Ranger Mods

Has anyone come up with a better way of securing their off road trailer Trigg hitch ?

I put a 20mm diameter high tensile stainless steel bolt through the nolathane block where the shackle pin nornally goes and drilled the end to hold a padlock - fairly tight up to the other side on the block from the hex head of the bolt.
I guess that someone could smash the lock off or even with a cordless angle grinder cut it off which is why I'm asking for other options and ideas.

We have a Autocheap wheel clamp and the wheels themselves are secured with unique ended lug nuts that require a special socket.

Maybe I'm paranoid

Paranoid, no matter what you do if they want it they will get it.
All you can do to deter them is to make it difficult.

If you want to protect the padlock make up a pipe that the lock will fit up inside. Think of a use canned fruit tin with a hole in the bottom for the bolt but made from steel or alloy. You put that on then you need get your hand up inside it to put the lock through the bolt. You would likely need to have more clearance from the hole to the block that you say you have.

Similar to what is fitted to shipping containers and NP gates to prevent access to cut the lock.

There are pluses and minuses to powerful Cordless grinders.
Some of the 24v industrial grinders make short work of anything.

RossPat wrote: ↑Fri Dec 18, 2020 12:12 pm There are pluses and minuses to powerful Cordless grinders.
Some of the 24v industrial grinders make short work of anything.

Agreed my 18 volt Ryobi cordless ratchet drill is ideal for the wheel lug nuts it does them up to 140Nm easily ( the required is 136Nm ) and I also have the interchangabe angle grinder and several other tools.
After putting the Earth leakage detectors in my man shed switch board to the test on several occassions as I cut through the supply cables I'm switching from 240 volt AC tools to battery.

probably better off mounting one of those hidden motion cameras up in a tree

Bill68 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 18, 2020 5:18 pm probably better off mounting one of those hidden motion cameras up in a tree

How do you make it theft proof ? Old mate ( an avid hunter ) had three hidden in trees to see where deer were in the forest and all three were discovered and stolen.
I guess my current solution with custom wheel lug nuts, a wheel clamp and my bolt through the Trigg coupling will just have to do.
As Rosspat said you arent able to stop them but you can make it bloody difficult !
The other thing I've done is to fix the numberplate to the rear of the trailer with s/s bolts and with 202 Sikaflex. I've done this on the Ranger as well, front and rear, not for fear of them being stolen but to decrease the chance of them shaking loose and coming off on corrugated roads.

You cant make it theft proof, its impossible,it would take a few minutes with 18v 5'' grinder to cut those items you've mentioned off and all you'll come back to find is those bits laying in the dirt, or you get motion camo camera out of the tree and have some proof to hand over.
or you just have something thats not worth stealing

Bill68 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 21, 2020 10:24 pm You cant make it theft proof, its impossible,it would take a few minutes with 18v 5'' grinder to cut those items you've mentioned off and all you'll come back to find is those bits laying in the dirt, or you get motion camo camera out of the tree and have some proof to hand over.
or you just have something thats not worth stealing

The ideal solution, borrow a half-starved over-sized Rottweiler and chain it to the "A" frame and just tell the National Parks Rangers its not a dog, its a security device.

If you want to make your van really secure, just have a WiTi https://www.witi.com.au/ fitted. Alarm, brake lock, GPS tracker, hill descent control, all in 1. It will go off just by slightly knocking an armed van. They're especially effective if you have a dual axle van with 4 wheel disc brakes.

But as others have said, if they want it, they will find a way to get it. Just depends on How much do you value your pride and joy.

Brente1982 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 8:57 am If you want to make your van really secure, just have a WiTi https://www.witi.com.au/ fitted. Alarm, brake lock, GPS tracker, hill descent control, all in 1. It will go off just by slightly knocking an armed van. They're especially effective if you have a dual axle van with 4 wheel disc brakes.

But as others have said, if they want it, they will find a way to get it. Just depends on How much do you value your pride and joy.

It's a 2004 fully glavanised 7 x 4 box trailer 220kg tare and 750kg GVM with 10" electric brakes, 9 x 6mm leaf springs and 350mm ground clearance at the 60mm square solid beam axle. It has 17" Ranger Rims, ROH "Beadlockers" with BFG KO2 tyres with spacers machined to give it a track of 1560mm - the exact width of my Wildtrak and it has a Trigg Hitch for off road towing.
Its convenient as it carries all of our camping gear, 3X3 tent, folding camp beds, etc. Weber Q; camp toilet -- in short everything that we use if we are staying at one location for any period of time, for just overnight stays we use the Roof top tent on the ranger.
Hardly a "pride and joy" but by the same token while we are away from our camp site I wouldnt want it stolen either.

Problem solved, I sold the off-road box trailer and with it the Trigg coupling

Boydie wrote: ↑Wed Oct 13, 2021 8:28 am Problem solved, I sold the off-road box trailer and with it the Trigg coupling

You have 2 usernames??

TieNN89 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 17, 2021 1:39 am

Boydie wrote: ↑Wed Oct 13, 2021 8:28 am Problem solved, I sold the off-road box trailer and with it the Trigg coupling

You have 2 usernames??

So it seems -- I did get badly hacked some time ago and had to change my email address and all my cash and debit cards.