
 
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Having had an attempt to steal a box trailer despite having a trailer lock. After this we removed all the wheels and stored them elsewhere. So, if the trailer has support jacks, then remove the wheels and store covered in your car. Simple solution that also means it make it difficult for thieves.
 
Daydream believer said:
steel
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My farmer friend also had his name welded into his 4 wheel trailer and still it was stolen. His farm diesel tank was also drained of about 400 gallons. Someone else had his caravan stolen in daylight while it was parked alongside his house and he was at home. He had taken precautions, wheel clamps, locked gate and an alarm. The police were certain it was a targeted theft and the job prepared over a number of days. cutting locks on the gate and clamps before hand.
The stories are endless and what the answer is I don’t know.
 
There's probably only a small market for yacht trailers, compared with other types?
I've known of people having wheels and other parts stolen though.
 
Concerto said:
Having had an attempt to steal a box trailer despite having a trailer lock. After this we removed all the wheels and stored them elsewhere. So, if the trailer has support jacks, then remove the wheels and store covered in your car. Simple solution that also means it make it difficult for thieves.
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Unfortunately wheels off is quicker to steal than with wheels on and a good lock - they just bring a set of cheap wheels.
Replacing wheels with lock on devices may help though
 
My 4 wheel yacht trailer with wheel lock was stolen from a yacht compound with only a 3 foot wide pedestrian gate. We suspect several strong men tipped it on its side and trudndled it on edge through the gap before dragging it away directly or towing after cutting off wheel lock.

There is certainly a market for trailers and any yacht trailer can be readily adapted or converted to other purposes.

Make trailer look rubbish by splashing paint or mud over it, park where it is overlooked by houses, and maybe give it two wheel locks. And make sure it is covered by insurance
 
Had a case some years back where a boatie was launching his boat at a ramp . He backed the car and boat into the water then jumped out to release the boat leaving keys of car in and motor running. Some opportunist jumped in and raced off with trailer on the back of the car. Don't know if boat was still on. Owner got a shock but i think all was retrieved eventually.
Trailer hitch covers (for a pad lock) are available here and are common for trailers left out. But if you want to leave car with trailer attached then you need some sort of pad lock on safety chains (trailer to car) or wheel lock on trailer. ol'will
 
Nothing's going to be 100% secure. If someone wants your trailer badly enough, they'll get it, but something like this that covers the wheel nuts will discourage the opportunist thief.
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I'd also add a decent hitch lock to make your villain's life that bit more difficult.
 
On the same principle as having a locking tow hitch cover, once you've removed the wheels and stored them securely you can tighten a locking wheel nut onto the hubs to prevent other wheels from being attached.

Then again, an unloaded trailer is light enough to be man handled onto another trailer, given enough manpower. If this is a your home then concreting an anchor point into the ground would defeat that tactic. A breakable wire loop to a screecher alarm, going through an anchor point would be a good move too.
 
I lock mine to the car and then park it so its not easy to move backwards or sideways. It just makes it more difficult and hopefully they wont bother as its too difficult. As above, they are not going to be as good a seller as a box trailer. Basically if someone is determined to take it then it will eventually go, and decent insurance may be the answer. My boats both have trailers, but are total sods to launch and recover, so typically i only use mine like a cradle for maintenance. When the powerboat is at home on the trailer its an epic task to get it positioned, involving winches and 6 helpers, so i think its largely safe. I think like everything, make it difficult, noisy and inconvenient, and hopefully they will pass yours by!
 
HissyFit said:
On the same principle as having a locking tow hitch cover, once you've removed the wheels and stored them securely you can tighten a locking wheel nut onto the hubs to prevent other wheels from being attached.

Then again, an unloaded trailer is light enough to be man handled onto another trailer, given enough manpower. If this is a your home then concreting an anchor point into the ground would defeat that tactic. A breakable wire loop to a screecher alarm, going through an anchor point would be a good move too.
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A locking wheel nut can be removed by grinder or even undone with mole grips and brute force once one doesnt have to wiggle past the rim. So unless one adds 4 per hub there is still vulnerability. A screecher alarm might be an idea, but thieves might just tough it out, and act casual.

One could try detaching the towing cup to stop casual theft but its a lot of work and theives might just push it round corner and fit a different one

Ones only hope is that a valuable towable compressor or plant will catch the b**rds eyes.

Best bet is to park it in sight of every one, but in the back of the ruck so no one can get to it. Beyond that its just the risks of a sailing life
 
oldmanofthehills said:
A locking wheel nut can be removed by grinder or even undone with mole grips and brute force once one doesnt have to wiggle past the rim.
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If you put your lock nuts on with an appropriate torque wrench and 100 ft-lbs, nobody is getting them off with mole grips.
 
Neil said:
I’m swapping my Sadler for a trailer sailer with a view to towing it to range of venues perhaps for several days at a time. How do others manage their car and trailer when off boating? I’m guessing a wheel clamp for the trailer near the slip. Might I anticipate any problems?
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A very effective solution i have seen used is to source both a towball for your car and towhitch for the trailer from the USA. One of their three standard sizes has a 1 7/8 inch diameter ball. Weld the bolts on the hitch to the trailer. The theives won't be prepared for this and will quickly give up. (Or they will have to steal car and trailer together)

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk
 
You can never stop a professional thief who really wants your trailer, you can make it not worth their while and stop the casual thieves..
if I can, the boat or general purpose trailer, I reverse to a wall or fence and leave it connected to the car. The in Head lock is always in place, then I wrap a piece of 10 ton anchor chain round trailer arm and tow arm, locking that on. Then if it's overnight or longer a wheel comes off. I've a wheel clamp for the other side as well.

if the tow vehicle has to be disconnected then there's a clamp on lock that fits in the coupling as well.

I'm actually more concerned about the old landrover attached to the front these days, so there's all sorts of things on that as well..
But it still won't stop someone determined.. in a recent magazine there was a report of a landrover being taken. It was in someone's garden behind a locked gate behind a pillar in the ground..
They came along with a Hiab and craned it over onto a trailer...
 
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