Trailer Security

RussellF

I have a 6'x12' enclosed trailer with all my tools in it. It has a side door and a rear ramp. I have had it for a while now, but the security thing always is always a concern. I have two locks on the hitch a lock on the hitch and one of those gorilla hitch locks too for security. Anyone got any more ideas on keeping it secure. I never leave it overnight at a job.....not yet anyway. Thanks

Mike Finley

Sitelock from Dewalt?

RobertCDF

Boot it as well. You can also wire a car alarm into them with a 12V battery somewhere inside the trailer to run it. Someone has posted about an alarm from X10 that is designed for homes but could be adapted to a trailer. It makes up to 4 phone calls when the alarm goes off. This is what I am planning on putting in my trailer someday.

Here is my plan for the X10 system.
Buy this X10 alarm
Buy a cell phone dock from ebay that works with this alarm system. Cell phone dock
Buy a prepaid cell phone.
Buy a battery backup Battery Backup
Then just hook it all together and supply power to the trailer all the time. But if someone unplugs the trailer the alarm will still run off the battery backup (the alarm ALSO has a battery backup as well). Then when the alarm goes off it calls you, and maybe the HO house you are working on so they can look out the window and see if they need to call the police.

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Robert Shaw
Colorado Springs Custom Decks
Colorado Custom Decks
Custom Composite Decks

Mike Finley

I'm thinking about a bank of Marine batteries to power it all the time and trickle charging them off a soft solar panel attached to the roof. As long as the power requirements of the system can be powered by 2-3 batteries at most. If that's the case that system should be fool proof for power. We will see.

Mike Finley

Didn't you have a plan for hardening the doors?

K2

I've been using the $12 Streetwise, battery operated ,self contained, hand held, motion alarm for years. I actually caught someone with it once. I like them because I can throw one in a Job box, truck tool box, or I throw 2 or 3 in a vacant property. When the 125 db alarm goes off the bad guys don't hang around. The good guys don't hang around either.

RobertCDF

A builder buddy of mine reinforced his doors, however his where barn door style. I am going to talk to him about mine and see if he can build something for mine. If he does I will post a pic of it. And I will see if I can snap a pic of his setup next time I am out there.

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Robert Shaw
Colorado Springs Custom Decks
Colorado Custom Decks
Custom Composite Decks

RobertCDF

I want to have stuff pluged in all the time in my trailer like a heater in the winter to keep the tools from getting too cold. Plus I need to have power run to the trailer during the day anyway because I want to leave my compressor in the trailer and have a connection on the outside. So its just as easy to leave the cord running to the trailer all the time.

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Robert Shaw
Colorado Springs Custom Decks
Colorado Custom Decks
Custom Composite Decks

Mike Finley

Yeah, if you could even post his ideas for the barn doors I would appreciate it.

RussellF

Thanks for all the ideas.....I guess a boot of some sort sounds like a good idea. The door on my trailer is 3/4" plywood with an aluminum exterior..........think that I need to reinforce it? With the doors closed it seems as if it is secure enough. I would like to see what is done in reinforcing them(the doors). Thanks

RobertCDF

Insurance is the best way to go as well... Because someone with a few (only a few have any, but they are out there) brain cells can get past anything. Take a look at some of the tool you own. They have access to the same tools as well cordless sawzall, cordless angle grinder etc etc. These can be used to make a hole anywhere. They could also be used to cut the entire lock part off the trailer. Look over everything like you want to break into it and then think of a way to prevent getting in anywhere.

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Robert Shaw
Colorado Springs Custom Decks
Colorado Custom Decks
Custom Composite Decks

dougchips

I installed a lock on my trailer hitch, it does not do anything, you can still engage/disengage the ball without touching it. Everyone I have asked to hook up the trailer ask me for the combo. Hopefully it will deter someone from hooking up the trailer and driving away. We keep all of our tools in our warehouse so if someone did enter the trailer they would only get about $500 of tarps,caulking, trash cans and a bad miter saw.

Scott736

I know this thread was posted awhile ago but I just found it and am interested in hearing more ideas on the subject. I own a 7x14 enclosed haulmark trailer for my siding business and when I lived in Michigan I had problems with theft. I also use the gorilla lock on the hitch and it seems to have been effective cause nobody ever drove off with my trailer. I have noticed that no matter what kind of lock you put on the back it's not the lock they tend to cut but the cheap aluminum latch. Have had my trailer broken into twice and each time they just put a crowbar er something between the lock and the door on the latch and twisted till it popped. Nobody will get through my side door because I put 2x4's on the inside of the door going past the sides of the door and screwed it into the door as well as the wall of the trailer. Makes it so I cant really use it but it's not like I'm gonna try to pull ladders out of it anyways. If you do that and back your trailer up to something like a garage or tree it should stop most people from messing with it.As for that latch on the back I think someone needs to fabricate something out of steel like a square box with just enough room to get a key into the lock.

sparkysteve

My employer uses alot of 6x12 enclosed trailers and semi trailers. One of our foremen is pretty handy with a welder. Which makes him our trailer security specialist. Our back doors are double swing and we have a bolt style lock made of 3" and 3 1/2" steel pipe. A piece of 3 1/2" is bolted horizontaly on each door and the smaller pipe goes though it. One end of the smaller pipe has a t-handle welded on it while the other has a bent over piece of rebar for a big puck style master lock. The big pipe is also notched to guard the lock but leave just enough room to insert a key so you can't beat on the lock either. We have a similar latch on the side door, a lock on the coupler and chains through the wheels. A new kid broke a key off in a trailer door lock once. It took 4 drill bits, and 6 18 volt DeWalt batteries to get it open.

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Steve

Master Electrician/Self-Proclaimed Handy-Man

Mike Finley

Good points, but good security never involves relying on one thing. Good security is multiple layers of security.

Reinforced doors, proper locks, boot, alarm system.

Time - it's all about time, slowing them down is what you want to do, the longer they spend trying to get in the better chance they have of getting caught. Given enough time anybody can break into anything, but it's about risk/reward and convincing them to move along to an easier target.

Bone Saw

I saw the coolest rig owned by a patio guy doine a job 3 houses up from my clover job, he has an isuzu cabover set up for roll off, he has a container that he rolls off (dumpster/dumptruck mode) and he has a box limilar to an overseas container that is his jobsite trailer minus the axles wheels and toung, you would need a torch to get in. I just cant figure how the box doesn't spill allover when loading and unloading???