Security of Your TM

Originally Posted by Bill

Incidentally, on my current TM with the swing-away tongue, it is not possible to pull both pins. Only one is removable. So I pull that one pin and fold the tongue WAY back. The strange appearance will at least confuse a thief, although I'm not sure it will stop a dedicated one.

Bill

Taking the pin with you in your TV may hamper a thief when he encounters the strange appearance or at least require him to return another time with a pin to put in place of the missing one.....That alone may put your unit in the "too hard" category and send the thief in search of "easier" prey.

Bill

[rickst29]

After you fold it back, just chain it up: loop from the triangle within the swinging portion, around the near frame member-- and BEHIND the supports for the propane tanks.

If someone wants to swing the hitch into "running" position without busting the chain, they'll have to cut both of the steel supports for the propane tanks. And, if you want to take it a bit further, you can loop your security chain around the main frame member BEHIND both of the supports for the batteries too (on my 2619, anyway). This forces the thief to cut off all 4 support members.

That ain't gonna happen. What's REALLY gonna happen instead is, they'll come up with some scheme to pull the TM using just the non-swinging portion of the hitch. But you've just made it a LOT more complicated, and for many thieves, time is of the essence.

Can anyone post pictures of their security measures? This would be so interesting and helpful. Thanks in advance.

I found the Fulton Trailer Keeper at the bottom of this page that RCCBV1 mentioned. And here and here on Amazon. And something at Cabela's here.

[rickst29]

Well, I left it attached and started to move forwards from the wheel chocks (only two chocks on my driveway, lots of slope).

This was a very gentle pull, and I stopped immediately as I realized what is was. But you can imagine my disappointment with what I saw (key pictures attached):

When the "Trailer Keeper" had spun to the ground but the wheel continued to try rotating, their Patented "Lug Latch" spun between the wheel and the lug nut. Even though I had torqued that nut to 80 ft-lbs, quite a bit higher than the 60 which they recommend.

Now for the really bad part: This had caused the steel "lug latch connector" pin on the sleeved assembly to snap-- under a really tiny amount of force. I was able to remove the failed and broken "Trailer Keeper" parts without any tools, not even hand tools, in about 5 seconds. My $70 investment had accomplished ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

Maybe there's a chance that if a lockwasher was used under the "Lug Latch", it wouldn't have spun. and, JUST MAYBE, if the latch hadn't spun the bolt wouldn't have broken in this way. But the "pin" within the connector arm's solid tube, the part which holds it in place, is so large in comparison to the total diameter of the metal in which it's inserted that I think there just isn't enough steel left for the tube to have hardly any strength left. This hardened pin is inserted into a hole in the tube, but the diameter of the pin and it's hole is too large for the main piece of round tubing; what's left is too weak to withstand even a couple hundred pounds of pressure. The total cross section of hardened tubing which remains, after they drill the hole to insert the hardened pin, is about a pencil eraser's worth of area (looked at on end)from on each side of the hole, each the shape of a flattened semicircle. When put under load, the pin works within this tiny socket, and the thin sidewalls break.

Now that I see and understand the weakness, I think this is defective by design-- it can't be fixed unless they make the solid tubular portion a lot thicker. But that would require the "Lug Latch" on the wheel has to be a lot bigger for the thicker tubing to be inserted, and that would mean rebalancing the wheel to account for all the weight.

BTW, on their website this piece is shown in red, but mine is black. Attached photos show the "spun" Lug Latch, in it's final position when the Trailer Keeper failed, and a couple views of the cracked connector: the large square metal tubing goes onto the tire holding part, the 1/2" diameter solid metal tubing which broke at the place where a hole was drilled to insert the hardened connector.

The key photo for understanding what went wrong is the middle one, in which you can see the "solid" tubing broken exactly halfway up the drilled hole containing the hardened pin. The pin is still on the short broken piece, but the surrounding steel gave way where the pin is widest-- and the hole is widest, leaving the least amount of steel in the original tubing. The other half, the "main" piece, has just it's half of the drilled hole (which used to hold half of the hardened connector pin) surrounding the break.

[rickst29]

and here they are:

#1: Buy a high-quality, full-size "wheel boot", the kind which DOES cover lug nuts and prevent removal of the wheel. The problem is, these are really expensive, $350 and up. Here's a few of them:
http://www.universalboot.com/ub/univ...mp-parking.php This is the best, but $470 excludes the lock and shipping-- you're close to $600 by the time it's fully configured.

http://tirelock.com/product.php?cid=2 (the Pit Bull combo, partway down the page)

#2: Buy a lower quality boot with lug cover. But I'm not sure if I need to take off the wheel well cover in order to use one of these:
http://www.universalboot.com/ub/dete...sonal-boot.php Priced just a bit higher than the next two, but appears a lot weaker (in the gold-colored pieces). Also available under a different name, same price, at: http://www.wheelboots-immobilizers.com/guardian.htm

http://immobilize.com/immobilizer.htm Within this product line, I'd be ordering both the "Grip" for $100 and the matching "Lug Locker" for $75. The Website doesn't show their shipping charges, or the weights of their components, or the type of steel plate and tube being used. Nothing about the locks, either. come Monday, I'm gonna call and ask.

http://www.rittenhouse.ca/asp/product.asp?PG=972 (I think that this matches the triangular holes in our wheels, but that's only a guess. If it covers at least one lug nut well, then that's good enough.) A very attractive thing about this one is, they say right on the web page that the thing weighs 27 lbs and consists of 2" square tubing 3/16" thick. That's 50% thicker than the "strong" orange, around-the-tire suqare tubing part of the Trailer Keeper. This is a part which DIDN'T break.... but according to some website postings, the intimidating-LOOKING bar on the high-end universal boot (the $600 one I posted at the top) is actually a weak point, it can be cut apart in only about 10 minutes. I'm thinking that 50% thicker steel means 50% longer for the thief to be seen hacking on your lock, and that's a good thing. This one's a bit cheaper than the Grip+Lug Locker, and maybe stronger. But I'll venture a guess that the actual lock is probably cheapo and prone to the freon+sledge hammer treatment. (They're certainly not putting a $95 lock in the $176 device.)

#3: Buy a REALLY CHEAP tire boot, one which doesn't cover the lug nuts. Such as these:
http://immobilize.com/the-grip-combats-auto-theft.htm (just the grip, not the lug nut cover). Or
Alpha Lock

Here's the secret to using one of these: Get replacement wheels which mount the lug nuts RECESSED, so that I can use a set of locking lug nuts. If I go this route, this wheel looks suitable, although I need to double-check the offset: http://shop.easternmarine.com/index....categoryID=162
The price difference more than pays for one wheel, it almost pays for two. I don't think I like the "pimp-mobile" look of polished aluminum wheels under an all-white trailer, though....

I welcome any/all comments and advice on these choices. Please post your thoughts!

If you have a spare vehicle, park the vehicle in front of the TM and back the TM so that it's nearly backed into something. They'll have to steal the vehicle to steal the TM.

Joel,
It's so funny that you say that, because that is what I did already. Problem is for me that it is sorta against the law to park in front of a driveway and I like to park in the garage. It looks like the chain/lock combination is what is most effective and inexpensive.

That is a serious bummer, Rick. (But at least you didn't go outside and find the trailer missing and the lock pieces on the ground) Do the Trailer Keepers come with a warranty?

[rickst29]

Originally Posted by SneakyFrog

That is a serious bummer, Rick. (But at least you didn't go outside and find the trailer missing and the lock pieces on the ground) Do the Trailer Keepers come with a warranty?

I think they'd give me my money back, if I whined about it. They have only a money back satisfaction guarantee, and it might only apply to returning a nearly new one in "good condition". For $70, I ain't gonna bother.

Still, I had thought that it would take at least a freon spray and sledge hammer, or a "jaws of life" comparable bolt cutter, to destroy this device. To merely drive about one foot forwards, at ONE mile per hour, and not even need a pliers to take off the darn broken pieces-- that's really pathetic.

It SUCKS, don't buy one!

And BTW, SneakyFrog, since you really own a TM already, why not pony up your $12 and become a full member? Easy to do, instructions here:
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=1064

Originally Posted by rickst29

And BTW, SneakyFrog, since you really own a TM already, why not pony up your $12 and become a full member? Easy to do, instructions here:
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=1064

OK. I'll do it. But I've only been an owner for 4 days, and for some reason I wanted to wait until after my first trip this week.