Theft deterrent or thief magnet?

[RudeDude]

Someone suggested putting graphics on a trailer would deter thieves because it would make the trailer more identifiable. I have been thinking about what kind of graphics would be effective and cool.


What if I get a high-res photo of the side veiw of my race car taken and blow it up to a life-size decal and put it on each side of my trailer? I recently had 3' x 6' banners made out of high-res photos for my work and they were $150 each. I could be wrong but I don't think a 12' x 3' decal would be terribly expensive. It will definitely be identifiable and very cool IMO.

While it will look cool, it will be telling the world what's in the trailer. Will this be an effective theft deterrent or end up working as a thief magnet?

[mblanc]

Theft Deterrent I would say.

I have a 24' haulmark w/ some big graphics,
Sent trailer with a guy back to the factory (NW indiana) for some work,
and had 3 people mention to me they saw the trailer
going through/around Chicago, and wondered where we were going that time of year.

Atleast somebody might be able to answer the question...

"Which way did it go......"

[TimW]

I think the better theft deterrent sticker/signage would be something like:

'Bubba's Septic Cleanup & Hauling Service'

[Tom Sprecher]

My trailer has dents and gray stain streaks running down the sides of just about every panel. Most of the steel bits have some surface rust and the tongue jack is especially crappy looking. The whole thing is hideously ugly and it looks like a real piece of sh!t on the outside. This is because I am too lazy to clean it and justify my inaction on thieft deterrent reasoning that no self respecting thief would look at it twice.

On the other hand the inside has nice, clean, stain free indoor outdoor carpet on the floor and halfway up the walls. The rest is painted white. It's really sweet and has a great personality. Beauty is only skin deep.

[kea]

Tom,
Your trailer sounds perfect for some small construction company that wants to leave it at a job site. Or maybe a landscape company just starting out.

We had a 30' TAG that was taken once, no markings. We had a few friends in the police department we asked to help find it and when they asked what did it looked like, "30' long, white tag-along trailer" was not what they wanted to hear.
Only recovered it because the idiots took it down a dead-end street and got it stuck 1/2 in someone's front yard trying to turn it around, so they abandoned it.
Now it's clean, graphics on the side and markings on the top (spot from the air), like it would be missed if stolen.

[Daryl DeArman]

More likely to be stolen, but more likely to be found.

[Frank C]

My take is that graphics are nice for recovery, but advertising that one has tools and race car stuff in a trailer is not so useful at night in the back of a dark parking lot. I think such graphics could encourage break-in. My trailer is not quite as grungy as Tom's, but I have name, address and phone several places and identifiers on the roof. I don't clearly identify the content. I guess a good alarm is the best approach.
- Frank C

[brownslane]

Would be that, with great graphics, you will be inviting those who maybe don't steal the trailer, but want all the "goodies" inside. Also, check with your insurance company....mine gave me trouble if I had a lot of graphics...said it was "commercial" if I did it. I would hate to see someone have their policy voided because their insurer found a "loop-hole"...

Also remember I am in Canada, where everything is triple the costs....gasoline is now $5.33 a gallon...for the cheap stuff....and insurance is about triple what you pay....my auto insurances (motor home, trailer, 3 cars) nobody under 50 on the policy and NO claims in 20 years,,,, is...wait for it......$7G's a year. And I have shopped all over and I am getting the best rates possible.

Makes ya cry!

[RudeDude]

More likely to be stolen, but more likely to be found.

That's what I was thinking. On the other hand, I wonder how many thieves stole race trailers actually knowing a race car's in it. Race cars are not the easiest thing to sell without a trace.

[TimW]

That's what I was thinking. On the other hand, I wonder how many thieves stole race trailers actually knowing a race car's in it. Race cars are not the easiest thing to sell without a trace.

I think the bigger worry about a stolen race car is not that its resold, but that its joyridden. You and I have no liability insurance on our race cars, and as I understand the precedence of it, if a street car is stolen and joyrided and in an accident, its your insurance that is liable for the damage or liability. With a joyridden race car its your net worth that could be held accountable, no?

Tim

[RudeDude]

That's what I was thinking. On the other hand, I wonder how many thieves stole race trailers actually knowing a race car's in it. Race cars are not the easiest thing to sell without a trace.

I would say the same for the race "goodies". The tools, spares, and race tires will not have much value to non-racers. In addition, non-racers may not even know those things can be in a race trailer. And racers don't steal. Am I wrong?

[RudeDude]

I think the bigger worry about a stolen race car is not that its resold, but that its joyridden. You and I have no liability insurance on our race cars, and as I understand the precedence of it, if a street car is stolen and joyrided and in an accident, its your insurance that is liable for the damage or liability. With a joyridden race car its your net worth that could be held accountable, no?

Tim

You mean to tell me that your race car got stolen and you will be held responsible for damage(s) that the thief caused with the stolen car? If that's the case, I'm moving out of the country!

[Swift17]

i think the better theft deterrent sticker/signage would be something like:

'bubba's septic cleanup & hauling service'

ok.... Lets start !!!

[Charles Warner]

1. How hard is it to remove graphics? Not very.

2. How hard is it to paint over graphics with black paint? Even easier.

3. Most trailers are stolen for mobile meth labs and the thieves don't usually care about what's inside. Often the contents are merely dumped somewhere in the country.

A good alarm and a GPS tracking device is your best bet.

[Bruce]

Not to be adding another negative, but putting graphics on, can get you in trouble with the law. I had a friend that was returning from the Runoffs a couple years ago that was stopped and ticketed for having advertising on his trailer. He was asked to open it and since there were decals on the race car inside, the officer ticketed him for being a commercial hauler without the permits or license required. Basically it cost him over
$5000 to clear it all up not counting the time or money traveling back from California to clear it up. I think it was in Minnesota, but have heard it has happened in California and Arizona too.

[Purple Frog]

I have ID on the trailer roof. Font is 30" tall in contrasting color.

Sometimes too much graphics gets you into issues with your insurance company, the IRS, or at border crossings. e.g. crossing into Canada they my acuse you of going in as a for-profit business entity. Even a Hoosier decal on the side may get the question, "Do they pay you to display that decal? Do they give contingencys?"

[RudeDude]

Not to be adding another negative, but putting graphics on, can get you in trouble with the law. I had a friend that was returning from the Runoffs a couple years ago that was stopped and ticketed for having advertising on his trailer. He was asked to open it and since there were decals on the race car inside, the officer ticketed him for being a commercial hauler without the permits or license required. Basically it cost him over
$5000 to clear it all up not counting the time or money traveling back from California to clear it up. I think it was in Minnesota, but have heard it has happened in California and Arizona too.

Originally posted by Purple Frog

I have ID on the trailer roof. Font is 30" tall in contrasting color.
Sometimes too much graphics gets you into issues with your insurance company, the IRS, or at border crossings. e.g. crossing into Canada they my acuse you of going in as a for-profit business entity. Even a Hoosier decal on the side may get the question, "Do they pay you to display that decal? Do they give contingencys?"

These are vey good information. Thank you!

[Dick R.]

You guys are making it easier to accept the fact that I'm kind of stuck with "just" an obviously too whimpy for anything else open trailer for my autocross FF due to other priorities . . .

Heck, I might even start towing it some of the time with my 2012 Mustang GT "limo".

Dick
CM 85

[DFR Dave Freitas]

If someone steals your car and trailer and uses it, causing damages it is on you. I sold a bike to a buddy and didn't do the liability release. He gets the bike impounded, it then gets stolen from impound by some yahoo who goes on a crime spree. After all was said and done, I was on the hook for the damages and parking tickets this guy racked up. (and obviously I no longer had it insured, so it sucked)

Gotta love this country some times

[RudeDude]

If someone steals your car and trailer and uses it, causing damages it is on you. I sold a bike to a buddy and didn't do the liability release. He gets the bike impounded, it then gets stolen from impound by some yahoo who goes on a crime spree. After all was said and done, I was on the hook for the damages and parking tickets this guy racked up. (and obviously I no longer had it insured, so it sucked)

Gotta love this country some times

Wow! That sucks a big time! But if the bike was sold by transferring the title to the buyer, wouldn't the seller be off the hook? Or was it a race bike without a title? In that case, if someone steals my race car (no title) and causes damages, will the previous owner who sold me the car be liable?

Hey Jim, are you reading this? You should send me the liability release quickly!

[DFR Dave Freitas]

Sorry to be off topic, but it was a street bike and the new owner, my friend, never registered it so the liability was on me. (btw, this guy used to make DB1 suspension parts and now works in Nascar, lol)

So my point is, if someone grabs your trailer, wrecks it into a car or something, it's liability is still on you.

[TimW]

So my point is, if someone grabs your trailer, wrecks it into a car or something, it's liability is still on you.

Though likely you have your trailer insured, or at least you can. The only liability insurance you can get on a race car is a personal umbrella policy. Am not sure I want to test those waters, so I defeat the car when its in the trailer or in my garage. Mind you, my former garage was in the city of Chicago proper, off an alley, so the risk was higher than most.

Tim

[logager]

Paint the trailer like this and you will know it is yours.




Lyle

[Steve Demeter]

I still say the 12 volt fence charger hooked to the door know is the best deterrent.

If you are worried about getting sued by the so and so who would try to steal it, place warning high voltage signs all over it.

Or in Texas you are allowed to shoot someone who you think is trying to damage your property.

Love them Texans.

[Jonathan Hirst]

A racer up here had his trailer stolen years back. It was a number of weeks later but the thieves were 1/2 way finished sanding the paint ( and serial numbers?) off the side when the police recovered it.

With no other identifying marks, remnants of a Britain West Motorsports decal was identified. They called David who was only too pleased to tell them which customer had recently lost a trailer.

Insurance had already paid out but the owner bought it back and sold it cheap to a younger racer who may not have been in a covered trailer otherwise. A decent paint job and it looked good again.

Just food for thought if you are thinking about what to use as unique identifiers for your trailer.

Jonathan

[R. Pare]

Stamp some sort of number (phone # works well) on every undercarriage beam, the tongue structure (undersides), as well as a couple of the inside box structure channels.

Install a GPS tracker system inside one of the doors if it will fit.

Paint something highly visible on the roof.

After a friends trailer was stolen from out back of the shop, we were considering installing a paint cannon on the front of the trailer that would be triggered if the trailer were moved - it would spray florescent paint all over the rear of their truck.

One other thing that works pretty well is to remove the wheels and set the trailer down on blocks under the axles. Yea, a PITA if you use it often, but not so bad for long-term storage.

[brownslane]

Richard has a good idea about removing the wheels. I always remove all the wheel nuts off the trailer when I park up "up north". I keep a battery-powered torque gun in the truck for the purpose.

I know it will damage the trailer if they try to steal it when the wheels fall off, but I would prefer replacing a fender over losing my whole trailer. I don't even chain the wheels....

I also use the power tongue jack, lifting the tongue to its maximum height, then I remove the battery connection so the power jack no longer works. The trailer tongue is then too high to possibly drop down on a trailer hitch.... And I have a great hardened tongue lock.

My bigger fear is they will break in and steal the contents. So I have the doors alarmed.

Bottom line is they will take it, or break into it if they are determined enough. All we can do is make it as difficult as possible and then (as Charles pointed out) install a GPS system.

[R. Pare]

If they want in badly enough, door alarms won't stop them. About 20 years ago a sizable number of race trailers on Gasoline Alley were broken into by cutting open a hole in the sides - the alarmed doors were not touched at all.

[brownslane]

motion detector as well. For that kinda reason.

But at the end of the day you just have to hope they don't getcha.