Has this happend to you…
Loaded the van last night for a project. Went out to the van this AM to get underway. Found that someone on the night shift had scored really good. My Oxy bags, my Stabila levels, my saws, my baby Senco, my impact driver, my trim carp chest, etc., etc., – and the stereo face plate. Punched the lock on the back.
They left my broom, my El Chepo bags and my plastic saw horses. At least they also left my alum. dust pan.
This is getting old. Bloddy van was 50′ from my bedroom.
I need some sort of battery powered alarm that will sense movement in the van and make an obnoxious noise.
Any suggestions?
The ToolBear
“Never met a man who couldn’t teach me something.” Anon.
Replies
Rottweiler, or some other attack dog.
The van defender by DuPont....
Pike the leftovers...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
This hits home and the need for overkill roils to the surface...
sorry this happened to you ToolBear...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
As in real estate...location, location, location..an outside motion detector light..Tie adog nearby..in a city? give a home to a homeless guy inside it..a qt of gin will get ya thru a night..make sure he knows where the pizz bucket is tho'. and check on him, if he wants to get warm and have a fire inside without the doors open..do not give him sterno for heat,,they find it right tasty...........
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
I'll just do it>
I think the condo assoc. will spring for a motion/flood on the corner of the garage. I shall ask.The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
what am I missing ...
how about a ...... car alarm!
any good name pro installed alarm will work.
I say pro-installed because they'll know which shock sensor will work ....
viper is good ... I had one called PL something or other ... my alarm guy said just as good as Viper .. less advertising ... less money.
Last time I think I paid $300 or $400 installed.
right now ... my van is unarmed .... had an electrical problem with the tranny ... and took out the alarm to eliminate one more possiblilty ...
next one will probably have auto start too ... not sure if the van is staying around past this winter .. so I'm holding off and pushing my luck.
I like the alarm light to be centered above the steering wheel ... up high on the dash ... where the thugs walking down my alley can see it flashing as they approach from the front .... it's still visable thru either side window too.
the alarm guy took the time to set the sensitivity of the motion detector ... made sure a bump at the rear quarter would still set it off ... while not being so sensitive the wind up front would made it go ...
at that time .. he said his top of the line model was "too sensitive" for a van.
I get all mine tied into the interior lights ... nice to light up the whole van at night by clicking the button ... he had to run some extra plungers so both my side barndoors worked and were tied in.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
I was wondering if they had something with a self-contained battery that would respond to motion or heat inside van. Spent enough hours listening to the neighbor's alarm set off by something other that a threat.Viper, eh?The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
Viper's good, $100 for the hardware. We use them on our vans. False alarms are usually rocker switches set too sensitive, wind tripped. We never have a false alarm.
Sound discriminators listen for the sound of forced metal or breaking glass, sensitivity adjusted of course. Most commercial alarms will allow additional sensors, like a sound discriminator, to be added. Look at the mfg. cautions about temp. requirements if your van gets extremely cold. Electronic components change values.
Haven't used one in years, but I once installed an alarm that transmitted a signal to the receiver you carried with you. Had a guy who really wanted to shoot the perp, insisted on a silent alarm. Not anybody I wanted for a neighbor.
Very important to have something visible inside to alert the perp that there's an alarm. On expensive cars I used to install a standard alarm touchpad in the driver's door. Often will preclude broken glass or torn weatherstripping from the slim jim.
Edited: I'm wrong. It's Crime Guard, not Viper that we have. Crutchfield, among others, sells them. Crutchfield's local here.
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Edited 1/7/2005 1:12 pm ET by VaTom
I was thinking about the security devices they used to have in the old Bond movies. Of course you would have to compromise since you would want the contents to remain. So what you need is your basic alarm system and a couple claymore mines and since the local authorities tend to frown on killing the bad guys we are going to have to replace the metal projectiles with paint balls. Depending on you local we will use either republican red or democrat blue. From many of the posts on Breaktime I believe that blue paint may be a fate worse than death.
Once had a very good multiple alarm client request a remote controlled machine gun on the roof of his house. Had to turn that one down. Same guy listed his house for sale, left the alarm off for the Realtors, and was cleaned out. Thieves would have tripped 5 separate parts of his system, if it'd been activated.
One thing that does work nicely is a gate that automatically closes after a vehicle goes by, trapping it. Of course requires limited access. Turns out the car gets reported stolen within an hour of getting trapped. Uh, huh.
Alarms, and assorted hardware, can be a large amount of fun. If the pocket's deep enough, let your imagination run wild.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Bear-
That sucks.
Maybe that low life will get a hernia from carrying all those tools.
I've had tools stolen, but never that many at one time.
How about hooking up an electrical cable to the van body?
Just be sure to use enough power to carbonize him, you don't want to leave any evidence.
I can tell you how to make an alarm for $25 from Radio shack that sounds when the doors are opened. Interested?
Jon Blakemore
If he's not I am. Could I use them in my top siders?
Sure. Go to Radio shack and get a 12v piezo (sp?) siren and a normally open magnetic switch.Basically you want the circuit to close when the electromagnet (on door) is removed from it's working range (1/2" or so). The switch part goes on the body.I wired a switch on the underside of my dash and ran power out to the rear door of my p/u truck. I guess you would have one swithch in the cab the controls all the equipment and individual switches and sirens for all your boxes.I really only think this is worth doing if you have a truck. With a van if you already have plungers on each door I would just go to Circuit City and get the cheap alarm ($170). That way you get a centrally controlled trigger system attached to all doors plus the bump sensor.
Jon Blakemore
I'm interested, tell me more
On the front fender install a key lock and an LED wired to your battery, blinking if you can find a circuit to do that. Put warning sticker on all windows.
Think I had one years back on the back door of my camper. Door opened, switch closed, horn sounded, back light went on, and I woke up to remove the Colt 45 from under my pillow and point same at door.Something like that?The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
Very sorry to hear of your loss. That's thousands gone in minutes, then the lost time, lost income and money to replace. Then worrying it might happen again. Some of these guys will give you a month to tool up, then they hit you again... Pisses me right off for you.
My van is equipped with a Clifford alarm, with door open detectors on each door and on the hood, plus a starter disable feature. No motion sensor, no broken glass sensor, though these could be added on. The system's computer is buried in the dash wiring, very hard to get at. A blinking light is visible on the dash. The 120db horn is mounted at the front of the engine compartment, where it can't be disabled from below or above as the hood is wired. Problem is that it is next to the brake master cylinder...so far brake oil has destroyed two of these horns on me, at $100 a pop.
Since I moved to a small town with no crime to speak of, I didn't bother replacing the horn the last time it disintegrated from a brake fluid spill. Will probably curse myself the day I come out in the morn and have nothing left but a dustpan.
Suggest you get a name brand alarm that's had good reviews from Consumer's Union, purchased from a reputable retailer who has his own pro installers.
I have no idea what the cost of theft insurance is... Expect it is around $800-$1000 per year. I also considered buying one or two of those big green steel toolchests and bolting it to the floor. Can't say I'm too keen on putting up with the inconvenience of having everything all stacked together, hard to get at stuff, pain in the a** factor... A slider saw and a table saw would take up a whole chest on their own... So I stick my head in the sand and don't worry about it. So far so good.
Pro installers are fine, but find out which ones are MECP certified and have been installing for awhile. There are a lot of hacks out there. I managed 3 12V install shops and while a lot of places install what they sell, some just plain suck. Some have employees who are, shall we say, less than honest. I know someone who took her car in for a stereo install and the guys asked if they could take some pictures of her, nekkid. She said no and, that night, her car was stolen and the stereo was yanked out. You'll be able to get a feel for them when you talk to them. Find one that includes a lifetime warranty on the installation and an alarm that has more than just a basic warranty.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Go to the tool store and get a bunch of boxes from new power tools. Sit in the shadows with a 12ga and wait for the "shoppers".
Your reputation will last longer than the bloodstains and you'll never have to lock your van again.
good hunting
The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.
- Fyodor Dostoyevski
Every door on my van is wirednto the interior lights, and on the driver's bottom corner of the windshield is a BIG blinking Viper Alarm logo (electro-luminescent display) announcing to the world that this vehicle is alarmed!
Just an idea - install double cylinder locks on doors. If the perp forces(or breaks) a window, he can't reach in and open the door. Rather than crawl through a broken window,and try to hump tools through window and then crawl out, he will likely move on to an easier target.
Todd
Im very sorry to hear...This has happened to me at least 3 times. The last time in my driveway @ 4:30 in the afternoon while I was working inside with a helper.The thief had to make 2 trips. What balls! the van was locked but i didnt have my round, auxilliary locks on at the time. Theyve never tried when I have those on.
?? Round auxillary locks on your van ??
Please, tell me more.The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
Folks,
Thanks for your suggestions - and now for an ...
UPDATE - Wonders Never Cease...
Got a call from the Orange (city of) police that they had recovered some of my stuff.
Indeed they had. My practice of painting my name in 3-6 places on each (prime six sides) made it easy for them to check against reported thefts.
Seems someone rented a hotel room and there was a lot of visits to same. Anomaly alert. And what did they find - all sorts of stuff. Next to my stuff was a nice 36" pipe wrench from some other guy, gen sets, a nice Skill 77v, etc. The stuff was all mingled. One of my bags had stereo heads from a number of heists, including mine.
While there is a storage garage to check out, I suspect my good stuff went fast. Who woulnd't want a month-old Jamber set, a really new Bosch DC sidewinder, etc?
However, I got most of a chest of trim tools back - minus the top and two trays of the chest. My bit bag is back - minus the bits and minus my laminated crib cards. Go figure. Saw bag is back with blades and oil and rip fence and cords. Saw?? The Rubbermaid Roughneck totes are not back. A tribute to their quality, eh?
Today it's photo time of all this stuff. I have a database and photo collection of all the serial number stuff, but the little stuff... Try reconstructing from memory what you have in your van. Try to remember all those bits and little stuff that adds up fast. I figure that with just my bags on, that's about $400 on the hoof.
The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
Yeah you know those round american brand locks everyone uses
I don't know what you mean mike .... round American locks? Something that works in a thick sheet metal door?
http://www.inlad.com/main_inventory/Van_Door_Locks/Master_Locks_and_Hasp/1/industrial_ladder.htm
Give this a try
1st and 4th item on that page,
they work together
Edited 1/10/2005 6:33 am ET by butch
I call them hockey puck locks.Theyre heavy , round keyed locksthat fit in hasps that encircle the lock.Theyre mounted on the outside of the van. Everyone uses them around here. you can find them in HD nowadays.
Those look like the real McCoy. Thanks mike and butch.
See what you mean - a system of lock and hasp.But, isn't the counter to break in the side window and go thru that door?
Of course, trying to move large tools out that way is a challenge.My van does not have a steel partition. These probably work better with one.The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
thot of one more useful thing my last alarm had ...
had a "bump alert" ... for lack of a better term ...
if you gave the van a good thump .... bump .... it'd chirp just once ...
not cycle forever.
only when the van was really rocked or the plungers were opened did it wail ...
worked great ... as when I would work in sketchy neighborhoods ... the pro-thieves would just walk down the street thumping the work trucks .... testing for alarms.
Nice to have it go off to let them know .... but not be a false alarm all the time ...
which is another thing the pro-thieves look for ... set off 9 false alarms then hit it the 10th time ... thinking no one cares anymore ...
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
Jeff -
@@ Bump alert...
Tnx - usefull tip on alarm setup.The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.