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Wayne
12-04-2003 20:01:35
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Re: Engine/fuel disabling devices for theft/vandal in reply to Sean, 12-04-2003 08:04:05
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Sean, most machines already have many of the features your talking about from the factory except for the alarm system. Electrically all you need is a keyed master switch that breaks the ground on the battery. Place it between the ground post and where ever it ties to the frame, and as long as the switch is placed where the posts can't be jumpered, then there will be no power anywhere on the machine unless the switch is closed to make the system ground. This switch alone removes the need for #1 and #2 since with no system ground it can't be started regardless of anything else you do. This also eliminates the need for #3 since, again, it can't start, fuel or not. If the tractor you get doesn't have one you can purchase them through NAPA, any Cole-Hershey dealer, or any heavy equipment dealer which will have the OEM style for their own equipment if that's the way you want to go. Just remember though, this is only protection against "kids" playing with it. I work on this stuff for a living and have keys to fit probably 90% of the master switches, ignition switches, etc out there because the customer isn't always around when I go to work on something. Unlike cars OEM and aftermarket switches are all basically the same for the sake of simplicity and cost, so if a real pro sees your machine and wants it, I can guarantee you he will have the same keys you do, or be able to get them readily for just a few dollars. Numbers 4-6 are a pretty good idea for vandalisim resistance because sugar in the fuel or oil, liquid poured inthe exhaust or intake,just to name a few are all easy ways to destroy a machine. As for the alarm system, your neighbor is almost 1/4 mile away from where the machine is, so the alarm better be realllllyyyyy loud if you expect him to hear it in the middle of the night when he's in bed asleep. For somebody to steal a machine like this if there isn't a way for them to simply drive it off then they would have to have a road tractor with a trailer to move it. Just my opinion, but somebody driving up in a rig like this and starting up a machine and driving it up on the trailer is gonna be as loud as any alarm your gonna find. If it happens during the day I can bet your neighbor would look up and see it being moved and simply think "Sean must be having somebody move his loader for him" and never even think it was being stolen in broad daylight. Believe it or not alot of equipment is stolen that way nowdays because the equipment owner often has another company do the hauling for him to keep down costs as well as the other hassels of having to own the truck and trailer. So when somebody on a site sees a truck pull in and load a piece of equipment they don't give it a second thought til the owner asks where his equipment is. It's amazing how big a set of "brass ones" some theives have. In this case the camera setup wouldn't be a bad idea if your that concerned about it being stolen, but it would only be good during daylight hours unless you rigged several flood lights to the trips also..... ..... ..It all comes down to the old saying, "The only thing a lock does is keep an honest man honest". If somebody gets the idea they want your machine ot want to destroy your machine no matter how much you lock it up they can still do it. A match in a belly pan full of dry leaves and oil, an icepick/nail through a hydraulic line, just to name a few, are all big things that could really ruin your day and it's stuff you can do nothing to prevent no matter how many locks you use .... The best thing to protect it is another old saying, "Out of sight, out of mind". If you can park it where it isn't readily visible, that's the safest thing you can do for it. If they don't know it's there they won't mess with it..... .Please don't get me wrong on this, I'm not trying to scare you here, just trying to show you how vulnerable every piece of equipment is no matter who's it is or where it is, and there is only so much you can do to protect it, the rest you just have to trust that whoever sees it is as honest and law abiding as you are..... Good luck, Wayne
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