Securing your tractor

[marxman]

Hey All,

Just wondering for those of you that don't have garages or locked buildings to keep your tractors in.... how do you lock them / secure them?

I realize that tractors can be a bit difficult to steal from around your property, but I have also noticed that some tractors seem to have a "universal" key.

[Little Red Tractor]

If you're going to be away for long periods, or if the tractor won't be used for a long time, removing the battery would be a good deterrent, though a real pain in the neck on some tractors.
A stout chain locked around a secure item like a light pole or something similar could be another option.
Blocking it in with other vehicles/equipment if it's available is also a good choice.

[Mechanos]

A hidden kill switch is another good deterent. Also, replacing key fuses with a blown fuse (so it looks like all fuses are present) is another good one. The more time it takes a theif to jack around with something, the more likely they are to give up on it and move on.

[zlock24]

One thing we do if we have to leave equipment on a job over night is get a heavy duty bike lock and put it threw a slot in the rim and wrap it around the frame making it impossible for the wheels to even turn

[foggy1111]

I've considered taking the front wheel / tire off my tractor when I store it for the winter. Take the wheel to a different location. It would be hard to move or load the tractor without the wheel.

[mikehaugen]

My tractor is either in the garage or in the back yard, and either way I don't ever take the key out. Weird I guess, someday it may come to bite me in the butt. There is almost always someone home and you can definitely hear the tractor, and it's not like they are going to make a fast get-away. I have been thinking about changing my ways a little lately though especially after reading some of the stories on here.

come to think of it, the keys are in my truck most of the time as well. hmm...

[nue2farm]

I lived here for two years before I made a door for the barn walk in. Started hearing of some minor things coming up missing. that's when I built the door. Jusy lucky I guess before that.

[DAY]

In the days when the JEEP was still the Army vehicle of choice, it didn't even have a key. To disable it, one just took the rotor out of the distributor.
Of course, anyone who needed a ride, also had a rotor in their pocket. . .

[brin]

I've considered taking the front wheel / tire off my tractor when I store it for the winter. Take the wheel to a different location. It would be hard to move or load the tractor without the wheel.

foggy...looks like your tractor has an FEL ...so that would mean that you taking the front wheel off would not deter the theft..they would simply lower the FEL and back it on the trailer..

[whiskywizard]

Before anybody gets overly confident in the protection provided by a lock and chain, my Dewalt 18V portable cutoff wheel will go through a chain or lock in less than a minute. Lighter chain and locks take less than 20 seconds.

I don't have first-hand knowledge but it seems to me that the methods that delay the thief are best. Hidden kill switches, battery removed, front wheel removed, park it in behind something else. They all will delay the scumbag longer than a lock and chain will.

Observant neighbours work well - this I know for a fact.