what's the best trailer tongue lock outhere?

[eecervantes83]

There's times when I have to unhook and leave my trailer at a jobsite. From your experience which is the beter lock. So far. I like the one pictured below. Or if you have other suggestions. Let me. Thanks

[Dmaxer]

Don't see a photo or link to a tongue lock online, but never mind because they are not the answer IMHO. I've seen cases where desperate thieves ignored a tongue lock and just chained the trailer tongue to the truck hitch and drove away. You'd be better served to keep the trailer from rolling. If it has dual axles and spoked wheels with locking lugs, maybe run a heavy tempered chain through one wheel, back around through its neighbor and lock it with a very heavy lock. A determined thief can overcome most measures if given enough time.

Also consider the $30 variety of mini GPS trackers (check web auction sites) to locate your trailer if stolen. Nothing is sure.

[Country Metals]

When I think what is the better lock, I turn the dime around and say if I were to steal a trailer with a lock like this, how hard would it really be. Tongue locks alone IMO suck for smaller trailers. The way I come up with that is $$$ value of what is in/on the trailer. If I knew there were $15,000 worth of welding stuff on the trailer, plus the $4,000 trailer itself, I might take the risk and just hook up the safety chains and try like **** not to make a lot of noise. I have heard of this working quite a bit.


I personally would put a tongue lock on with the addition of a VERY heavy chain/cable painted a very bright color that locks 2 tires rims together. This would make sure that they can not drag it down the road and it would not be easily removed. I say very meaning something that bolt cutters can not cut. It would have to be removed by torch/cutter/something that makes a lot of noise and time consuming.

The other side of not getting stuff stolen is keep your items in constant view. If you keep your trailer between 2 other 53' trailers. I might believe I can get away with a cordless cut-off wheel and still get your trailer. Keeping it in plain view will deter 75% of the threat to begin with.

[SNUNEZ]

I made a bar that goes thru my trailer wheel and hooks on to trailer spring a lock on the outside of wheel using another smaller bar that swivels to allow pad lock to connect both bars

[BD1]

When we need to leave trailer on job we remove wheels from one side. When we crib it up we leave it lower so it will take a little more time to steal.
If they want it, they will get it.

[Portable Welder]

On my dump trailer I made the tongue removable and the tube size was very large and not very common so it could not easily be made.

[weldonwelding]

I made a bar that goes thru my trailer wheel and hooks on to trailer spring a lock on the outside of wheel using another smaller bar that swivels to allow pad lock to connect both bars

This is a good idea, just build a heavy steel box around padlock to keep it from being cut... Kinda like they do on steel job box's

[iceman8]

Std. trailer wheels and tires can be obtained at WalMart for 88 bucks each. All the theif does in some cases is remove your wheels and tires, with all your chains and elaborate security features, etc. and puts on his own...drives away (using the chain-on-hitch technique discussed above). Even if you chain/cable through the trailer frame, it can be mitigate by a thief. A 100 buck DeWalt cordless grinder with a cut off wheel defeats most chains, locks, etc. as we all know. They know it too, more often than not these days.

Suggest that in addition to all the good suggestions above, you install one or more locknuts on each wheel.

Better yet, don't leave it there, and rest easy knowing it's not out on an unguarded jobsite, where the punks have HOURS to figure out a way to steal it or do major damage trying! I went through all these scenarios and decided to NOT leave my stuff unattended, after seeing what happened to others guys stuff.

Good luck.

[Burnt hands]

When I was in college (Philly) , there were a rash of motorcycle thefts on campus.
All thefts occurred at night in the area where there were campus buildings hiding view of the bike racks.

Finally one of the local fraternities decided to act and made it a freshman pledge project. They set out a "bait Harley bike" and had the pledges watch it in shifts.

One night they caught the thief who was a student with access to liquid nitrogen from one of the labs.

He would use a thermos of LNG to freeze the chains and then tap it with a hammer. Very quiet process.

The frat brothers wanted to pour the remaining liquid nitrogen on certain parts of the thief.

He begged them to call campus police instead so they relented.

Lots of work but this would be fun to try today without calling the police.

Might be a good deterrent to thieves.

[iceman8]

When I was in college (Philly) , there were a rash of motorcycle thefts on campus.
All thefts occurred at night in the area where there were campus buildings hiding view of the bike racks.

Finally one of the local fraternities decided to act and made it a freshman pledge project. They set out a "bait Harley bike" and had the pledges watch it in shifts.

One night they caught the thief who was a student with access to liquid nitrogen from one of the labs.

He would use a thermos of LNG to freeze the chains and then tap it with a hammer. Very quiet process.

The frat brothers wanted to pour the remaining liquid nitrogen on certain parts of the thief.

He begged them to call campus police instead so they relented.

Lots of work but this would be fun to try today without calling the police.

Might be a good deterrent to thieves.

Ha ha,

Great story Burnt! Thanks for passing that on. Well written and so true. Thieves really torque me off.