How to keep a tractor from getting stolen?

[TruChaos]

I know someone will call me a liar but I literally had someone try to steal my Jinma tractor while I was using it. I had it setup with my wood chipper and was chipping small trees in the woods at the bottom of my property. I saw a van pull up across the street and a woman was looking at my tractor and talking on the phone. Then she left and came back and started taking pictures of my tractor. Then she left and then came back and was again on the phone and looking at the tractor. A few minutes later, a truck and trailer rolls up and the truck backed the trailer across my lawn up to the front of the tractor. I was standing there wondering WTF was going on. Just then a police car rolled down the street and the truck and trailer spun wheels across my grass and disappeared.

In hindsight I bet that cop stopped a potentially ugly situation. I'm 6'3" and 275 lbs, for someone to be that bold they had to have been armed and I was just minutes away from having a gun stuck in my face or worse.

 

[rd_macgregor]

Maybe they were really after your chipper? If you carry a smartphone, that would have been a good time to have shot some video or stills for future reference.

I haven't had my tractor or any implements stolen, but somebody ripped off a fence energizer, battery and solar trickle charger along with all my implement pins and the PTO shaft off my chipper about a month ago. The PTO shaft alone was over $500(Canadian) to replace!!

Bob

 

[Spindifferent]

I use a simple steering wheel lock with the wheels turned to their max angle. The bar of the lock needs to rest against something immovable for this to be effective.

 

[xtn]

I'm a tractor thief. I want all of you to know that none of your little anti-theft ideas will work. I just roll down the street in my 2000-ton crane w/ 200' boom. I just cherry-pick tractors from both sides of the street as I go. Tractor in the back yard? No problem. I just reach over the power lines, the trees, and the roof and nab your baby. Nobody is the wiser.

 

[varmint]

Theft is not a new problem. When I started in the building trades, in the 60's, some engineers working on large commercial projects told me that they were gathered on a downtown sidewalk in Indianapolis, conferring over blueprints, with an expensive transit set up right behind them. They heard a car door slam, and turned to see some guys taking off in a van, with their transit. It's a problem.

 

[Doitwithlife]

I like the idea of getting a 20' steel shipping container for long term unattended storage. I suspect a solid lock would make one of those a vault

Would storing a tractor with its onboard diesel fuel in a hot container for a month at a time be a problem? I've stepped into one of those and found it to be an oven during even our summer months. I would think taking the battery and keeping it near on a trickle charger would be a useful for battery life and a bit more security.

 

[4570Man]

I'm a tractor thief. I want all of you to know that none of your little anti-theft ideas will work. I just roll down the street in my 2000-ton crane w/ 200' boom. I just cherry-pick tractors from both sides of the street as I go. Tractor in the back yard? No problem. I just reach over the power lines, the trees, and the roof and nab your baby. Nobody is the wiser.

Forget the 2000 ton crane. I could steel most any homeowner tractor with my much more practical roll back with a cutting torch on the back.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Don't have time to read the whole thread but I agree a dedicated thief will get what they want especially if the end result is lucrative. Fortunately the average thief (the majority really) only go after the low hanging fruit. I had a theft awhile back and they got away with $5K worth of misc stuff. The biggest was a 600# generator that had wheels; they also stole the ramps to get into their pickup. I had a valuable discussion with the investigating Sheriff Deputy. He stated that high level lighting over outside storage is a big deterrent as thieves in general stay away from lighted areas to avoid being identified. He also said that by putting wheels on the generator I made it a prime target as all the items stolen were two man loadable. Since; I have installed high level yard lighting, gained more inside storage, and left the replacement generator on the shipping skid. Neighbors have experienced theft lately but they have left me alone. I also have mounted a prominent sign that thanks folks "for being such great Candid Camera subjects".

My BX 25 is pretty vulnerable due to its size and the fact that all tractor switches are generic. I put a valve in the fuel line way back underneath where it comes from the tank (you really have to look to find it). Serves two purposes: don't have to pinch the line to change filters and by turning off and running engine dry it is not going to start. Again the low hanging fruit and increasing the difficulty factor.

Ron

 

[paulfun9]

A good dog seems to be one of the best deterrents going. I have German Shepherd that keeps the riff raff away when I am not home or sleeping. Not fool proof but not easy to get around and he is relentless and fearless! Properly trained a good dog can be a great family pet and still be a great deterrent but it does take proper training. I grew up working with police dogs and can train my own but most folks should seek professional help for the best results.

 

[oosik]

I have good insurance on the tractor & all implements and I sleep well. I think having a mile long driveway that is the ONLY way in/out of the property helps too.

A well trained guard dog can be a very valuable asset also.