STOLEN Keystone Passport 195RB

[notanlines]

Few things I hate worse than a thief. Mosquitos come to mind, but not much more than that. Sorry for your loss. Call Prudential, go shopping, buy whatever great lock you can, and then try to put it out of your mind. I sure hate to think of you restocking all the items in it, however.

[vampress_me]

Originally Posted by nellie1289

the distinctive feature is it will be doing 100mph down the road by some criminal!

When the people from the Cities head "up north" for the weekend, speed is no obstacle to them. Pulling a camper or not! That's why I love heading south for our camping if we go for a weekend. A much more relaxed drive, even through the Cities.

I do hope everything goes very smooth for you with your insurance and getting a new camper!

[ljp]

Originally Posted by Jeepshots

Oh that's terrible... so sorry to hear it, and the headaches/heartaches you're dealing with. Makes me wonder if one of those GPS tracking units buried under it would be worth while.... I'm one of those just-in-case guys anyways, and this is worrisome to me. At least, until I get it parked in my back yard and can more adequately secure it.

I don't know of any theft alarms for these things, but i'm sure they're out there....

GPS will definitely be part of any alarm system we purchase.

[ljp]

Originally Posted by 66joej

Sorry to hear of your misfortune.
If you pull the emergency brake cable it activates the magnets and when the trailer is moved the brakes come on. Just take the cable indoors with you. Back in the days when I drove my classic Mustangs to car shows I would remove a wheel and take it into the motel room. A bit over the top but I prized those cars. JMO

I like this idea as I have an electrical outlet on our garage wall next to where the trailer had been parked. I never removed the brake cable. What is involved in removing/replacing the cable? With the cable removed and the brakes activated as the trailer would be plugged into an outlet, what happens if the power line is unplugged?

After this experience I plan to lower the stabilizing jacks but not position them on the asphalt. If this were to occur again it could be a little extra noise and time needed to detect any tampering with the trailer.

The trailer coupler lock made by Proven Industries looks like a good buy up to this point. Still looking but it appears their locks may be top of the line. If anyone has other brands I'd like to compare against the Proven couplers.

Thanks again for all the feedback.

[66joej]

ljp If the would be thieves hooked on to your trailer with that emergency cable removed the brakes would be activated the same as if you were disconnected from the trailer if you had a breakaway while towing. Simply reinstal the cable with the key back into the box to put things back to normal. As mentioned your battery will run down if not hooked up to shore power. Just a suggestion.

That Proven Industries lock looks like a good one.

[JRTJH]

Not to "rain on anyone's parade" but using the emergency break-away device as a "parking brake" is not recommended by any of the "ask for our advice" sections that I've ever read and is either a caution or a warning in most of the installation instructions/operator's instructions for the system. There are several reasons for them to recommend against the practice.

1. each brake magnet draws about 3 amps. That's a 12 amp drain on the battery, and if you're plugged into shore power, a constant drain on your converter and, since the break-away system is directly wired to the battery, activating it places a demand on the battery which causes the converter to constantly charge your battery (the demand of 12 amps will prevent the converter from going into "trickle charge" status). This causes evaporation of the electrolyte, increasing water use and potentially damaging your battery/batteries.
2. Brake magnets produce heat when they are activated. The wiring going to the brake magnets is enclosed inside the trailer and (as far as I know) not rated for continuous use.
3. Electro-magnets produce ozone (an enemy of rubber tires). ST tires have enough going against them to "stack the deck" with any more adverse conditions.
4. If you're really worried about using the break-away device as an anti-theft device, a length of good "logging chain" and a good lock will provide much better protection. Thinking about it, even stuffing a stick into the hole or cutting either of the wires (which are exposed and visible to anyone) will deactivate the break-away's protection and unlock the brakes.

I'd suggest leaving the brake system alone and finding a better method of securing your trailer.

[66joej]

[QUOTE=66joej;239985]ljp Just a suggestion.

As John pointed out the down side of using the brake system as a deterrent may not be the best option. I stand corrected.
Perhaps the chain through the spokes is easier.

[Ken / Claudia]

Lo jack can install a tracking device in any vehicle. A friend just got some tracking devices on amazon that you track anything you put them on or in with your cell phone. Lo jack cost much more and is turned on after the police take the report. The other devices are tracked when ever you check your phone app. and cheaper. Sorry I do not have the name of them.

[hdrolling]

Originally Posted by ljp

Contacted by Allstate Insurance adjuster within one day and may have claim resolved within two weeks. Advised wait time could be two weeks to ensure the trailer is not recovered by law enforcement.

Sorry about the stolen camper, hopefully you get it replaced painlessly.

Mine was broken into 4 almost 5 months ago and I still haven't had the doors replaced, still waiting on Keystone to get them both to my store so they can be installed.

It took almost 2 months just to get the TV mounts built and sent to me.

I have 2 of the 3 TV's back in and my repair guy that's doing the doors has to do some custom work to install the third TV in the bedroom.

Hopefully getting your entire camper replaced is quicker than what I've been dealing with!

[ljp]

John & 66joej -

Tried to send a "Quick Reply" three times last night to thank you for your information. Each time I was advised I needed to sign in (again) and once I went to the area in which I could sign in I lost the message.

So, sending this information as I do have some questions to ask regarding the breakaway system and how it may be used on a parked vehicle to avoid a theft. I will be calling Keystone regarding the breakaway switch.

I'm hoping I can get this message out without the system shutting me down.

[ljp]

[QUOTE=JRTJH;239994]

As cited by John, it's not a good idea to use the breakaway cable as a "parking brake." My thought is to secure the breakaway cable to wood we use to park on in order to activate the brakes in the event of an attempted theft.

Secured to the wood, the cable would not be pulled out to follow the tow vehicle as designed. The cable would be forced down and ripped towards the rear of the trailer when the trailer is being stolen. I questioned whether or not securing the cable in this manner would damage/destroy the box housing the breakaway pin to the extent the pin being removed as described would not activate the emergency brakes.

I contacted Keystone (866-425-4369) and spoke to an employee in "Owner Relations" and later spoke to the salesman that sold us the trailer. I asked both whether or not securing the breakaway cable in the manner I described would prevent the breakaway pin from activating the emergency brakes. Both indicated it was their opinion the brakes would be activated once the pin was removed. Neither of these persons were technicians with expertise in this area. No disrespect to either but I will be following up with technicians that work on the breakaway system when I have more time.

We parked our trailer on 2x6x12' boards. If the breakaway cable will work to prevent future theft in the manner I described, my plan would be to secure the breakaway cable to one of the boards. I would also attach what would appear to be a breakaway cable under the trailer and let it rest, as it normally would, near the coupler. Not likely thieves are going to be worrying about securing the breakaway cable but I'd at least like a replica in position, appearing ready to hook up in the event they checked.

[the sodfather]

I bet you wish you had on of these stashed in it...

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee...2000/300859175

Hope your insurance pays before it's found. It will likely be trashed...

[fourfourto]

100 foot range how ya gonna find it ?

[the sodfather]

Originally Posted by fourfourto

100 foot range how ya gonna find it ?

I would hope you could find it in a 100' radius...

That being said, based on my experience, it's way closer than that.

[chuckster57]

100 FEET isn't that far away. If you wake up and find your trailer has been "adopted" by a no good parent, I'm willing to stake my reputation on the fact that it will be further than 100 feet down the road.

As to the break away idea. The battery(s) have to be fully charged to apply full voltage to the brakes. The brakes have to be adjusted correctly to apply full brakes. the pin is designed to be pulled out from the front. Adding another breakaway in a hidden place facing backwards MAY work, but it would have to wired SEPERATE from the existing one.

[notanlines]

The security item in question here broadcasts a signal that will be picked up by smart phones with a similar app. If you read the explanation on the web page it will straighten things out a little.

[the sodfather]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

100 FEET isn't that far away. If you wake up and find your trailer has been "adopted" by a no good parent, I'm willing to stake my reputation on the fact that it will be further than 100 feet down the road.

As to the break away idea. The battery(s) have to be fully charged to apply full voltage to the brakes. The brakes have to be adjusted correctly to apply full brakes. the pin is designed to be pulled out from the front. Adding another breakaway in a hidden place facing backwards MAY work, but it would have to wired SEPERATE from the existing one.

Maybe read that wrong. It will show on a map on your phone within 100' where it is at. If I'm in Austin Texas, I'll be able to tell my travel trailer is in Brownwood SP. if I go to that park, I can drive right up to where the red pin is. I would hope I'd be able to recognize my trailer from there.. True it is not perfect (they have gps enabled devices) that are more accurate and not needing a Bluetooth device with One-Key downloaded onto it but it is a super cheap insurance plans with no annual fees.

[vampress_me]

After reading the Milwaukee website for the Tick locator, my thoughts are it is going to depend on where you live/ where the object it is on will be. 100 foot range isn't that great in many areas. For instance, we live in rural MN. Our driveway itself is 700 feet long and our house is way more than 100' from the nearest road. Won't work that great here if someone steals our camper since most farmhouses are more than 100' from the road for a random phone with the app on it driving by picking up a signal. Most people who are going to use a camper like this for meth or other things, are also going to park it as far off the road as possible. When we lived in MT, houses and roads are even farther apart in rural areas.

Then we have the premise that if your item is stolen, you can pick a button on their proprietary app to report it as stolen which will then use the same app on other people's phones to check for the Bluetooth signal of your Tick. That is based off the hope that there are many people around the whole area who would have that particular app on their phone, and not have turned off background app refresh to save on battery life, so the app would always be running. Those odds I don't like much. It's not an app that runs like the iPhones 'find my phone' app which runs on cellular, wifi, etc signal to track the phone. It runs off a limited range Bluetooth app only.

Some people may find it useful if they live in a more crowded urban setting, but unfortunately after looking at it as a possible for putting on some of our trailers for a "just in case" scenario, it seems like it would have a very limited benefit in rural areas.

[ljp]

Reply to Chuckster57 -

What I'm considering is attaching the (existing) breakaway switch cable to one of the boards on which the trailer is parked. This cable would be pulled/ripped backwards, down and away if stolen. I'm not looking to add another breakaway system facing backwards.

Once the existing cable is attached to a board, the additional cable I refer to is simply an inoperable ruse. I would attach this inoperable cable under the trailer and extended it towards the coupler where it would rest as the original breakaway cable might. Don't know how likely it is a thief would bother with the breakaway cable but if they look for one this "do nothing" cable is there for them to attach. Then again, this work might be all for nothing. How likely is it a thief would return to steal our next trailer parked in the same location?

If determined what I'm considering would cause too much damage by being pulled/ripped down and away for the breakaway system to operate properly, a second breakaway system "facing backwards" could be considered.

I have an outlet on the garage next to the trailer that would keep the battery charged. I previously kept the battery in the garage and charged monthly. How would the brakes be adjusted in order for "full brakes" to be applied?

Thanks for the reply.....

[chuckster57]

This cable would be pulled/ripped backwards, down and away if stolen.

I personally don't see it happening that way. IF the break away cable is inserted in the switch and then ripped backwards and downward I don't really see it working. I bet the plastic eye of the the pin would break.