Security & Theft best way to electrically prevent theft?

[RobJ]

Paid a lot of money for some insurance, park it on the curb, leave the keys in it and it'll never get stolen.

Spend hundreds in preventing it...and it'll be gone!

 

[BotaBigot]

As an owner of muscle cars, I pondered this issue for years. Came to the same conclusion expressed here...pros will prevail. My solution for the cars is to keep the insurance values current. As for your other two levels of thieves, I think your ATV storage technique is the way to go. You might consider blocking them in with pallets full of "stuff" (put there with the Kubota, of course). Finally, the Kubota won't run without the fuel pump...so I'd concentrate on a scheme to disable it. Or, maybe something as simple as a shutoff valve in the fuel line...

My personal solution for those other two levels is one of those "razor blades"...

 

[RayCo]

This thread is long and I'll admit I didn't read the whole thing, so hopefully this idea hasn't already been thrown out there.

I have a car that has a kill switch system that is the most ingenious I've seen. It was a home-made system (not by me) and I don't fully understand the circuitry logic behind it. But, basically, power is cut off to the starter solenoid, and in order to get power to it, you have to complete a circuit that will give you a 30 second window to start the car. The way that you complete the circuit is the clever part. There is a wire attached to a screw under the dash, and the wire is unseen. What you do is put your finger on this screw and put another finger elsewher on a metal part of the car, such as the gear shifter. What you're doing is acting as the pass-through for the ground for the device that will allow power to be transmitted to the start solenoid. It's not much different from most kill switches, probably, but the fact the the human is the switch makes it unique.

If someone were to get in this car to try to steal it and found that turning the ignition switch did nothing, he could spend all day looking for an actual switch somewhere, not realizing that he's the switch!

Unfortunately, this thing failed after about 8 years and I had to bypass it. Someone with a decent knowledge of electrical components should be able to draw a circuit diagram rather easily, I'd think.

 

[Skyco]

I had an idea years ago about using a hidden reed switch to do something similar. To operate one would temporarily hold a small magnet in an unmarked location completing the circuit. There could even be a timed latching relay connected to the reed switch to hold it in until say 3 minutes after the vehicle is shut off. That way quick restarts would be possible but after sitting for 3 minutes the magnet would have to be re-applied. The caveat is the reed switch would have to be behind a non ferrous panel, but there is lots of plastic on my BX

Reed switch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Soundguy]

Not to rain on your parade.. but you have a high impeadence triggered timer circuit at work. I can bypass that with 2 gator clip cables as soon as I can get the hood open... no need to dink with any of the fancy switches or the logic circuits.. etc.

As was said... if someone wants it.. they will get it. Any guy who has had an intorduction to electroncs class.. or understands how a automotive ignition and fuel system, works will get a vehicle.

NEW vehicles with lots of electronics and safeties ARE harder to get running. But classic cars and tractors... piece of cake. If we were bad people.. we could steal tractors all day long that the city/county/state leaves parked outside.. ditto for tractors parked at dealers lots... A couple helpers, A set of bolt cuters to pop down a section of fence, and a handfull of gator clip wires, and a waiting semi truck with car hauler bed and you can have as many tractors as you want... if you are willing to go to jail if you get caught... that's the sad fact of it..

What's worse.. onmany models you don't even need the gator clip wire... you can walk in and buy a keyt that will start half the tractors on the lot. My 1975 ford 5000 takes the same key as my 2002 NH 7610s.. and I'm guessing it fits most fords in that age / size range... The key that fit my NH 1920 fit lots of other Nh tractors that i test drove at the dealer... I'm pretty sure that is almost universal among equipment dealers.

At work, I have 2 cat keys and 2 jd keys.. and I can start just about anything painted yellow in our shop yard with those 4 keys.

Soundguy

This thread is long and I'll admit I didn't read the whole thing, so hopefully this idea hasn't already been thrown out there.

I have a car that has a kill switch system that is the most ingenious I've seen. It was a home-made system (not by me) and I don't fully understand the circuitry logic behind it. But, basically, power is cut off to the starter solenoid, and in order to get power to it, you have to complete a circuit that will give you a 30 second window to start the car. The way that you complete the circuit is the clever part. There is a wire attached to a screw under the dash, and the wire is unseen. What you do is put your finger on this screw and put another finger elsewher on a metal part of the car, such as the gear shifter. What you're doing is acting as the pass-through for the ground for the device that will allow power to be transmitted to the start solenoid. It's not much different from most kill switches, probably, but the fact the the human is the switch makes it unique.

If someone were to get in this car to try to steal it and found that turning the ignition switch did nothing, he could spend all day looking for an actual switch somewhere, not realizing that he's the switch!

Unfortunately, this thing failed after about 8 years and I had to bypass it. Someone with a decent knowledge of electrical components should be able to draw a circuit diagram rather easily, I'd think.

 

[JC-jetro]

A professional thief (yes, they exist) will have your tractor on his trailer with a very strong, very fast hydraulic winch and be gone in 2 minutes. Tops. The tractor won't have to be started or hardly even touched - just put on a hook and pull.

jb

Exactly John,

Why would they(Thieves) want to start a tractor when you can winch it up on to a flat bed?... I'll make it a bit tougher for Mr. Thief.... My 1700 is small, and it is parked in open loafing shed on gravel.... since my tractor is small I jack the front axle up ., take one wheel off and lower the tractor on the stand and keep the one front wheel in my jeep. The wheel is not heavy or very large Dia and it takes me about 5 minutes to take off or put it back on. I don't have any bottle jack in the barn and I reckon he does not have my spare tire so the thief will have to pull really hard to move a lame tractor on gravels up on to the flat bed.... That's awfully though to do even if I myself had plenty of time on my hand and no one was watching. The bad part of it they may just get frustrated and slash my rear tires and leave the tractor be. I see it very difficult for couple of beefy guy to keep the lame end up while they're winching. I can deal with that

 

[RobJ]

Not to rain on your parade..

I heard a thunder-boomer....didn't yall?

 

[Soundguy]

Unfortunately, all they have to do is shim the axle pivot.. a large metal nut.. or wood wedge, piece of that gravel rock, or just about any 1" thick piece of hard material will make that lame end dangle and ballance on one tire...

We've all seen the pic of the tractor driving down the road missing a front tire.. all the person had to do was shim the axle pivot. On a small tractor a thief could probably use a prybar or 2x4 or fence post to lever the front end up enough to then shim the axle... if they really want it.. they'll get it.. unfortunately.

I imagine 'live' deterents will trumph any mechanical deterent..IE.. parking your tractor in a shed in a pasture that has a curious bull...

Soundguy

Exactly John,

Why would they(Thieves) want to start a tractor when you can winch it up on to a flat bed?... I'll make it a bit tougher for Mr. Thief.... My 1700 is small, and it is parked in open loafing shed on gravel.... since my tractor is small I jack the front axle up ., take one wheel off and lower the tractor on the stand and keep the one front wheel in my jeep. The wheel is not heavy or very large Dia and it takes me about 5 minutes to take off or put it back on. I don't have any bottle jack in the barn and I reckon he does not have my spare tire so the thief will have to pull really hard to move a lame tractor on gravels up on to the flat bed.... That's awfully though to do even if I myself had plenty of time on my hand and no one was watching. The bad part of it they may just get frustrated and slash my rear tires and leave the tractor be. I see it very difficult for couple of beefy guy to keep the lame end up while they're winching. I can deal with that

 

[Lanse]

I wouldnt worry about the tractor that much, someone (other teenagers i am not associated with) would take the ATVs. Also, many of my friends who joke about my tractor, have no idea how to use one. Even if they did take it, it would end up downside sideways or stuck in the mud. Your seat has a safty switch in the shape of a push-button, the bottom of the seat touches it and pushes it down to complete the circuit, so you could just do what i do, and put a magnet thats about 1/2 thick next to the button, and the seat will press down on the magnet, not the switch, and the circuit will not complete, and the tractor will die when they hit the petal. Or just leave the PTO lever on.

 

[Lanse]

Live deturrents!! I have a story about one uh them, well the neighbor kid was teasing my chickens, so i bought a large rooster. He is kinda friendly, and the hens love him, but before the kid met him, i told the him that the rooster was very mean, and showed him a cut on my hand from an unrelated accident. Well, it was pretty bad, and that scared him straight. Wont even go near the chickens anymore :-D