Trailblazer
Member
But he would have to weld a trunk onto his dozer!
The crooks broke into my shipping container
- Thread starter Highbeam
- Start date
tiltbed
Bronze Member
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2002
- Messages
- 83
- Location
- Ohio
- Tractor
- ford 3000,case SI..Just purchased a 404 Futon (40 hp 4wd) with a koyker FEL
I have had somewhat the same experence.My farm is aprox 125 miles from my home.probably 2 years ago they tried to steal my ford 3000.I have a cut off switch on the neg batt cable....they had to carry a battery and jumper cables.the only thing they manage to do was burn the starter up,and also the pos cable...moved tractor about 20 ft.since then i had a 30x 40' barn put up.well last spring they visited again.broke and crawled through a 14"x 14" window, window is aprox 5 ' off ground level.Stole most of my air tools,80# floor jack,tuneup kit for the ford 3000 ????never bothered the compressor or the house.Since then i have installed 2 motion dector cameras...2 motion dector floods...and 1 solar motion dector flood in the ft field...but the only thing all these will do is keep honest folks honest.my biggest problem is i can`t get any insurance..#1 we don`t live there full time...#2 we are to far from the local fire distric..#3 my nearest neighbor is 5 1/2miles to the north..s e ohio....hopefully we will move there in a few years....Sid
OP
Highbeam
Super Member
So I ran out there with my welder on Saturday. No new damage was done and everything looked undisturbed.
I welded a lockbox on the front door. The lockbox has 5 sides with an open bottom and is positioned over the crack in the door. From the back of the rear door I installed a 2"x1/4" bar with a hole in the end all the way through the door and through a slot in the lockbox. This allows me to reach inside the lockbox and attach a padlock to the hole in the bar to lock the doors together.
The lockbox is made out of 3/16" plate and I welded it all the way around to the container door. I managed to avoid blowing holes in the sheet metal despite using my AC 225 stick welder. It actually turned out real well and looks intimidating.
So now they will have to work a little harder to get inside.
I welded a lockbox on the front door. The lockbox has 5 sides with an open bottom and is positioned over the crack in the door. From the back of the rear door I installed a 2"x1/4" bar with a hole in the end all the way through the door and through a slot in the lockbox. This allows me to reach inside the lockbox and attach a padlock to the hole in the bar to lock the doors together.
The lockbox is made out of 3/16" plate and I welded it all the way around to the container door. I managed to avoid blowing holes in the sheet metal despite using my AC 225 stick welder. It actually turned out real well and looks intimidating.
So now they will have to work a little harder to get inside.
Nasty135
Veteran Member
Hibeam, Maybe you could post a sign stating "Due to previous attempted breakin this container has now been BOOBY trapped and registered with local authorites any further attempt at such unlawful entry said perpatrator will be duely eliminated" .....
Might keep the cowardly ones from a second try or forewarn the future knuckle-heads not to bother??
What a world! what a world!
Might keep the cowardly ones from a second try or forewarn the future knuckle-heads not to bother??
What a world! what a world!
Gatorboy
Elite Member
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2001
- Messages
- 3,106
- Location
- Bel Air, MD
- Tractor
- Kubota M8950, Bobcat 873 SSL & Kubota ZD-331
<font color="blue"> I welded a lockbox on the front door. </font>
I think your troubles will be over. This is what I have on my container and I've never had anyone break in.
I think your troubles will be over. This is what I have on my container and I've never had anyone break in.
OP
Highbeam
Super Member
I sure hope so. My goal was to increase the effort required to get inside. I kicked it up a notch with the box. I think the standard latching mechanism being all external is too easy to understand and defeat. The mechanism doesn't look like much and once a tweaker gets started he won't give up easily.
Jagmandave
Veteran Member
A millenium ago when I was in high school, it was the custom for the outgoing senior class to climb the adjoining water tower and paint the graduating class year on the side of the tower for the "world" to see. After a few years of this the water dept got tired of repainting the tower and welded a box very much like what you did on the door. It took the enterprising seniors one day in shop class to make a lock puller that yanked that lock right off the door, then put their own exactly the same looking lock on in place. Came time to do the deed, all they had to do was unlock the door and go on in.
Just a little story from my past.................
Just a little story from my past.................
OP
Highbeam
Super Member
Any lock system can be defeated... but the lockbox contains one of the rotary locks so pulling on the lock won't pop it. It makes taking the lock off harder since the key goes in from the side but I am a very firm believer in these rotary locks. In fact, I actually stopped and thought about how would I defeat the box and my only answers were cutting the box or lock bar with a torch or by cutting out the door sheet metal. I don't think it can be done with leverage.
The problem is that if a determined crook wants in, the container will suffer some pretty substantial damage.
The problem is that if a determined crook wants in, the container will suffer some pretty substantial damage.
Boone
Gold Member
How about using a deer motion detecting camera with the flash disabled. For lighting the area for the camera, use 12 volt (Solar charged marine battery,) motion detector activated flood lights mounted in a different location than the camera.