Security

[Blinky]

Hi All,

I am new caravan owner with my young family and recently brought a second hand Bailey Orion 450/5, the van doesn’t come with a alarm as standard and some recent thefts in my area have got me thinking of getting one.

The van is of course insured should anything happen to it, but want to protect it as best I can.

Could you give me some advise on what types of alarms to look for as well as some recommendations.

Thanks.

 

[Hutch]

Welcome to the Forum Blinky, a good question , I am sure some one on here will help out.
Hutch.

 

[Grey13]

After much discussion and research I ended up with 3 systems:
1. An electronic alarm similar to this with PIR and tilt in case the van is shaken when standing unused.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Caravan-Motorhome-Security-System-Haegil/dp/B01555SE5C
Mine is actually a different one but I could not easily find it on Google
http://www.qis-uk.co.uk/Pics/Alarm.jpg
2. And a good wheel lock like this
http://www.qis-uk.co.uk/Pics/Wheel_Lock.jpg
3. Then I have insured my van at a reasonable price through Caravan & Motorhome Club which seemed to be the best value for money.

 

[otherclive]

There are wide number of alarms available. And some will have tracking capability. Even that can vary in that you may need to know it's been stolen before it can be tracked. With some they alert you to it being moved. If it's in storage an ordinary alarm isn't too effective as near to us a van was even stolen from a Gold storage site and only found in Thames Valley as the thieves had a RTA. In storage battery life needs to be considered.
As Grey 13 has done a good wheelock is essential. I use an Alko which virtually required the van to be destroyed if it is to be removed. I supplement that with a Bulldog Titan but it's a brute and too heavy for touring. So when touring I use a lighterweight wheel lock. It's like the one in the picture above. Not all that secure for a determined thieve in storage but good for touring icw a hitchlock.

 

[Craigyoung]

hello Blinky & welcome to the forum , and congratulations on buying your caravan.
We had this version of the caravan for our first one for the three years , the backbunks are great for the kids, we used one as storage as the bottom one will lift up & there is a strap or some kind of fixing to keep it up so you can use the floor. But as for an alarm ,we did not have one . All we had was a hitchlock and wheel clamp as pictured by one of the other posts you may find that you may need to open the metal bit which goes on the tyre a bit as it may not fit, slight adjustment & stretch to fit is easy .
Enjoy .
Craig.

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Blinky

1. Make sure you fully comply at all times with your caravan insurers conditions and warranties on security.

2. No caravan will ever be thief proof. At storage or even at home is the most vulnerable.
A Tracker system may warn you a theft is in process but Will it help you halt the theft? Jury’s out.

3. Physical deterrents as described by Clive are imo best. They may put off the chancer thief. The Titan Bulldog wheel clamp and the Al-ko Bpw lozenge wheel locks will slow many.

4. Strong hitch locks may help but thieves have designed their own hitch lifts that bypass the lock. Almost their own temporary A frame.
5.The real thief May have a crane that will lift your caravan onto a low loader bypassing all your clamps!
6. Just comply with your Insurers demands. I say again without jest.
7. If your caravan is stolen , trust me , you will not want it back. Why?
Ask your wife!! She will never feel good in it again.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Thieves tend to target newer caravans, so a secondhand one is less desirable, so that is in the OP's favour, but in reality virtually any modern caravan is at some risk.

The aim for any owner is to make their caravan less desirable, or more difficult to to take away quickly. There is no such thing as a 100% anti theft device, the thieves have ways to overcome all locking devices, and alarms, and its the less than "professional" thieves that don't know how to disable trackers, But such devices do slow them down, and if they know a caravan has one they may prefer to go to one without such an armoury or protection.

If they do get away with your pride an joy, they're unlikely to look after it, and it raises the serious question of whether you would actually want it back if it is recovered.

The best you can do is to ensure you have a good insurer, and follow their T&C as to the minimum security equipment you use. And don't forget to use it.

 

[Dustydog]

Prof.
You agree with me

 

[Hutch]

Prof.
You agree with me

Dustydog, you me and other know we will never get a straightforward reply from The Prof.
Blinky, hitch lock, wheel lock of some sort and maybe an internal alarm of the type you would put into a garden shed, theifs don't like noise.
I stopped using a tracker years ago , as DD said my wife would not like the caravan( or me back. )

 

[Craigyoung]

Blinky , hi again ,
I know this thread is on security , now that you have your caravan pay attention to the front window because when we had ours in three years we had three or four front windows fitted due to vibration marks on the front window , it will appear like angel wings, it is off towing and the wind hitting the front window mind you it depends what you are towing with, if you have a high roofed car you might be ok but just keep an eye on it if you have warranty , otherwise ,
Happy touring !
Craig .

 

[ProfJohnL]

Prof.
You agree with me

Yes Dusty, I hadn't seen you post when I started to make my reply. Great canine minds think alike (Panting)

 

[Raywood]

I think you have to look first at who might steal your caravan. A lot of caravans are stolen by those who want to live in them. This means upmarket large caravans so with all due respect to yours they are unlikely to target it. It is not that new and those looking to turn a profit by reselling it are unlikely to go for it either due to its age. Newer caravans are more profitable. This means the main threat is from opportunist thieves so good security using a good wheel lock is essential.
If you store it at home a good alarm will help as it should alert you and the neighbours if the caravan is disturbed and they work on sites where others will normally be around. If it is in a storage area where the alarm will not be heard then it is probably not worthwhile.
Opportunist thieves will steal when the opportunity arises and they are the biggest threat to you. They are looking for something easy to steal, so poor protection is what they are looking for. The caravan should always be secured with at least a good wheel lock when not in use.
Thieves have been known to simply drive off with unlocked caravans from motorway services and the like. When left there either use an easy to attach wheel lock like the Nemisis Ultra or fasten the caravan to the car with a hitchlock although you need to check your insurance requirements. Always check your insurers requirements and follow them.
Do not worry too much about theft, you have to live with the risk in all aspects of life and just take sensible precautions and enjoy the caravan.

 

[Harby]

Raywood makes a good point re caravans being stolen from motorway services. A staff member at our local dealership told me that they (thieves, not staff!) operate with two cars, pull up alongside both sides of the caravan (hiding the A frame) and simply un-hitch the van, swap it onto the waiting car and 'whoosh' they're gone! One insurer I spoke with wouldn't cover the caravan if it was hitched but not locked onto the car and we were more than 2m (or may have been 7m) away from it.... (they did say they'd make an exception for when it's on a ferry... I was being pedantic and asking difficult questions...)

When we have the obligatory wee stops at motorway services one of us always stays with the outfit (more than likely ushering children into the caravan toilet).

 

[Raywood]

Harby The C&CC did publish the statistics on where caravans they insured were stolen from and this is fairly low overall but is a serious risk. Possibly the risk looks low because most of us eat in the caravan or do not leave it unattended so it is difficult to know just what the risk is. Personally I use the Nemisis Ultra if we do leave it, which goes on in seconds and cannot be removed without making a lot of noise.

 

[otherclive]

Raywood makes a good point re caravans being stolen from motorway services. A staff member at our local dealership told me that they (thieves, not staff!) operate with two cars, pull up alongside both sides of the caravan (hiding the A frame) and simply un-hitch the van, swap it onto the waiting car and 'whoosh' they're gone! One insurer I spoke with wouldn't cover the caravan if it was hitched but not locked onto the car and we were more than 2m (or may have been 7m) away from it.... (they did say they'd make an exception for when it's on a ferry... I was being pedantic and asking difficult questions...)

When we have the obligatory wee stops at motorway services one of us always stays with the outfit (more than likely ushering children into the caravan toilet).

We do the same as you never leave the caravan unattended at motorway services or most stops en route to the site. We have the Alko hitchlock which can be fitted when the car and van are hitched. But we would only use that en route if circumstances required it.

 

[Buckman]

Blinky , hi again ,
I know this thread is on security , now that you have your caravan pay attention to the front window because when we had ours in three years we had three or four front windows fitted due to vibration marks on the front window , it will appear like angel wings, it is off towing and the wind hitting the front window mind you it depends what you are towing with, if you have a high roofed car you might be ok but just keep an eye on it if you have warranty , otherwise ,
Happy touring !
Craig .

The problem with alarms is that most people including the police will ignore them. We have a Phantom Tracker fitted in out caravan and if someone enters the caravan, the alarm sounds and we are notified immediately. If we have not set it off accidentally, the tracking company notify the police and hopefully the culprits are apprehended swiftly.

 

[Craigyoung]

Blinky , hi again ,
I know this thread is on security , now that you have your caravan pay attention to the front window because when we had ours in three years we had three or four front windows fitted due to vibration marks on the front window , it will appear like angel wings, it is off towing and the wind hitting the front window mind you it depends what you are towing with, if you have a high roofed car you might be ok but just keep an eye on it if you have warranty , otherwise ,
Happy touring !
Craig .

The problem with alarms is that most people including the police will ignore them. We have a Phantom Tracker fitted in out caravan and if someone enters the caravan, the alarm sounds and we are notified immediately. If we have not set it off accidentally, the tracking company notify the police and hopefully the culprits are apprehended swiftly.

And you quoted me why ? !

 

[Thingy]

The first thing I have to here is agree with Dustydog, if you're caravan is stolen, why on earth would you want it back. Its like being burgled, it will never feel the same again.

As has been suggested, the AlKo wheel lock is utterly superb for security and should give you a decent discount on your insurance. I would balance the cost of an expensive alarm against potential savings on insurance.

These people https://www.ultrasecuredirect.com/ do a range of after market caravan alarms, and you may wish to consider corner steady locks as an extra precaution

 

[ProfJohnL]

Sadly I suspect that thefts of caravans at motorway services are less likely to be so picky as to new or old caravans, mainly because the majority of caravans being towed by cars are likely to be full of goodies, so the value of the caravan its self, is only part of the pickings. I'd bet that the caravan is likely to have plenty of untraceable saleable items like televisions, awnings, gas bottles, EHU cables, camera's and other personal items, and even on the second hand market these could fetch 750 to £1000 then the value of the caravan on top.

Caravan in storage often have the more valuable items removed by their owners, so the thieves will be more picky.

 

[Raywood]

Sadly I suspect that thefts of caravans at motorway services are less likely to be so picky as to new or old caravans, mainly because the majority of caravans being towed by cars are likely to be full of goodies, so the value of the caravan its self, is only part of the pickings. I'd bet that the caravan is likely to have plenty of untraceable saleable items like televisions, awnings, gas bottles, EHU cables, camera's and other personal items, and even on the second hand market these could fetch 750 to £1000 then the value of the caravan on top.

Caravan in storage often have the more valuable items removed by their owners, so the thieves will be more picky.

This is almost certainly true, On the road the caravan is doubly valuable. In a storage compound or from a house drive you will find them looking for the most profitable caravan, or something specific that they have a buyer for, or worst of all something to live in which usually means a high spec twin axle.

 

[Craigyoung]

Well from now on my van is getting put on hitch to the garage door ! There's no room to turn it on my drive to get off ! As for the storage where we keep it , over 5oo vans so slim chance off it getting stolen there , not saying where though !!