securing/protecting a tractor at a new property

[s219]

I am about to pull the trigger on a sub-compact or compact -- been looking at Deeres (1026, 2320, and 2520), and was real impressed by the Kubotas I saw today (B2620 and B2920). Will check out a Mahindra next. The main purpose of the tractor will be to help me cut firewood and start clearing some new land we are buying at the end of the month. Eventually we will build a house there.

I am really unsure how to securely store the tractor on the new property, since I will only be there 1-2 times a week at the most. Later on when we start building, there will be various contractor/builder crews in and out. I could build a shed right away, but there will be at least 4-6 weeks where the tractor is stored outside while I clear a road in and then build the shed. And there's no guarantee it would prevent theft anyhow.

The other option is to buy a bigger trailer and tow the tractor home with me every night -- I would feel safer doing that. But I am leaning towards a larger tractor now, and the combined weight of tractor/trailer/implements will exceed the towing capacity of my SUV. It would be nice to buy a bigger truck, but that just doesn't make sense. Even if it did make sense, my wife would still kill me. I can get away with a new tractor and trailer, but adding a new truck would be suicide.

If I went with the smaller 1026, I could tow it no problem. But it would be dumb to limit my tractor size based on my towing capability. I think the larger tractors make more sense for my long term needs.

Anyway, I figure someone has thought about this stuff before, and can offer advice. I am all ears!

thanks,
219

 

[LazySusanFarms]

Rent a HC (high cube) 20' shipping container.

 

[StanR]

Rent a HC (high cube) 20" shipping container.

Yep I got a 40 foot. Not sure I will ever get rid of it. Keep the tractor, golf cart and all the tools I could ever use.

 

[the6shooter]

Yea Like lazysusan said, or even a 28ft. container

 

[jk96]

We use these on our containers for added lock protection. The L bolts to the left door, hood bolts to the right door then the lock is secured inside the hood. They are 1/4 steel hoods.

http://www.rangerlock.com/myimages/lockbox_resized.jpg?1241207869

After that, purchase insurance and don't worry about it. About all you can really do.

Jeremy

 

[EMB5530]

There is no 100% secure method. If someone wants it they can get it.
Locks only stop a honest thief.
Just make sure you have Insurance and that it covers the tractor when it is away from your Home property...

 

[jk96]

I know the op said the tractor will be away from home, however these also help if you live on-site. Amazing what a dog can hear and sense that we can't.


DSC_5132_1 by jjk96, on Flickr


DSC_5134 by jjk96, on Flickr

 

[Diamondpilot]

Nothing. We have so many thefts around here nothing amazes me anymore. If they want it they will get it. Just insure it well.

We have guys now with Tow Trucks stealing cars. Caught one last week. He had bought a used roll back F-550 and had taken everything from campers to a Back Hoe. They figure he had stolen 250 different vehicles in the last year. Boats, ZTR's, Campers, Cars, Trucks, Construction Equipment, You name it.

Good cover with the Roll Back. He was doing it in broad daylight at the mall, ect. Even if you came out and caught him he could just say he got a call to pick up a car like yours and must have gotten the wrong car.

Dog does not work either. Within 2 miles of me 2 dogs have been killed in broad day light and the places robbed and one place had the dog poisoned but made it though. They found a McDonalds Hamburger wrapper at that one. That mean watch dog becomes your best friend when you feed him a hamburger.

IP wireless camera that is activated by motion is probably the best thing going. It can be set up to send you a pic to your phone. Mount it high and let them know they are on camera. That is still not fool proof.

Simple fact is if they want it they will get it.

Chris

 

[Arky217]

There is no 100% secure method. If someone wants it they can get it.
Locks only stop a honest thief.
Just make sure you have Insurance and that it covers the tractor when it is away from your Home property...

EMB5530 is right.
I faced the same problem when I bought my tractor.
Insurance is really the only way for peace of mind.

Arky

 

[kebo]

There is no 100% secure method. If someone wants it they can get it.
Locks only stop a honest thief.
Just make sure you have Insurance and that it covers the tractor when it is away from your Home property...

You knew someone was going to make that first comment!! But, the man is right. If someone wants it bad enough, they will find a way to get it. If you decide to go with a container, I would suggest a couple of hidden trail cameras set to video mode that would monitor the container. You can mount them 8-12 feet up in a tree pointing down, where they wouldn't be so obvious. Try to set up the driveway so there is only one way in/out. You can then hide another camera to monitor the driveway and hopefully get a good vehicle image or license tag, if someone were to break the lock on the gate and drive in.

Another option; maybe you can locate a friendly neighbor-to-be in the area and ask to rent some space in their back yard to park your tractor and trailer. That way, you would only have to haul it a very short distance each time you went up there, and they could keep an eye on it while it was in their yard. Maybe as payment for them helping you out, you could offer to build a shed to park it underneath with the understanding it would be theirs once you got a house built on your property. Just something to consider anyway, and you would already be on good terms with your future neighbors once you got moved in the area.

Having said all that, if it were me I would get a tractor that was about 30-35hp so it would be easy to trailer. I would be willing to put up with the nuisance of hauling it every trip, just to avoid the heartbreak of having it stolen or vandalized. Insurance will likely not pay full replacement value anyway, so you will just have to weigh the pro's & con's of the extra fuel and wear on your tow vehicle, if you decide on that option.