Stolen Tractors and Bigfoot

[Texasmark]

Only had one western saddle stolen out of an unlocked horse trailer. Broad daylight, we were away for a few hours and did not discover the theft until the next day. Local LEO痴 were next to worthless in their interest to even fill out a report.
Tractor, truck and motor equipment all stored inside behind locked doors. Workshop is off limits to all except close personal friends.

B. John

"Volumes" to be said about if they don't see it they not only don't want it, but don't even know to want it. Totally agree....keep strangers away and keep it invisible from the road.

 

[Texasmark]

I know a guy....LOL. He runs a concrete foundation business. He bought a retired firetruck and repurposed it for hauling his wood forms. I found it interesting how some fire departments used to glue the key into the ignition so anyone could move the truck in an emergency. He never bothered changing out the ignition switch and the truck was never stolen before he replaced it.

Military vehicles are equipped with an on-off-start switch....no key. Think about it. Wink!

 

[Texasmark]

I just don't believe in making things any easier for criminals than possible. The old guy that got me into the security business told me, that security always represents inconveniance. I will never forget that. I'm also somewhat tired of trying to convince people. But when they get robbed, they are all freaked out.

I agree: The name of the game is be the most inconvenient in your neighborhood. Course if it's a professional operation and a list has to be filled, when they see it, might as well kiss it goodbye. Insurance cos. write policies for replacement value as being depreciated or actual current replacement cost for like items.....at an additional cost obviously. On State Farm homeowner's policy, standard policy is 1% of the dwelling's coverage as deductible.....gets rid of the piddly little claims from petty thieves.

 

[CobyRupert]

Gee, we only ever lock our house is overnight. Have never locked the garages with a 6x6 and garden tractor in one and lots of tools in both of them. Keys are in the ignition so we don't lose them .....

Wow, you're from Houghton Michigan!! I have a friend there. Small world! So uhm...where exactly are you located in Houghton MI ? Asking for a friend....
(Joking...but catch my drift?)

Thank goodness have never had one stolen but, I have seen one going down the road with no lights on in the middle of the night. It seemed a bit suspicious to me at 2:30 AM.

As other said, may of been coming home from bar, or his friend was.....and now needs to be pulled out of a ditch.

My dad suggested about about 10 toggle switches in a row that vary from broken and closed switches so the sequence has to be right to get power all the way across to start. He intended it as a joke but it sounds like a pretty good idea.

This is basically how old garage door openers were. About 8 DIP switches that you would set to match DIP switch setting on the opener, and any other garage door opener with same switch settings would open door too. I imagine that a lot people only moved one of the switches from the factory setting. (So 00000001 or 10000000 probably gets you into a lot of garages. )

 

[roger4400]

For myself, I had a **killing switch** put on the tractor ( the switch is hidden in the engine compartiment but the switch is hidden below the engine frame on an easy place to activate )that cut the negative wire from the batterie. I have a key to activate that hidden switch and when on the key cannot be remove from the switch and when you do not use the tractor, you turn it off then it can be removed pull and this cut all the electricity on the tractor. So even a funny guy opens the light or anything electric it won't work out. When off, even if you have the ignition key, the tractor cannot start. This switch cost me 75$ canadian. Many bulldozer or heavy equipment use this switch so if the equipment is left in the wood, no one can discharge the batterie. No electricity = can't start the tractor unless they have time to put another negative wire to the batterie.Good luck.

 

[Handloader109]

No, but $1500 lawn mower right out of my shop. Jimmied door and opened roll up. Nothing else at the time. Neighbors across the road. Renters, and their friends.

4 yrs later, we had moved prior to selling and shop was full of stuff. Local took his time and stole several k of tools and stuff he could easily scrap or sell.

Here, I've moved tractor to behind house. Too many comments on how good it looked.... out of sight.

 

[searcyfarms]

my dogs have been a great investment, they alert on things whether I'm not here or not, always had a dog never had anything taken so far knock on wood, had to sneak out the back door in the middle of the night a couple times with trusty 12 ga and sneak up on a couple fellas/vehicles at night and well, lets just say i think one might have dirtied his pans when i stuck the barrel up against the window in one and thru the window on the other, surprise surprise surprise - their explanation was, one was looking for a lost horse and the other was supposed to meet a friend, i said if i ever see you here again you will leave in a bag or in a police car, never saw either again.

my dad always kept one key in our vehicles at home growing up, he said id rather have them take a vehicle than come in the house, we never had one taken.

had a 17 y/o kid get stuck on my property 4 wheeling in his pickup, found his wallet/drivers license etc.....the next day when checking the road, saw ruts, guess it fell out of his pocket when crawling around hooking up chains etc......called his father, his dad cursed me out for asking him to send his son to retrieve the wallet and drivers license, he wanted me to bring it to them and meet him and the kid - ( what is wrong with people? ) i asked him to explain how he thought i should bring him the items when it was his son that was doing the trespassing and making ruts and driving around my signs and cables that said no trespassing and keep out, he hung up, i contacted the sheriff, i gave the wallet/drivers license to the sheriff and made them drive 45 miles to the sheriffs office to get it instead of 20 and sign a form acknowledging they had been notified of no trespassing on my property. I didn't press charges i was a kid once and while i never trespassed i did get stuck a time or two and had to have someone pull me out.

caught some kids smoking pot on my road once, snuck up on them with my 12 ga in the middle of the night on my horse, i had installed sensors on my road after the kid/truck incident, they were quite surprised when i rode out into the middle of the road and lowered my 12 ga at their windshield, i had called my neighbor to back me up and he was waiting at the corner, i had to ride about 2 miles on my horse so took me a minute to get there, when i rode out into the road i hollered at them, they were like OH ( expletive ) and cranked up their car and came at me and my horse which of course we gave chase YEEEE HAAAAAA..........my neighbor chased them down the road in his pickup and had already called the sheriff, he pinned them into a dead end road and the sheriff arrested them for drugs, driving while under the influence, etc......i think the word musta got out to the riff raff about our old fashioned neighborhood watch program nothing happened for quite a while until we had some mailbox smashers and then about 6 mos later we had a neighbor get his RV broken into and his truck, they stole his gps and remote backup camera, a couple other neighbors got their cars broken into and the just took whatever little stuff they could carry, so probably kids looking for money etc.......

haven't had anything happen since we put up video surveillance and posted signs for it in our neighborhood, we have about 20 homes out here on 160 acres so good sized lots - i go out and cut firewood at night behind my barn so maybe they think i am chopping up bodies - gotta keep them guessing!!! i have big lights so i can see to chop things up well, i let out a scream once in a while just for good measure after i shut off the chainsaw :laughing:

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have often thought about the vehicle matter, keeping the keys in it, so they don't come to the house. You could just leave an unlicensed beater with the keys in it. Maybe keep a rattle snake or two in there. Make it so the radio only plays Lawrence Welk and can't be shut off!

 

[radios1]

searcyfarms, unlawful use of a weapon is illegal. I can't see how you never got arrested for that. Unlawful Use of a Weapon | Sansone & Lauber "displaying a deadly weapon in a threatening manner"... and you could wind up getting shot too, the victim would feel their life is in danger, and shoot you in self defense.. look up the definition of Menacing.. it's amazing the Sheriff didn't arrest you, actually, incredible.. Deadly Weapons are only to be used to defend someone from deadly, or serious bodily harm.. Nothing you mentioned justified doing that..

 

[searcyfarms]

well radio if another person comes on my property in the middle of the night and is sitting in my yard performing illegal activities and putting my life and my family in danger i will always presume they have weapons and are willing to use them if they are so brazen to break the law already, maybe i should just stay in bed and wait for them to rob me and or shoot me and leave, i guess i am stupid to want the draw on them, and maybe i should be throw in jail, i dont care about sansome and lauber, if i am on my property and someone is there illegallly and doing illegal things i guess i dont have any rights, what about all the people that are crossing our border and doing illegal things who are here illegally? i thought that is why we all purchased backhoe attachments on here for digging holes ;-)