Comment: How to avoid theft of your caravan or camper
Submitted: Thursday, Mar 29, 2012 at 20:16
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Sir Kev & Darkie
I usually use a coupling lock (Talon) when towing my Camper or leaving it at a
camp site.
Most times where we set up a base
camp we generally select high visibility areas where opportunistic thieves would not attempt a theft.
I am very interested in finding out if there is an additional charge for supplementary tracking of devices? I would think the additional device to be used as a security tracking device would need a long battery life in order to adequately track a stolen camper/caravan. Not much use if the devices battery goes flat before the camper/caravan is found :(
Most other tips are
well presented and something additional to think of even when at
home and not travelling.
| Russell Coight:
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Reply By: Member - John and Lynne - Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 10:24
Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 10:24
There don't seem to be many thefts of vans or campers. A thief needs to be
well organised and must really want that particular trailer to go to so much trouble. An opportunistic thief is more likely to just cut through your door and help themselves to the contents and leave a mess behind.Take reasonable precautions such as not camping too close to a town or in a place that has evidence of low life parties etc and have good insurance. As for tracking the van if it were stolen - I am not sure I would want it back after some low life had been using or stripping it for a few days or weeks! Lynne
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Reply By: Member - Wamuranman - Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 11:44
Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 11:44
This is an area of interest for me as
well as we are getting a new van soon ($$$'s). Theft is of concern when you leave the van in a
free camping spot somewhere for days trek on foot or whatever.
Have a look at this site:
http://www.ozspy.com.au/products/8-GPS-Tracking/184-Real-Time-GPS-Vehicle-and-Personal-Tracker-with-Audio/
Ozspy have a GPS vehicle tracker that can link to your mobile phone (SMS). But you would need to have mobile reception I guess. It can track a stolen vehicle to with 15 metres. I will investigate this product further in due course.
My plan is get some device that I can hide in the van (or underneath) so that a thief would not know it was there. If it can be hard wired in the van 12v power supply as
well so that it will not need battery replacement would be the best option.
Let the
forum know Kev what your research comes up with.
Cheers
PS Our new van will have a Hyland DO35 hitch which helps a little with theft - as a opportunistic thief is unlikely to have fitted to his vehicle the Hyland vehicular component.
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Follow Up By: Gone Bush (WA) - Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 16:34
Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 16:34
I hope you mean a Vehicle Components DO35 hitch.
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Follow Up By: Member - Wamuranman - Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 16:45
Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 16:45
Well actually its a Hitchmaster DO35.
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Follow Up By: Gone Bush (WA) - Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 20:01
Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 20:01
Yes, that's it.
Sorry I sounded abrupt, not intended.
You will enjoy that hitch. It works very
well. I see on their website they have version 2 coming out (if not out already) with a dust cap. Looks good.
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Follow Up By: Member - Wamuranman - Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 20:52
Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 20:52
Thats OK GoneBush I wasn't offended by your comments.
You did the right thing in correcting my mistake.
(I had looked at about 6 different off road hitches and I got the names confused)
Cheers
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Reply By: The Landy - Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 12:28
Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 12:28
There is probably a much higher likelihood of having it stolen from your residential address than out on the road, not to say it can't happen though. We use a similar device (Talon) when out and about...
Our neighbour had their Caravan stolen recently....but got it back!
Cheers, The Landy
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Reply By: pmacks - Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 15:25
Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 15:25
Sir kev,
we have found when we leave our van that the best way to stop some one steeling it is to lower the front of the van onto a brick or lump of wood and take the jockey wheel with us, our ball weight is 180kg and this makes it very bloody hard for a theif to lift the van by hand and put it on the hitch,. i also leave the van like this at
home too !!
having said that i have never heard of a van or camper trailer being stolen from a
camp site?
Peter...
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Follow Up By: pop2jocem - Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 16:21
Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 16:21
Now that is smart thinking Peter, and so simple too. Yeah our ball weight is about 220-240kg (10% of GVM) depending on what the Mrs decides is "must have"...lol. Any low life that can dead lift that can have it. I guess they could theoretically put a jack under the drawbar but most dirt bags are lazy and not over endowed in the IQ department.
Cheers
Pop
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Follow Up By: Member - John and Lynne - Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 18:42
Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 18:42
That's the best idea Peter! Cheap, simple and effective! And if you leave the brick at
home it's easily replaced! We gave up on hitch locks after we lost the key! This sounds much more manageable. Lynne andJohn
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Follow Up By: Sir Kev & Darkie - Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 21:11
Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 21:11
Peter,
I like that idea :)
Cheers Kev
| Russell Coight:
He was presented with a difficult decision: push on into the stretching deserts, or return home to his wife.Lifetime Member
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