Security & Theft Securing tractor from theft

[mentat30]

Umm I seem to remember that it had to be easy for the owner to implement. I believe the phone alarm with the cell phone backup is a good idea, but instead of just calling when the tractor is disturbed, have it send a text message once an hour. Even if they jam it or cut the lines or what ever, if you don't get a text message, you know something is wrong. I work in Information Services and we do something similar to make sure our servers are up and running. We call it a heart beat, no heart beat and something is wrong. And I also agree with adding other deterrents, such as removing the battery chaining it to other equipment or large unmovable objects. Yes thieves can work around that stuff, but it slows them down. Also put up signs warning that you have a security system and cameras. Even if you don't have them, thieves want easy, they are lazy, they want the easy score. Why take a chance with your tractor when they can go down the road and steal your neighbors unsecured tractor. You can what if this to death, but what it really boils down to is risk vs reward. And if you do some simple things thats easy for you to implement, but makes it hard on a thief, more then likely the thief will skip you and look for an easier target.

 

[PILOON]

On my tractor there is a 'neutral start' safety switch located at the 'hi-neutral-low' shifter lever to prevent accidental starting in gear.
Some tractors have seat switches that require the operators weight in order to engage the the starter.

Simply pulling out one of the wires from the safety switch creates an open circuit thereby preventing starter engagement.
It is simple enough to pull 'just enough' to break the connection but not totally out so as to be evident.
I always store it with that open circuit.
Matter of fact the key being broken in the switch makes the switch always live and my key is now a stubby screwdriver! (but naturally nobody knows that the key in is there).
Been that way for over 8 years.

 

[patrick_g]

mentat30, The heavy equipment loss prevention system I designed (20 + years ago) used your "heartbeat" approach. It sent frequent "I'm OK" messages via mountain top repeaters and if it quit sending them you had a potential theft in progress. This predated cell coverage but the basic idea is the same.

A system that sends a trouble alert can be defeated before it sends the trouble alert but a system that sends a "heartbeat" is much much harder to defeat (nearly impossible, especially at the level of technology to be brought to bear by a tractor thief.)

Pat

 

[Soundguy]

It's already been goon over about a dozen times.. but thief showing up to grab a tractor is likely equipped with jumper wires, as he knows he will be jumpering start switches.. etc. Don't take much to energize fuel solenoids and jump around key switches, and jump starter solenoids, past any lockouts in the system. A hundred lockouts in the start system can be bypassed by a paperclip jumping from bat hot side of the solenoid to the coil side..

soundguy

On my tractor there is a 'neutral start' safety switch located at the 'hi-neutral-low' shifter lever to prevent accidental starting in gear.
Some tractors have seat switches that require the operators weight in order to engage the the starter.

Simply pulling out one of the wires from the safety switch creates an open circuit thereby preventing starter engagement.
It is simple enough to pull 'just enough' to break the connection but not totally out so as to be evident.
I always store it with that open circuit.
Matter of fact the key being broken in the switch makes the switch always live and my key is now a stubby screwdriver! (but naturally nobody knows that the key in is there).
Been that way for over 8 years.

 

[patrick_g]

It's already been goon over about a dozen times.. but thief showing up to grab a tractor is likely equipped with jumper wires, as he knows he will be jumpering start switches.. etc. Don't take much to energize fuel solenoids and jump around key switches, and jump starter solenoids, past any lockouts in the system. A hundred lockouts in the start system can be bypassed by a paperclip jumping from bat hot side of the solenoid to the coil side..

soundguy

Soundguy, You keep telling the unvarnished truth and your popularity rating will take a dip! You go around popping bubbles and dashing cold water in the faces of the sleep walkers and you will not get a gold star by your name.

In addition to the ease with which you can jump a tractor, irrespective of "secret" switches, opened up connections etc, it is not a requirement to run the engine to steal it.

Some thieves do not attempt to start a tractor. They just hook up to it and winch it onto the trailer and drive away.

Of course some thieves do want to start it and making it hard to start is better than nothing. Making it hard to load unnoticed is also a good deterrent. If it is hard to start and hard to load and takes too much time and attracts too much attention it is quite likely a thief will look for easier pickings. Anything you can do to slow the bad guy down and attract attention is good for you and bad for the bad guy.

One guy added a valve to his injector system that when opened allowed air into the system. Diesels hate air in the system and will refuse to run, even if you were lucky and managed to start it. I would think a hidden valve to cut off the fuel would be a better deal but I wasn't consulted.

I have been throwing saw dust over my left shoulder while whistling Dixie after parking my tractor and my tractor has not been taken. No attempt has been made to take it. Apparently this is an effective elephant repellent too as I have not seen an elephant on my property during this period as well.

Just because you are doing "something" and your equipment hasn't been stolen (YET) does not indicate that the action you are taking is guaranteed to be the reason it hasn't been taken. Were any attempts made?

Most of us are lazy and will not do much, even to secure a high dollar investment if it requires much hassle. I can include my tractor or any equipment near my barn or my shop under the umbrella of the monitored alarm system. A loop of multi-conductor wire run through the tractor and back to the shop or barn includes the item in the monitored security system.

To take the equipment you have to break the wire or unplug it from the wall. Either sets off the alarm. The clever crook might consider jumping the system but... jumping the wrong wires in the bundle sets off the alarm. Cutting the wrong wires in the bundle sets off the alarm. There is a small but finite chance that a savvy electronics trained person might be able to defeat the system. I'd give a good electronics technician or an engineer familiar with alarm systems about one chance in a few thousand. So my idea is not perfect, but I think it is good enough.

If anyone is interested in the details, just ask and I will explain it. It is pretty simple to set up. If you don't have an alarm system to use it with then you can buy one or build one cheaply. I posted a schematic and picture of the finished product for a really simple one.

Pat

 

[Egon]

How many wires in the bundle?

 

[Ken Cunningham]

Come to think of it. I havent seen any elephants on my property either.

 

[Soundguy]

I know I know!

It's just that so many people think they can theft proof a machine by just hiding the keys.. lots of gullable people out there.. so I tend to beat the subject to death..

soundguy

Soundguy, You keep telling the unvarnished truth and your popularity rating will take a dip! You go around popping bubbles and dashing cold water in the faces of the sleep walkers and you will not get a gold star by your name.


Pat

 

[patrick_g]

How many wires in the bundle?

Egon, It only takes one wire in the bundle to make it work. If the machine is moved the wire gets pulled out of the socket or broken and that sets off the alarm. The other wires in the bundle are to make it harder on the guy who is more electronically inclined.

The current loop can be passed through several of the conductors in the bundle and several of the other wires are not continuous as they have been cut (can't see it as the work is hidden under shrink tubing. These are used as N.O. sensors whereas the continuous wires are used as a N. C. sensor. Jumping a N.O. lead sets off the alarm. Cutting a N.C. lead sets off the alarm. The more wires the higher the odds are against the bad guy getting lucky.

Even a 6 pair phone cable makes it unlikely you will guess the right thing to do to defeat the cable through the equipment security system but if you want to increase the number of permutations and combinations you have only to use a data cable or similar with many many conductors. Note that each conductor needs only be 24 ga or so, really small multi-strand so the many wire cable is not too big, inflexible, and too much hassle.

Recall that if you pull all 6 spark plug wires off of a 6 cyl car there are 720 uniquely different ways to put them back and only one is right. If it is an 8 cylinder engine then there are 40,320 unique ways to replace the wires and again only one is right. Similarly increasing the number of wires in the cable makes it less likely the bad guy will get lucky. The problem for the bad guy is to know which wire(s) can be cut and which wires can be jumped without setting off the alarm. Cutting a wrong wire or jumping a wrong were will set off the alarm. Unplugging the cable from the wall will set off the alarm.

In general it is reasonable to suppose that anyone sufficiently sophisticated and appropriately instrumented to be able to defeat this system would not be a likely candidate for stealing your tractor.

Pat

 

[Egon]

Just checking up on how complicated it could get.

Sounds like disconnecting a main breaker On the feeder line to area would be a simpler solution. Course there is always the chance of a backup generator kicking in.

Then again maybe just taking the cable would be okay with the price of copper now!

Or let see, just wait till no ones home???

 

[Egon]

Thank you for the updated information Pat. I knew it was a more complicated system than appearances would lead one to beleive.

Now one can come up with a simple solution to bypass the system with really no knowledge of the system!

 

[jcummins]

Wow!....didn't think I had started a 10 page thread.

I decided...all risk insurance, and I keep it out of sight best I can.

If they try when I'm there, they are dead.

 

[patrick_g]

Now one can come up with a simple solution to bypass the system with really no knowledge of the system!

You will have to explain that to me (on the side please) as I don't see how you draw that conclusion.

Now as to jcummins... There are several but distinct hot buttons on this site of which the mentioin of any single one or combination thereof is guaranteed to either elicit many pages of discussion or precipitate a brouhaha of great proportion so as to approach the magic conveyor in popularity.

Mostly, any given theft target can be stolen but the combination of time, effort, expense, expertise, and such that must be brought to bear may exceed the motivation and ability of the thief. In general, making your equipment significantly harder to steal without being detected than the equipment of the folks around you is all that is required to significantly reduce your odds of loss.

A lot of what passes for loss prevention strategies is just whistling in the dark. If no one ever tries to steal your tractor, then whatever you may have done as a loss prevention strategy will impress you as successful. You may have been sprinkling black pepper on your tractor tires after parking for the last 10 years and since your tractor was never stolen, it worked, huh? Ranks right up there with the tag line, " I plan to live forever and so far so good!"

Most of the cute little tricks people suggest for loss prevention will go unnoticed until after the winch trailer equipped thief tries to fire it up to unload it. Yeah, it will inconvenience him THEN but so what, your tractor is still gone.

Pat

 

[Rara Avis]

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