speedneed

What precautions do you guys take when spending the night at a hotel. Heading to VIR this weekend from Sarasota Florida and don't want to do a one day drive. I'm a little concerned about having vehicles setting in a hotel parking lot all night. I'm towing with an open trailer. I don't want to wake up and find everything or anything gone. What do you do? Any good place to stop at around 3-4 hrs south of VIR?

TedDBere

I always use the car cover on the car when I have to leave it overnight. And try to park it where there is a lot of foot traffic, like near the front door. Don't park it around back where no one can see it.

If I leave the trailer and car at an event and take the tow vehicle back to the hotel I'll put a lock on the tongue and remove the brake-away brake trigger from the trailer and take it with me.

Slalom4me

Several contributions were put forth in response to the thread about the loss
of the Sorted Performance transporter.

One or more LoJack's was a common theme. Staying with the tow vehicle,
equipped to defend it was mentioned more than once.

A post on another forum described using a wireless IR camera with
the receiver connected to the TV in the hotel room.

One thought I didn't see mentioned elsewhere was to use a 'boot'
immobilizer like those applied by parking bylaw enforcement officers.
These are available in several forms for anti-theft purposes.

.

heavychevy

The car should be okay on the trailer, its the trailer you need to protect with the car on it, I wouldnt leave it hooked up to your tow vehicle, remove it, and buy a trailer hitch lock so your hitch cant be stolen and a ball lock for the trailer, this prevents the trailer from being hooked up to another truck, as mentioned before remove the break away brake line and make sure all ramps are secure, also good if your car has vibration sensor on the alarm because it would take a whole heck of alot of motion to move the trailer in this aspect but still park you truck close enough so that another truck cant just try and back in and jack your trailer, block it in!!! You should be safe that way.

larryfs

no provisions, just properly insured.

WNDOPDLR

Might be a little out of the way, but detour to my place and park your trailer here. You can stay in a local motel and your rig will be safe. I am about 2 1/2 -3 hours from VIR. We can leave Sunday morning and caravan up. If you need references about who and what I am, talk to Tom Bohlman.

AU N EGL

Wally is a good guy.

Falcon

If it's a race car, that's a little more difficult.

c4cruiser

I unhook my trailer and park it so that it's backed in to a wall or fence. I have a lock for the tongue. I also have a length of G70 tow chain that I run thru the spoke wheels on the trailer on one side with the padlock i=on the outside. Then I park the truck close enough (2 to 3 inches) to that side of the trailer so you cannot easily get to the chain and padlock.

I hadn't thought of removing the breakaway cable. For those of you that do that, are you pulling the pin so that it engerizes the brakes? I didn't think the small battery had the capacity to apply the brakes for extended periods like overnight. It would seem that cycling that bettery down to a full discharge (say on a three day trip) could eventually damage the battery.

larryfs

There must be insurance companies that insure race cars and trailer contents for theft.

In fact some SCCA classes require street legal cars, so you must be insured.

wallyman424

geico insures mine for theft and trailering accidents.

however, mine is titled in my name. not registered, just titled, and geico knows that.

Falcon

My car isn't titled so Nationwide will not insure it for anything, even though I contend it's just another piece of person property. To insure mine, I'll have to go to a boutique insurer who speacilzes in that type of coverage, which I'm sure will be pretty expensive, so I guess I'll just continue to self insure.

If you're referring to T1 cars as "street legal," that's not necessarily accurate. They may appear to be legal, but many have the cats removed, no airbags, no DOT approved belts, etc.

Racer-38

I had a texas roll back trailer stolen from my race shop. I thought I was insured....apparently I was wrong. I called my insurance agent(Cotten States), he came to the office and I have a policy that covers everything that I called out....the race car and trailer, the pit bikes, my tools, helmet, suit, wheels/tires even the generator that is mounted in the trailer. We put agreed upon amounts on each item, and he took pictures and serial numbers. I think I have about $150k of insurance for about $1500. It takes care of any and everything except putting the car on the track.

Janni

Our race care is insured for storage, transportation and paddock insurance - it's reasonable - that would cover theft or damage from trailering / accidents, etc. Typically this is done through Parish Heacock insurance at about 1% of the value of your race car annually for a premium. It is stated value. No VIN is required.

95jersey

When I had my trailer looked over by a local shop, the guy stated removing the breakaway is a bad idea as it will damage the battery and or only work for a short period of time.

I think the chain through the wheel is as good as any, and probably the cheapest security. If you leave your trailer hooked to your truck, park in a difficult but well lighted spot AND run dual chains through each set of tires, you probably very protected. If they want it THAT bad, your not going to completely stop them.

varkwso

I keep a rabid raccoon in the trunk. Provides lunch if I get there intact...

I have more worries about stuff in the back of my pickup walking away...

WNDOPDLR

Lamar and Fred Sanford never had any trouble either.

Bill Dearborn

Pulling the breakaway is easily circumvented. All they have to do is break the wire going from the breakaway switch to the brakes. On a lot of trailers it is in the open and easily reached. One quick tug of the hand and the brakes are no longer on.

Bill

Procrastination Racing

I used to park against something like a light pole or a wall on the back of the trailer and stay in a lighted area I could see from the room.

A cheap and easy theft alarm is to pull one ramp, slide it under on a crossmember or axle, so that when the trailer moves, the ramp will crash and make noise. If you chain the ramp to the trailer so they can't steal it, then it will also crash as they drive along so it becomes real obvious that something is wrong with that picture.

I used to use the heavy chain, either through a wheel, or around a pole. I got tired of doing it around the wheel, as it was a hassle to crawl under the trailer each time. Plus that meant they could sit the lock on something solid (trailer runners) to cut or break it. Position the lock either in a hard to get spot, or hanging in the air so they can't hammer on it.

Leave it hooked up to the tow vehicle, and take the coil wire. If you have to unhook, then have a good hitch lock, and also chain the trailer to a pole.

The best way is to simply have something no one really wants. Ugly paint, ugly bodywork, worn-out tires, and so on. And park next to someone with a really nice setup. After all, would you steal the junky stuff or the nice stuff?

Parking by the front desk sounds good, but usually you don't have the room to park, and unless you tip the night clerk well in advance, no one sees anything anyway. Parking outside your window, with something that makes noise, and your window open slightly, is about as good as you get.

Daytona was about the only place I had this issue, as I could usually get in the track to drop off anywhere else. And really, if you pick your place to stop well, I doubt you have any issues at all. I never did.

XPC5R

That's who we use for our race car insurance. Fair price for the peace of mind.

As for the rig at a hotel, spend a few bucks more to stay in a nicer neighborhood if possible. Cover the car so the numbers, bling wheels etc. are not obvious. I leave the trailer hooked up, with locks on the hitch, receiver, etc. That forces them to take the tow vehicle as well, or do a lot of cutting. Ideally have the tow vehicle alarmed with a paging remote, so that you know when this happens.