Your thoughts on my M101 security idea

[VicMackey]

As the title suggests, I have an M101 trailer. Between the trailer, the topper, the RTT, the Awning, and my assorted camping gear, I probably will have $8,000 sitting on wheels, completely unattended. The trailer has a locking truck cap on it, so my gear should be pretty secure.

My security ideas are as follows:

1. Max coupler installed. When I leave the unit unattended, the coupler will be removed.

2. Chain the trailer to my vehicle or picnic table/tree using padlocks.

3. Here is where it gets interesting: My trailer has open Jeep wheels. What I wanted to do was drill two holes in my wheel wells and take a piece of chain and put it through the wheel, then have it go up through the two holes in the wheel well and then lock the chain together. I figure if I lock it tight enough, the wheel will be rough to remove, if it is removed, its going to be just about impossible to remount a new wheel.

I figure between these three basic steps, I should be pretty good.


You thoughts?

 

[ckupq]

I see nothing here that couldn't be stolen with a set of bolt cutters a draw bar and a couple of c-clamps. Good luck.

 

[kzam]

Even a cordless angle grinder will cut right through most chains or locks so you're really only going to deter the kinds of thieves who didn't bring any tools.

You might be better off attaching the trailer to a large Rottweiler.

I hate thieves.

 

[burquedoka]

Been pondering the same thing with my Bantam build I'm working on. Honestly I can't think of any solutions that can't be breached as suggested above. Not sure if the camper's honor code is worth a damn thing these days!

 

[tarditi]

Just gonna slow them down - or get them to trash your trailer in frustration.

I lock my safety chains through the lunette and have padlocks on all my hasps, Hi-lift, and fuel carriers, but understand completely that it's just to keep an honest person honest.

 

[sargeek]

If someone wants it they can take it. You just need to make it painful - so hopefully they will move onto other opportunities. Hitch Locks, Wheel Locks, Big Fricken Chain - all add to complexity for the person trying to steel it. You will need to determine how much time you want to invest securing it when you hitch and unhitch.

Most thefts are targets of opportunity.

 

[JPShooter]

but understand completely that it's just to keep an honest person honest.

That's an interesting old saying. False I think.

Honest people don't need to be made honest. If they are honest they are........ well, honest!

I'm not picking on you since I've said the same thing many times in my life, but once I stopped to think about it i was struck by how contradictory a saying it is.

In the end it's what's already been said here, that locking and other anti-theft measures are simply deterrents to the dishonest that make them, perhaps, select an easier target.

If the dishonest trash your trailer in frustration, well maybe is better to have some trashed items to salvage then nothing at all.

 

[Redeth005]

My security ideas are as follows:

1. Max coupler installed. When I leave the unit unattended, the coupler will be removed.

You thoughts?

My reply is based for the hitch security system.
I too am in the same situation as you right now. We need to protect our investments and this is actually why i suggest not using the max coupler for a lock. Sure it will deter most. But say i pass up your camp when you aren't there and i also have the max coupler. I can easily steal your trailer with no problem if i have the vehicle side of the coupler. Not saying i would do such a thing but people now days never stop to surprise me.

What i will most likely do and i suggest you look into doing is fabricating some sort of hitch lock that will slide over your trailer tongue. Maybe the first 12-14 inches. Something that will allow you to use a trailer pin lock but make it difficult for people to tamper with the lock as well

Here is something i drew up earlier today. Super rough drawing but it works. I plan to make something very similar to this. Obviously it wont look as thick as his either but i will definitely work as a visual deterrent from keeping people to make off with your trailer.


So this idea is something i based off of this front bumper that i fabricated for my 89 4Runner.



Basically what i wanted to do was to protect my winch from being stolen off my front bumper since all you need to remove it is to remove the 4 bolts which hold it in place here:


And since this is a trail-gear front winch plate that i used as the bumpers platform to create it it means i have a hitch receiver hat somebody could slide a hitch into o tow my vehicle away. (I may be a bit too paranoid but, we have to protect our investment right?)


So i cut some 1/4" tube hat would fit into my hitch receiever. While using my existing U-Hual trailer ball hitch as a template for how many inches it should be made. and where to make the hole for the pin.




Test fitment and tracing out where the hole needs to be made for the pin


I decided to add a plate onto the front of that hitch to cover the front portion of the hitch. This not only worked as a security plate. But also worked as a license plate holder.


Using a 3/4" hole saw i made the hole for the slide in tube.



All welded together


I also bought a Hitch pin lock to use


But i found the 4 bolts were still able to be tampered with. so i had to add a cover so they could not be removed so i used 3/16" plate strips to cover the bolts


Problem solved



Here you can kinda see that there is only about 4-5" on each side to stick my hands in under the bumper to remove the hitch pin lock.. It's a pain in he butt already to remove that alone. It will be more then enough to deter thieves from sticking tools in there to attempt to remove the winch.



I'm sorry to have somewhat hijacked your thread in trying to explain this idea but if i could explain myself well and give you ideas to keep your trailer safe then this LONG RANT was all well worth it. I hope this gave you some sort of idea in what to create for the hitch. Soon i will be creating the hitch lock in the first picture so if you are interested to see how i fabricate it you can feel free to check my trailer build out.
We need to protect our investments. Mine has taken almost 2 whole years to get to this point. And i don't want some scum bag to steal it because of something i could have done to make more tamperproof




Anyway Rant off. I apologize for making such a long post. But i really do hope it helped.

 

[VicMackey]

Redeth005, great post. I like the "sleeve" you designed so nobody could put a male into the trailer hitch. While I do not have your fabrication skills, I am sure I could make one using stock steel channel. That combined with the locking pin is an additional security feature that would only take me seconds to install and remove when I need it.

I also am really impressed with the flanges/tabs you put on the bumper to block access to the bolts. Very crafty move.

Sweet 4Runner BTW. One of the negatives of living in Michigan is there aren't too many cars from the 80's on the road.

 

[tgreening]

Even a cordless angle grinder will cut right through most chains or locks so you're really only going to deter the kinds of thieves who didn't bring any tools.

You might be better off attaching the trailer to a large Rottweiler.

I hate thieves.

Couple of heavily peanut buttered bread balls will keep Rottie occupied for a bit.


As mentioned chains are easily defeated. A nice thick stranded cable is much better. They tend to squish in bolt cutters instead of cut. A cut off wheel will still kill it, but that's a lot noisier proposition for a thief.

 

[Scrapdaddy]

Do everything you said in your first post and then add a tracking devise.

 

[REasley]

I just pull the my max coupler and the umbilical on the trailer. The boxes are all equipped with locks, tho we seldom lock lock them. The trailer is insured and life is too short to spend a lot of time worrying about what the lowlifes are going to do. Besides I've already been making drawings for my next trailer build.

 

[ckupq]

Insurance and https://www.findmespot.com/summer17/lander.php is about the best you can do. An M101 could be stolen using just safety chains. At least this way you'll get a notification if it moves or a way to get it back when it is.