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Hitch Locks and other Security Measures


Labauer

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We will be taking delivery of our full-time fifth wheel soon.  Already took delivery of truck with B&W turnover ball hitch.  We want to purchase a hitch lock, locks for the cargo doors, lock for the generator, and whatever other security measures might be needed?  Would appreciate any thoughts and recommendations.

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Similar topics have been discussed before.  Generally there are 2 schools of thought.  1., if someone wants it, they're going to take it no matter how much damage they cause and 2., the appearance of security is enough of a deterrent.

My 5er hitch is under a tonneau cover, so out of sight out of mind.  There are locks you could get for the pins that connect the bed rails to the hitch.  My hitch is very heavy, so it'll take a couple guys to move it.

I use only the OEM door locks for the basement doors, which I usually leave unlocked when at an RV park.  I would rather a thief not take a crowbar to the doors.  Not much worth taking in there, anyway.

Assuming your generator is portable, a cable and heavy lock would be a deterrent.

 

I sure other will add their input soon.

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  • 1 month later...

Two things.  Locks only keep the honest people out, and serious thieves will find a way in.  Any level of security can be defeated by a serious thief with the right tools.  That said, most thieves are lazy and look for targets of opportunity.  But most of them don't have the right tools and are just looking for a quick grab.  Keep all the portable stuff out of sight and out of mind, and a nice big obvious cable or padlock on the big ticket items to make it look secure.  A hitch lock is pretty much a waste of time unless the thing is stored in a pretty remote location for a time, it would take a thief with pretty serious balls to unhook everything and drag it out of the campground all nice and casual like without somebody noticing.

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2 hours ago, Hot Rod said:

Two things.  Locks only keep the honest people out, and serious thieves will find a way in.  Any level of security can be defeated by a serious thief with the right tools.  That said, most thieves are lazy and look for targets of opportunity.  But most of them don't have the right tools and are just looking for a quick grab.  Keep all the portable stuff out of sight and out of mind, and a nice big obvious cable or padlock on the big ticket items to make it look secure.  A hitch lock is pretty much a waste of time unless the thing is stored in a pretty remote location for a time, it would take a thief with pretty serious balls to unhook everything and drag it out of the campground all nice and casual like without somebody noticing.

I agree.  Locks keep honest people honest is what my first boss told me.

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My parents built their cottage in '46 I think. It was on a long point with cottages populating both sides. There were also cabins up the lake that you could only access by water. They (and many others) quickly found that it was much better to remove anything they didn't want to disappear and leave one door unlocked.  Even with leaving some stuff.. like fishing rods etc., nothing was ever stolen.  The camp had been used..but all was ok .

When I store my rig, we clean it out and leave everything thing unlocked. ... actually, I wouldn't mind the TV and electrics walking away :) ..  we have yet to have a problem.

It is easier to replace "stuff" than to fix the damage caused be folks bashing their way inside.. 

I think one RV company I was talking to said that there were only x number of unique locks available to trailers so they are not hard for a determined thief to bypass..

What concerns us is the amount of theft we are hearing about in RV parks south of us...  we don't know if this is common or just an a few....do we need to lock up everything if we leave out lot ?  We normally leave out a portable stereo, a barbecue and stove, chairs, bikes, etc..

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We are full time and are in parks always. Never a theif problem. My wife wants everything locked so to have peace they are. But my choice would be no lock. The damaged done to break in would be costly. 

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8 hours ago, Hot Rod said:

Locks only keep the honest people out

Agreed. Your best deterrent is a good insurance policy and keeping a good record of property items (like a video walkthrough). As a sector... the RV community seemes to have VERY few issues with theft. Not that things don't grow legs on occassion, but it's generally much more costly and a greater inconveninece to say.. repair a jimmied cargo door than to just replace whatever walked off.

I once had a boat on a trailer with a hitch lock. The thieves simply wrapped a chain around the hitch and off they went. A friend had a cable lock on his portable generator and the thieves simply cut through the plastic handle.

A little common sense and keeping things stowed out of sight seems to be the most effective. You might consider a motion activated porch light.

If you stop to think about it, in a campground setting, at least 25% of the folks you're camping with already have keys to all of your cargo doors.. yet.. everyone seems to be able to keep their hands in their pockets. ;)

 

 

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I have been doing right many projects lately. I leave tools out. My time is very limited, I work 6-7 days a week. No one bothers anything. Rvers value their stuff and respect others. Thiefs looking in an RV park just not very bright. Ever tried to sell a hitch. I gave mine away just to move it. Thief has same problem. 

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I think everyone has their own ideas about outside storage and basement items whether to keep them locked or open. I would highly advise everyone to keep their door locked when not at home.

You do not want to discover an intruder the hard way after coming home and then be between them and their escape route. I would much rather fix a door than have one of my loved ones hurt or be forced to kill an intruder in my home. By locking the door every time, if the lock is broken, we are alerted that something is amiss and can call on the police to investigate the trailer before entering.

The trailer and it's contents can be replaced, my family comes first.

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The type lock one puts on their storage area door is of little concern to a thief with a medium size blade screwdriver. About 10 seconds to pry the door lock away from the sill, of course it ruins the door. The standard CH751 key keeps ordinary citizens honest.

I never locked my 5er hitch in the bed. I did lock the latch holding the pin in the hitch while traveling with a dog leash snap; I once saw a guy drop his 5er on the truck-bed at a rest area, some one had pulled the release handle while the couple were in the building or it had vibrated loose_unlikely.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On May 3, 2017 at 3:35 PM, Flying Finn said:

We had all our locks re-keyed by a locksmith after we found out nearly all RV's use a 751 key.

Another consideration is to check insurance policies. Some will not pay out unless forced entry can be demonstrated.

We choose to lock all our doors.

Ditto! Also there are only a few different keys for the standard door Lock on the RV's so think about a add on dead bolt. Of course if you have pets that stay in your RV when you go someplace you want to think twice about locking your door in case of a fire. 

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