Securing keys for tractors, utility vehicles, gates, etc.

[mljenkins]

What do you all to safely secure keys from kids, visitors, or worse vandals?

Currently I have a keyring of my tractor, side by side, truck, trailer, various gates, shed, barn, etc. that I carry around with me. It's rather uncomfortable to carry so many keys all the time.

I thought about getting a locking keybox and put in my garage (attached to the house). However, I worry about someone breaking in and essentially finding the keys to everything in one spot.

I have searched around online for the past month or so thinking this through, looking at various extension sites and such. I haven't found any good advice other than the obvious of don't leave the keys in the vehicles and/or where they can be easily obtained.

How do larger farming operations handle security of keys? Does anyone have any good suggestions for putting the keys in a secure location so you don't have to carry them around all the time?

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[oosik]

First - I can count on one hand the number of times I've had more than one set of vehicle keys on my person when outside. All my vehicle keys are secured on a board with a peg for each set of keys. My property location is what I would call - VERY remote. As I just posted on another thread - - its been over twenty years since a person that I did not know appeared unannounced in my yard.

Somebody finding the keys - knowing what set went to what vehicle - and all this happening without my knowledge - its a real long shot.


However if you need added security - - all sorts of locking key safes are advertised on the internet. God help you - don't need any of your keys in a hurry.

 

[bunyip]

We have a key rack in the house but the keys are not ID tagged, we know what they are but would you?
Car, tractor and mower keys are in a drawer, one of the many, once again, we know which drawer but you don't.

 

[pmsmechanic]

I've contemplated mounting a small valuables safe in a highly visible spot in my storage shed. Filling it with all my spare keys that I don't have a clue where they belong. Each key would be marked for a specific vehicle or implement but would be unable to start any vehicle or implement on the yard. All the real keys would be hidden away on a cupboard where I keep a lot of my spare parts.

 

[oosik]

My keys are "color coded" by the carabiner color. No ID tags.

 

[mljenkins]

I've contemplated mounting a small valuables safe in a highly visible spot in my storage shed. Filling it with all my spare keys that I don't have a clue where they belong. Each key would be marked for a specific vehicle or implement but would be unable to start any vehicle or implement on the yard. All the real keys would be hidden away on a cupboard where I keep a lot of my spare parts.

With my luck they would ruin all the switches trying to turn them over.

 

[pmsmechanic]

With my luck they would ruin all the switches trying to turn them over.

Not if the key doesn't fit into the ignition!

 

[Ritothebull]

I don't lock much at my place unless I go away but when I do there in a tin can somewhere in a dark corner of my shop along with so much other junk that I doubt anyone could find them even if I drew them a map.

 

[David_Kb7uns]

Had a house broken into while gone, used to collect keys to have around for rekeying rental property locks. Well found a pile of keys by the front door as we had double cylinder deadbolt locks and everything had to be carried out the very small bathroom window, none of the television got out but they took the remotes.

Sometimes having decoy keys around will waste lots of time. Also beware of tweakers having large key collections for having the off chance of matching some up, use better quality locks not having a limited amount of key combinations.

The vehicles we have all have chipped keys and extras are stored in a safe, so no ability to load things up and hotwire or drive off with the stuff.

David

 

[kthompson]

Depend on what you are worried about the keys for you can walk into that brand dealership and buy the key for that model or even on ebay. Remember telling a mechanic one let me know before you come and will leave a key in the machine for you to which he said no problem I have keys for all. So what I think you really are doing to keeping them aware from the rookie theft or plundering one. FYI we have two sets of keys for each machine. all on one large key ring and the second key for each machine is on it's own ring. We do not keep lawnmowers on the large key ring and do not think Gator either. So that would be three tractors and one excavator.

Who ever said the ole can in out of way location makes good sense. Now if you have a true fleet the locking key box and mounted securely makes good sense.