Tools Stolen

[OleTom]

I drove 400 miles checked into a Motel. Parked my truck Right in Front of the motel under the parking lot camera. My Tool Boxes were chained up in the back of the truck.

When I went to get in the truck the next day MY TOOLS WERE GONE and the motel said there was nothing they could do the camera was broke and the Police took a report :soapbox:

[NorthernIllinoisPlumber]

They are liable to certain extent. You have to check with your states motel/hotel security laws.

Mainly, by installing cameras, lights etc. the motel presents a certain amount of security that they wish to attract customers with. If you chose this place, parking spot because of the security, then they can be held liable. You will have to go to court though.

[HVAC HAWK]

im sorry to here about this


rosie can help if she can get up :eek:

http://images43.fotki.com/v1390/photos/1/1072837/5366181/snow061-vi.jpg (http://public.fotki.com/hvachawk/my-pets-1/my-pets/snow061.html)Hosted on Fotki (http://www.fotki.com)

[King Dork]

Nothing sucks more than having your tools stolen. Most of the guys I work with have all had tools stolen, from one of our own crew members! The boss doesn't get involved, but we all keep a close eye on our stuff when working with him. He has this particular fetish for stealing pry bars:confused:.

[drainman881999]

That's rough OleTom.I hope you have backup tools already.As much as I dislike the task,I usually pack the tools into the room,then repack when leaving.Good Luck from now on.

[rookie plumber]

Sorry to hear about this, it's probably something every member of the forum has gone through. The day is coming when a GPS type tracking device will be available that we can hide inside our tools. That will make a whole bunch of bad people into honest citizens, until then pick up an old tool box at a garage sale pack it full of dog poop and leave it in the back of your truck.

[ToUtahNow]

I use to drive an old Skaug roughin truck which the bed was pretty much open but had compartments under the bed. I use to keep an old craftsman tool box in the back of the truck with old broken tools. More than once the thief took the sacrificial box and left the real tools alone.

Mark

[MrsSeatDown]

Sorry to hear about this, it's probably something every member of the forum has gone through. The day is coming when a GPS type tracking device will be available that we can hide inside our tools. That will make a whole bunch of bad people into honest citizens, until then pick up an old tool box at a garage sale pack it full of dog poop and leave it in the back of your truck.

You mean like was mentioned here?:D
http://www.ridgidforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21854

[The Wood Meister]

That really sucks and I hope that who ever stole them gets hurt real bad using them!

The HD up the street from me is a hot spot for tool theft. I've wanted to have my son go up in his truck with some stuff in the back and park a few cars from me. I'd be in my cabover with a few buddies and some base ball bats waiting to catch em. Stealing the tools people use to feed their family is the worst of the worst in my book!

[Bob D.]

He has this particular fetish for stealing pry bars:confused:


You should ask him how he likes wearing them. :shocked2:

[MrsSeatDown]

[QUOTE=HVAC HAWK;192527]im sorry to here about this


rosie can help if she can get up :eek:



She looks ferocious with her baby:D

[plumbertim1975]

Check around at the local and nearby pawn shops in that area the next time you are there, you may find some of your tools there. I hope the cops can nail em. Sorry for your bad luck. No one should have to work so hard and then get threre possesions stolen by some crack head.

[bulldog8b]

That really sucks and I hope that who ever stole them gets hurt real bad using them!

The HD up the street from me is a hot spot for tool theft. I've wanted to have my son go up in his truck with some stuff in the back and park a few cars from me. I'd be in my cabover with a few buddies and some base ball bats waiting to catch em. Stealing the tools people use to feed their family is the worst of the worst in my book!


It seems like every time I go into a HD I see at least 1 truck w/ a bunch of tools or a compressor or generator or whatever just sitting in the back of the truck. I assume the guy thinks he's just running in to grab screws or nails or whatever, but that is plenty of time for somebody to grab yor stuff and go. I just can't believe it. It is a bummer that we have lock everything up now, but it is what it is.

On the pawn shop note, one of my friends had some stuff stolen from his house that ended up in a pawn shop. The police get a record of everything pawned at all of the pawn shops in my city so when you turn in a report they can check to see if any of it has turned up. I don't know if every city has something like that, but if your stuff does get stolen it is something to look into.

[bigPipe09]

I had my entire van stolen, i lost a BRAND NEW general power vee drain cleaner, and a brand new snap on digital multimeter, along with some other expensive hand tools. Also they took every item of stock out of the van.....even my wax seals and silicone.

[Frankiarmz]

I lived and worked in The Bronx, NY many years and losing cars, trucks, tools and personal items was a common occurance. The best defense is a good offense, assume you are going to be the victim of a crime and do your best to be prepared. We bought custom made shackles that covered the ignition cylinders and steering columns, installed alarms, fuel cutoff switches and even installed our own chains and padlocks on the hoods and trunks. Thieves can still tow your vehicle if they are determined. I strongly urge you all to engrave or otherwise mark your tools and diagnostic equipment. I know this can take away from their looks but it will be more difficult for thieves to pawn items that are heavily marked with identification. Just as sure as honest hardworking folks rise to meet the day, so do criminals and they are professionals in their own right. Be prepared!

[Gene Bickford]

The guy that lives with us saw head lights at 6:00pm by one of my sheds. He assumed it was us returning and loading something off/on. The lights left and after a few minutes they returned. Thinking this would be strange for us to do, he went out to investigate and they took off. By the time he got into his van to chase them, they were long gone.

Now I'm going to have to spend half the night hiding in the woods waiting for them to return.:mad::bash:

[HebertDrainCare]

I worry about this. My insurance guy said I can get insurance for the equipment in my van, which I'm probably going to get. I need to make an itemized list of all my tools for him.

In the meantime I use the "Unbreakable Car Bar" steering column lock, and the brake lock made by the same company. http://unbreakable.com/

I chain lock my new camera to the mini jet. I also chain lock my small machine to my back door, and my big machine to the side door, In case of a smash and grab scenario.

I know it's not completely theft proof, but I'm not going to make it easy for them.

[PlumbingParamedics]

I have tool insurance for all my tools on my truck. For a $8,000 policy, it cost me an extra $11 a month with a $100 duductable it just gives a good peice of mind. And well worth it.

[cactus]

I lived and worked in The Bronx, NY many years and losing cars, trucks, tools and personal items was a common occurance. The best defense is a good offense, assume you are going to be the victim of a crime and do your best to be prepared. We bought custom made shackles that covered the ignition cylinders and steering columns, installed alarms, fuel cutoff switches and even installed our own chains and padlocks on the hoods and trunks.

I think I would move if I had to live like that. Red

[Frankiarmz]

I worry about this. My insurance guy said I can get insurance for the equipment in my van, which I'm probably going to get. I need to make an itemized list of all my tools for him.

In the meantime I use the "Unbreakable Car Bar" steering column lock, and the brake lock made by the same company. http://unbreakable.com/

I chain lock my new camera to the mini jet. I also chain lock my small machine to my back door, and my big machine to the side door, In case of a smash and grab scenario.

I know it's not completely theft proof, but I'm not going to make it easy for them.

I hate to disappoint you, but the unbreakable brake and column locks will only protect you from inexperienced criminals. I have seen those items defeated in a matter of seconds by the pros, seriously. The either muscle them off, hacksaw the steering wheel or use R12 to freeze the lock cylinder and shatter it with a dent puller. The professional thieves do nothing but practice defeating these mass produced antitheft devices. You have to think beyond the mass produced!

[Frankiarmz]

I think I would move if I had to live like that. Red

Red, I was born and raised in The Bronx and over the years the crime did increase quite a bit. There was no money to move away from where my Dad worked . When I got married we moved to the suburbs, but you know crime is all over and getting worse all the time. My neighbor in Ct where I have lived for twenty years is a retired detective from our town and he said he remembers that years ago they had eleven bums who he could recall by name. Now he says there are well organized gangs and they have large numbers. We can try and keep running if we don't have children in school and other obligations that keep us rooted but situations are often the same elsewhere. I think many towns that we relatively crime free are now having to deal with a society in chaos. That's why I take my attitude of alertness and preparedness with me no matter where I am. Criminals have the upper hand when people are lax and at ease living in an illusion of security. I hate to instill fear in folks, but people bent on stealing your property or harming you or your loved ones are not restricted in their travel. When I watch the News and listen to folks being interviewed where a violent crime has occured and hear them say "nothing like that has happend around here", or "this is a good neighborhood", I just shake my head in disbelief. Lock up your valuables and lock your door, it just may save your life!

[JimDon]

Frank,
How right you are. No matter where you live, you are now in danger. If you don't believe or understand that you just don't get what is happening in this society. As our economy continues to go bust, crime will rise as the first casualty in this situation will be the loss of civil order. On the safeguarding one's tools, there are certain items that will get thru almost anything in a short period of time. The first being DeWalt's cordless grinder with the 1/16th inch cutoff disks, There are no locks, bolts or shackles this thing won't cut thru in a heartbeat. One criminal was recently arrested using one and he had an extra grinder in his car with about a half dozen fully charged batteries to go with it. Nothing like being prepared. (I'd like one for metal work out in the field but cannot afford the cost right now.) The other is a really good pair of bolt cutters -- I happen to have two of these -- the old NKP cutters with the solid metal handles, 36-inchers. (The hollow handle ones that you buy now will fold like a house of cards.) One of them, I hardfaced the cutters with my stick welder -- they will now chomp thru case hardened locks like nothing --I use them for work, not for breaking in. There are lots of other tools to make criminals lives easier too. One of the advantages a lot of states have is concealed carry permits. Where I live, Wisconsin, the state still disallows that idea. Our politicians are just too STUPID to get the concept that gun laws will not keep criminals from carrying guns. That's why we call them criminals in the first place -- laws mean nothing to them.
JIm

[asavage]

The first being DeWalt's cordless grinder with the 1/16th inch cutoff disks, There are no locks, bolts or shackles this thing won't cut thru in a heartbeat.


Master hidden shackle hasp (http://www.masterlock.com/cgi-bin/product_detail.pl?dir=/cgi-bin/prod_search.pl?product_number=770&sub_cat_id=D770)
http://www.masterlock.com/images/color_img/770.jpg (http://www.masterlock.com/cgi-bin/product_detail.pl?dir=/cgi-bin/prod_search.pl?product_number=770&sub_cat_id=D770)

Master "Hockey Puck" hidden shackle padlock
http://www.masterlock.com/images/color_img/6270_wkeys.jpg (http://www.masterlock.com/cgi-bin/product_detail.pl?dir=/cgi-bin/prod_search.pl?product_number=6270&sub_cat_id=D6270)

That plate hasp isn't wimpy, I'd say it's about 7 gauge steel, powder-coated. Weld over the mounting bolts, and the cordless grinder will take a good, long time getting through it. And makes lots of pretty sparks that can be seen for quite a distance.

The hockey puck becomes the vulnerable site. It can be drilled. The "American" branded puck is basically the same as the Master (Master & American Lock are the same company). But there are higher-security pucks available that can't be drilled, or are hard to drill. The Mul-T-Lock is a good one, quite difficult to bypass via drilling. It's about $100 lock with keys @ $25 each (for a good reason).

I have a totally un-drillable puck, I don't think even my safe bits will touch it, and a rounded top, but it's a $300 puck, & I rarely sell them.

[plumberscrack]

Our fleet uses the American hockey puck like that. Only break ins were because someone forgot to put the puck on :smack-head: I broke my key off in the lock once. Spent most of the afternoon drilling it out after I removed the 2 hasps.

I think it would be easier just to steal the whole truck and take it somewhere to cut the locks off.

[asavage]

The point of locks is to make the effort too high for the reward. You only need a locking system that makes the door/hatch/whatever not be the weakest point.

Given enough time, nearly any lock can be bypassed or compromised. You want the lock to tell people, "too much trouble", not "there's a million bux behind this lock." Sometimes more lock is counterproductive.

For an inexpensive lock, the plate hasp + hockey puck have an excellent bang/buck ratio.
I broke my key off in the lock onceI get a buck a minute, $15 minimum (in-shop), to extract broken keys :) . Service call fee for field work, $55 within five miles. Lots of special tools to do that job, but I don't use them all, all of the time.:rolleyes: Usually, a broken key means the key was a poor copy, the lock had never received maintenance (never lubricated), or in automotive, the keys are just made wimpy to start with (Nissan/Subaru, Toyota, etc.) and the blade wore too thin. Having a deep cut in the first position (nearest the head) creates a weak area that's prone to breakage too -- my favourite extraction are those, no special tools needed.

[rofl]

I have an enclosed trailer that I keep a lot of woodworking tools for use on site. I haven't had a problem yet, but I have put locks at every conceivable place. Two types of locks on the hitch, locks at every entry point, and a wheel boot that stops access to the lug nuts. I don't think it's impossible to steal, but they would have to work pretty hard at it hopefully.

[RiR]

Yeah! It's one thing to steal somebody's money, or a car, but stealing the tools a guy earns his living with, must indicate an unusually despicable excuse for a human being. A life form that doesn't deserve to exist above grass!
It should be legal to set your Dobermann on them, or use your rifle.
Few things set me off like disrespect for fine tools, and taking away someones daily bread!

[tailgunner]

The only solution:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDrzMGdYWZc

[alsdrainservice]

I was working on a house one time in the Washington D C suburbs. I was drilling out a house to do rough in plumbing. all of a sudden my drill quit working. I clicked the switch a few times still nothing. I could hear the generator running So I figured the cord slipped out the electrical outlet. I went to the window and saw 2 kids running down the street with my generator still running. I was 3 stories up by the time I got down to the ground level and outside they were out of site. Went back to the shop and got another generator and a logging chain and chained it to a tree.