And Another Stolen CA Trailer

Hopefully with this post by SusieQ we can add our Membership to the number of people on the look-out for this Cardinal...note if you see one this shape give it a closer look to see if it has just been repainted...I hope it is found in good condition. Might be being settled in a deep woods area in Humboldt (sp?) County.

Yep that would be an easy one to spot if it's still in the country.

I am now planning on incorporating a GPS (yes I'll pay) or a hidden iPhone plugged in ( I have an old one) in my trailer. I can't imagine doing all this work just to have it stolen! ?

I'm certainly not the best person to be giving out tech advice, but I have some views on the subject on the sad story of stolen trailers.

In a past life, I was licensed to install LoJack tracking systems in new vehicles. They are a great system, but you would have no advantage to use one in a vintage trailer. They are FM radio frequency based, and only work good in dense metro areas. A GPS, Smart Phone based system is much better for our applications.

Paint the trailer's license number on the roof of the trailer in large letters so that it can be read from the air. You and I might know what a '57 canned ham looks like, but it's the police that need to identify it quickly, and they have lots of air support these days. It's the same thing they do on city buses.

I use a tongue lock on all my trailer's, but I have never seen a quality built one yet. Any tongue lock could be removed in "ONE MINUTE" by any thief. You just want to buy time, and they will usually steal the easier one to get. I also have chain locking points cemented into/next to my driveway. This provides a convenient locking point. IMO, the best time to steal your trailer is when it's being stored, not when it's attached to your tow vehicle.

If you read any car guy forum, you will find that enclosed car trailers get stolen "every week". They usually do not want the trailer, it's just a quick way to take all the stuff we store inside the trailers that they are hunting.

Biggest problem is that even with painting the # on the roof, police aren't really going to go out of their way to look or notice. As a matter of fact, this person had someone spot it and had a very difficult time getting the police to cooperate in trying to recover it. They responded with something like "It's not like it's a Lamborghini." She did some detective work of her own and it did seem that her trailer had been in the area where it was reported but had left. I'm not sure the status now.

Update: this  one is still missing. They located one that looked like it, but was not it. Poor couple who has a look alike. They must be afraid to take theirs out in public now.