STOP TRACTOR THEFT???

[Treemonkey1000]

Another thing is the fact that a lot of these tractors are all look a like basically. Orange or Green or something like that. Make yours stand out with a Farm name on it or a big Smiley face. Those are harder to hide and not be noticed...I like the guy that got bit on the hiney by a snake. Take that one step further and hook a Stun gun under the seat. Set it to turn on when you leave.. Some thief sits in the seat and gets zapped where his brains are... Just don't zap yourself.

 

[Soundguy]

not kosher to set traps.. law isn't on your side on that one... unfortunately..

soundguy

 

[horse7]

not kosher to set traps.. law isn't on your side on that one... unfortunately..

soundguy

Which brings up a question: when is a trap a trap?

Some are obvious-- a shotgun with a tripwire.

But if someone keeps their pet collection of poisonous vipers loose in the garage with suitable "beware of snakes" signs on the outside (and the tractor inside) is that a trap?

Obviously it is intent, but it seems to me that if the owner takes reasonable and prudent actions to indicate a dangerous situation (loose poisonous snakes in the building for this contrived example) the trespasser who breaks and enteres takes on full responsibility for his actions. [if you want to argue the point, the flip side is: the thief steals the perfectly serviceable tractor and is injured in a rollover or other tractor accident. Who pays? The owner for not adequately preventing said thief from stealing the "attractive nuisance" of a nice juicy tractor? Should the owner always leave the Operator's Manual on the seat in case the tractor is stolen, so the thief has the proper instructions and can't sue?:confused2:]

 

[corey9212]

I know here if you have a trained guard dog and put up a beware of dog sign and a burglar goes into your yard and gets attacked that they can sue you and win cause according to the officers here all the sign says is there's a dog on the premises so be ware. But if you have a beware of dog sign AND a guard dog on duty sign then if they break in and gets attacked then you are not liable cause they were warned of a guard dog wich means they will be attacked. So buy a guard dog and put up both signs and you will be fine.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Wouldn't be practical to have a guard dog staked out for a remote place unless you had a way to feed it every day unless he ate a steady diet of thieves. Posting the property with signs that it is protected by security measures might get you off the legal hook. Too bad you have to worry about protecting your property from thieves and lawyers willing to take on a criminals case.. Not trying to dig all lawyers here by the way.

 

[NorTracNY]

Only the lawyers win with what you are talking about now. I've been told to never have a "Beware of Dog" sign. You're advertising that you have a dog that is dangerous. Can I read the sign when I'm robbing you at night? I'm not for it, but again... Only the lawyers will win.

 

[shownuff]

I like the idea of taking a tire or 2 off but I think it would just as easy to take the starter out

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Taking the starter off wouldn't slow down the guys pulling the tractor onto a trailer or haulback truck as much as removing a tire. Problem with removing a tire is it is a pain in the tookis and you don't want to drop the tractor on yourself.. Now if it fell on a thief just call it a Farm accident....

 

[Soundguy]

i'm sure the starter won't effect a rollback with a winch..

as for a trap.. the stun gun idea mentioned earlier.. which i was refeing to would surely be considered a trap.

soundguy

 

[corey9212]

Plain and simple is if they want it, they will take it, you may be able to make it more difficult for them to deter them but if they want it bad enough nothing will stop them. Only thing you can do is make sure your insurance is in place and up to date. It does suck but that's the harsh truth. You may become a victim and it is no fun cause it's a double loss for you (losing your equipment plus increased insurance premiums for making a claim.) do your best to prepair for the moment with deterring them and proper insurance and hope for the best.

 

[johnrex62]

Go with the Mad Max/Road Warrior style alarm system. Rig up a bundle of road flares with some impressive looking wiring plainly visible under the seat. Maybe some salt coating to look like old dynamite

 

[Soundguy]

a hoax bomb.. good idea

soundguy

 

[jml755]

Kind of a timely thread for me. Been putting stuff on some vacant land I own for 5 yrs or so. Have a cable/lock on the gate. I was working on my tractor last week when a nicely dressed fellow walked thru my neighbor's yard and up to where I was working (over 600' back from the road, not visible). Started talking real fast, every now and then would ask a question. After he left, I got to thinking how suspicous that was and figured he was casing mine and my neighbor's place. So.... looking to upgrade the chain/locks on my equipment to some "through-hardened" chain. As the others say, you can make it more difficult for someone to take stuff, but not impossible. The 3/8" through hardened chain will withstand 36" bolt cutters and 300# force. 1/2" is even better. It's pricey (6.99/ft for 3/8"). Lo-jack, trail cameras, removing parts, they're all good ideas. My insurance company DID tell me I'm covered under my h/o policy as long as I don't have a structure on the property. Once that happens, it needs it's own policy, which they said would not be too expensive. Of course, being insured doesn't make you any less mad when you're ripped off.

First off, if I were you, I'd make sure I'm insured. Secondly, whatever you end up doing, don't post it....

 

[Soundguy]

I'd be way leary of that uy.. chances are he WAS casing your place..

soundguy

 

[jml755]

soundguy,
yeah, I alerted the neighbors, talked to the County sheriff (they wouldn't even take a report until something was taken). Just wish I would have followed him back to his car in our neighbor's drive and got a license plate #. Also had my camera with me. Should have taken a picture. Oh well, lesson learned. This AM, I looked into Zoombak GPS locators. Price was right (under $100) but reviews seemed less than favorable (didn't always work,etc).

 

[Soundguy]

yep.. taking a pic sure would have made him think 2x if he was intent on coming back.. 'after hours'

soundguy

 

[Boeing]

WE're getting good ideas here fellows. Tell me about the hardened chain. You say 3' bolt cutters....are bad guys carrying larger ones than that? And the "battery powered" grinders or abrasive wheel cutters...will they cut thru a 3/8" chain.....hardened?.... how about the 1/2" chain? My problem with Lo-Jack is that it has to be ACTIVATED to locate. I might go 2 months and not even know my stuff had been stolen. Thanks for the help.

 

[jml755]

WE're getting good ideas here fellows. Tell me about the hardened chain. You say 3' bolt cutters....are bad guys carrying larger ones than that? And the "battery powered" grinders or abrasive wheel cutters...will they cut thru a 3/8" chain.....hardened?.... how about the 1/2" chain? My problem with Lo-Jack is that it has to be ACTIVATED to locate. I might go 2 months and not even know my stuff had been stolen. Thanks for the help.

From what I understand a torch or angle grinder will do it, but would take someone awhile (not sure what "awhile" is). Here's the link (no pun intended) of the website I've looked at: Chain, Chain Supplies, Binder Chains, Lifting Slings and Hooks

And as you point out, most thieves are probably not carrying 3' cutters or torches or angle grinders. Unless you leave yours sitting out on the workbench. :laughing: (In which case he'll take that as well)

Don't know where through-hardened chain can be found at local stores. I've looked at Tractor Supply, Home Depot and they don't have any.

Agree on the lojack. The zoombak product has a zone that you supposedly get an email or text if it leaves the zone. It also is tough on batteries, but I understand you can hardwire it for recharging purposes. The product just sounds too unreliable at this time. Great idea and not a bad price (under $100) to protect your tractor. Unfortunately, there's a monthly fee with it too.

 

[Car Doc]

Put a sign outside that saws something like "nothing behind this door is worth risking your life for" :thumbsup:

 

[J_J]

You could also run one of those super hot, grass burner fence chargers to the tractor frame, and even out to the metal gate, with warning signs of course. Add spikes in the road that activate when the tractor is moved. If you find a body on your property, just throw it in the pig pen and the they will take care of the rest. That is what they did in the TV series Deadwood. Just do what you have to.