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Had my tow truck stolen from the motel two weeks ago. Grrrrr. Luckily the trailer and race car had been droppped off at the track. Pueblo, CO police seemed less than interested.
Which prompts the question. What geo tracking systems do folks use for your truck and/or trailer? You do use one, right? I didn't have one installed. Oops. Dumb. That's on me and won't be repeated. There's so many to chose from so, I'm looking to the amazing ApexSpeed community for recommendations. Any input welcome.
My question is:
If you have one of these trackers, how do you get the police to 're-take' it? Are they false hope or do they work?
Sorry to hear about your truck, Bob!
My trailer-towing rig, a Dodge Ram, got stolen here in Denver in April. The guy who stole it subsequently stole a bunch of other stuff, including some guy's compound miter saw. The saw owner had hidden an Apple AirTag on the saw, and when he noticed it missing, he called the police (who apparently actually responded). He then led the police to his saw and thus also my truck. He got his saw back and I got my truck back.
Now, you'll see plenty of nay-sayers about the AirTag approach, and they have many valid points, but I will say this: it's cheap, easy, and at least in my case led to my truck being recovered.
One slightly amusing extra bit about my truck: the guy who stole it was such a winner that he didn't disconnect my dashcam, which was stuck to the windshield in plain sight! I got to see my truck's entire 60-hour adventure.
Jeff
Yeah Bob, John P. told us about this and we were shocked...
But Goodonya for racing anyway!!! And we indeed *did* get our VW bus all the way to VIR.
Designed for construction trailers/conex containers.
GPS location, following, all alarms text within 30 seconds. Can be configured to alarm on door opening, tilt, movement, vibration, temperature extremes. Highly configurable including daily arming so if you forget, it alarms itself anyway. Can arm or disarm via text commands. I installed the GPS antenna in the ceiling vent brace. Door alarms are bluetooth to the main unit. Main unit is hidden in the ceiling of the trailer.
https://www.dewaltmobilelock.com/
Thanks for the input. I should have known ApexSpeed would have already covered this subject. Thanks, BeerBudget, for the links. Forgot to use "Search" before whinning and posting. Duh. Just like I forgot to put a tracker system on my truck. Double Duh. Life is hard. I will report back on what I've decided after reseraching and listening.
ow I just have to find a nice truck to replace my beloved 2002 F-250 4x4 Lariat w/ 7.3L Turbo Deisel. It was low milage and in mint condition. Sigh! Got all winter to find one 'cause racin' seaon is over for me.
Keep comments coming. All input welcome.
Thanks for your thoughts.Quote:
Originally Posted by Teuobk
BOB
Interesting for sure. Little pricier up front but I suspect Dewalt isn't going anywhere soon.Quote:
Originally Posted by DanW
My only concern is the 'locate/tracking' charges But $29.95/mo gets unlimited tracking
Full disclosure, we’ve yet to install any tracker but Bob’s story is a big reminder.
I haven’t updated my research and will again soon — and actually get something! On another forum I post on, consensus is good on Spot Trace and is probably the one we’re getting.
But we’ll also integrate an ignition kill switch similar to one used on race cars (without the lightning bolt decal ;) ).
In the meantime, if concerned about parking at a trailhead for instance, we pull a few ignition parts and presume thieves aren’t bright enough to troubleshoot, nor have time to, nor stock VW parts made in the ‘80s.
I know you feel dumb Bob, but you shouldn’t. I think those of us who live with honor *simply can’t imagine* such a heartless mindset even exists, and honestly, I find trust to be a more-important life asset than being afraid of every damned thing. Or so I tell myself when feeling too gullible for my own good, but I do sleep with less worry.
Spot Trace is owned by Globalstar, who is now the recipient of a few hundred million $$$ from Apple to further their network for iPhones. As we’re remote a lot, that’s what’s kept us from buying yet, in imagining the horror of not being able to track for weak phone signal. I have no proof of this, but presume now that Apple’s in the picture and one can use a new iPhone to make a 911 call on Globalstar’s network when having no signal, this connectivity will hopefully trickle down to Spot Trace as well.
Further disclosure, we are personally invested in GSAT, but would post and have posted this same info before we were. We believed in Globalstar enough to throw more than we can afford at stock in the hopes of funding a race budget. Whether that was brill or stupid is yet to be determined.
Best of Luck, and sorry again to hear of this at PMP.
https://www.findmespot.com/en-us/pro...ces/spot-trace
Unlimited tracking isn't necessary for our purposes. If the trailer alarms that it has moved from it's zone and you start tracking it, that's all you need, maybe a few times more....Quote:
Originally Posted by BeerBudgetRacing
After the drama of having my truck stolen, this thread was started to lean on the collective ApexSpeed wisdom about truck/trailer GPS tracking systems. Using that input and a full day of research, 15 different services were researched. Five were deemed “Contenders” and ten were eliminated. Here link to my spreadsheet analysis. Your preferences may well differ, but maybe this spreadsheet will help you make a decision. There is a hot-link to all 15 systems if you wish to dig further into each.
My criteria requires good motion trigger warnings, good tracking when moving, and 12v hardwired system. Out of the five “Contenders” I’ve opted for the Spot Trace system.
All five “Contenders” met my criteria. They are all expensive. Ouch. However, knowing real-time if someone is messing with my stuff and being able to find it quickly is worth it. In my case, a system will be put on both the truck and the trailer since they spend most of their lives apart. Alas, you a subscription is required for each device. Double “Ouch”!
By the way, if you are adding such a device to your truck or trailer, be sure to advise your insurance company. There may well be a “theft device” discount on your premium which will help pay for that investment.
Also, I’m upgrading my trailer hitch security beyond just a padlock on the tongue. A quick zap by a sider grinder will cut the padlock in a heartbeat. Needs to be beefier, à la these suggestions. Your choice based on your level of price sensitively and paranoia.
One of my RMVR racer friends suggest also using a “Club” type device. It’s not a fool-proof standalone device, but it is a proven visual deterrent.
Speaking of deterrents, I’m considering making up some stickers saying ”Hidden Anti-theft GPS tracking device on Board. Mess with at your peril.” Maybe with clip-art of a scoundrel behind bars. All home safety systems supply such window stickers. Why not on the truck and trailer. Can’t hurt.
Hope this helps.
Cabela's has the Spot Trace for $79.98 right now.
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/spot...racking-device
I use an AirTag and I just disable to the speaker inside it.
Thanks Jayeff. Here's a link to a YouTube video on how to do it and and why to remove speakers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB9ukX5_tp8
You're not "BeerBudgetRacing" for no reason. Thanks for the monay saving tip.
BOB
My problem with the whole Airtag thing is:Quote:
Originally Posted by Jayeff
- Relatively short range
- Require a "participating" iPhone in range for reporting
- Therefore requires a dense/active environment.
And yes, I'm sure most of the dumb-as thieves have their iPhone on and transmitting.