Travel trailer stolen!

[Ranger431]

Yup - 14 to boy, 13 yo girl, 10 yo boy, 7 yo girl, and town girls that are 3. Now that the kids are bigger, the bigger bunkhouse will be nice. May even be the place for family movies on weekends with weather that doesnt cooperate.

A power tounge jack and levelers will be new too - never had either. Probably will start a new thread on that later.

As for the toll booths, we don't have any in TN, as a matter of fact almost none in the whole southeast, except FL.

[rheyco]

Good catch forgot about it ENERGIZING the breaks....

[Ladywendolyn]

Nice to ear when something sour turns sweet in the end.. I hope your insurance covers everything completely. Your situation has caused my husband and I to start looking at whether we have appropriate coverage for our trailer.

[tinlizzie23]

Was thinking about another way to discourage thieves from taking your camper. I know it would be a PITA, but what about buying a good set of jack stands that will take the weight of your trailer, and removing all the wheels and tires for the winter storage season ? Additional benefits would be that the tires would be storable at home out of the weather and sun, and the weight would be off them for the whole off-season. I know this would not work for those who don't really have an "off season", but for the rest of us who need to winterize, it sure would discourage theft of your unit.

[Quahog]

This looks a little pricey for a security lock but depending on your storage circumstances, it may be worth it.



http://www.trimaxlocks.com/_e/WHEEL_...100/TWL100.htm

[rwilley]

Originally Posted by Quahog

This looks a little pricey for a security lock but depending on your storage circumstances, it may be worth it.



http://www.trimaxlocks.com/_e/WHEEL_...100/TWL100.htm

That looks like it would do it and cheaper than a new travel trailer or even some deductibles.

[Ranger431]

Interesting option, pricey, but not near the PITA I am going through now.

Needless to say, I am also checking for better storage spots now, in anticipation of my next Jayco.

[poohbear]

I got a "Camping World" flyer yesterday and they have a dog collar with a gps transmitter that sends a text if it goes out of bounds.Called TAGG Pet Tracker ,pn 61629.would be easy to hide up in the ac cover.$99.99 + the monthly service fee .Thats cheaper than the permenate mount ones for my trucks.

[Wyotraveler]

Walmart has a 5/8 inch diameter cable. about 6 ft long for about $20. Cables are harder to cut than chain. I wrap one through the tandem wheels and also use a hitch lock. You aren't going to stop the thieves, just slow them down. In the case of your trailer, I think it was so well planned that nothing would have stopped them. I think they had it picked out and staked out and they were well prepared to steal it.

I had a motor home that there was an attempt break in through a rear window when it was in a storage yard years ago. The plastic sun screen on the window basically stopped them. That was amazing. However, bottom line, the insurance company almost doubled my insurance after that incident. I hustled out and got a new insurance carrier before the payment was over due.

The previous agent, who I had for years, said the increase wasn't due to the incident. Only because it was being stored someplace other than my home.

[Quahog]

Here's another wheel lock I stumbled across. Cost is around $90.



http://www.autoanything.com/towing/65A4569A0A0.aspx

[Murphie]

Poobear, I saw the add the other day and thought of the same thing. It would be easy to hide it in a wall where the valve access is too. Just stick to the wall above the opening. Wonder what the monitoring fees were?

[LBL 1206]

what about pulling the pin from the trailer emergency break away switch and taking it w/you when in public storage. if they tried stealing after dark, it would surely slow them down and make them rethink the heist. or not!

[norty1]

Originally Posted by LBL 1206

what about pulling the pin from the trailer emergency break away switch and taking it w/you when in public storage. if they tried stealing after dark, it would surely slow them down and make them rethink the heist. or not!

That was mentioned way back in this thread. Dead batteryville in short order. It is not an anti theft device.

[Denise]

I'm just now catching up on some of the threads I missed while on my last hiatus. I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this. Thanks for the updates. Keep us apprised of how things ultimately turn out for you and your family.

[Ranger431]

At this point, still wrapping up the initial insurance claim with allstate. They have been pretty good with everything. The GAP claim is about 70% done, hopefully they don't try to screw me over. Also am in the process of starting a homeowners claim to cover the TT contents. The fully itemized list of contents I put together will also act as my shopping lust for replacement stuff for the 32TSBH we have a deposit on.

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by Ranger431

snip......The fully itemized list of contents I put together will also act as my shopping lust for replacement stuff for the 32TSBH we have a deposit on.

Wow, just trying to remember all the "stuff" one accumulates over time for camping must be a task. I'm thinking I might open up all my cabinet doors/storage doors and take some pics of the contents, along with a list of my mods "just-in-case".

Bob

[Ranger431]

It helps that I am very organized, but even after reviewing it a couple of times I realized I had forgotten things. Going through the steps of hooking up, setting up camp, and the various things we do camping really helps.

At first, I was just listing the "big" items, but it's amazing how fast the "small" things add up. In all, about 8k in full cost. This includes the HA.

[Denise]

Originally Posted by Rustic Eagle

Wow, just trying to remember all the "stuff" one accumulates over time for camping must be a task. I'm thinking I might open up all my cabinet doors/storage doors and take some pics of the contents, along with a list of my mods "just-in-case".

Bob

Great suggestion Bob!

We have pics of every area of our house that has something of value (tv area, computer area, etc etc) as well as our tt. We had a friend whose house was broken into and couldn't for the life of himself remember everything he had or even the brand names. We make New Year's our annual pic day where we re-take pics around the house (we use Bi-annual Daylight Savings Time to change our smoke alarm batteries)

What an opportunistic opportunity for a public service announcement! Get your camera's and get pics of insurance covered items in your home and tt and email them to yourself so you have them even after the fire/theft/etc!

(Thanks for the update Ranger and keep 'em coming - your info can be helpful to other members)

[Ranger431]

Well, this will probably be the last update to this thread, as I am doing all of the paperwork tomorrow for our new 2012 32TSBH. I will be doing the final inspection as well as the installation of either a ProPrride 3P or Hensley Arrow on Friday, and going straight into a 2 night "shakedown trip" in Pigeon Forge, TN.

Some lessons learned that I'll pass along:

1) In my experience the Gap coverage was a lifesaver - to the tune of almost $6,500, well worth the $800 it costs. If you are financing a new rig I highly recommend it. Ours was through Safeguard Intl, and although they collected quite a bit off paperwork, they were quick to get things done once they got what they asked for.

2) Having a very detailed list of what was in the TT really helped. I should get a list of what my Homeowners policy will pay out tomorrow (after depreciation) - I'm sure it won't replace everything, but it will sure help.

3) Very glad there was nothing of sentimental value in the camper. Although it is a huge PITA, it really is all just "stuff", except maybe the afghan blanket from Ft Wilderness... I am pretty sure this is because we are very organized and know exactly what is kept where. My wife and I both suffer from a little bit of OCD when it comes to cleaning and organization (our children are doomed)...

4) I wish I would have stored it in a more secure storage lot. The new location for my new camper has gates, individual codes for each customer (so if something is stolen, they can reference the video with what code was used). You are required to sign a security agreement stating you will not give your code out. As a side note, this new storage lot is built by Rv'ers and is well thought out with things like an on site air compressor, dump station, wash area, and potable water filling station. Also has a ton of room to maneuver and assigned spots. More expensive than my last choice, but very good money.

5) Keep VERY detailed records. As I went through this process I kept and Excel spreadsheet with all of the pertinent info, contacts and their numbers, claim numbers, policy numbers, police report info, etc. This way regardless of who I talked to, I had all of the info they could possible need in one spot. I also logged every phone call and conversation, and kept all e-mail correspondence.

6) Although it is very irritating having to deal with all of these people, and some of their questions are borderline insulting (that almost imply you did something to get out of payments, etc) treat everyone with a bunch of respect and manners. This is basic sense, not not always common. people were very quick to do what was needed and really helped me out - and I feel it's because I was persistent, thorough, and hopefully easy to deal with.

7) Although all of the security in the world won't stop a determined thief - reasonable steps to make it harder could help. Thieves are inherently lazy people, don't make yourself an easy target. Hitch locks are a good idea, but don't necessarily work on a HA or 3P. I will have a locking hitch pin and cable lock on my new TT. I may even throw a big heavy cable and lock through the wheels.

Anyway, enough rambling. I appreciate everyone letting me vent through this process, and hopefully this has helped others learn a thing or two through my new experience. Sometime this weekend or early nest week will be a new thread (with pictures) about our first trip in our new 32 TSBH.

[bayleightucker]

glad things are finally working out, good luck with the new tt,...happy camping