ot stolen service trailer GRRRRR

got to work right before 7am, got a call from a jobsite that a 16' tandem axle flatbed trailer we were using as a fuel / grease traielr was gone.

500g diesel tank.. just filled tuesday... duel tank air comp with a honda engine.. 35# grease keg with air operated grease pump and hose reel.. ( amalie ) and an air hose real, plus a aluminum tool box of maintenance items like filters and service tools.

someone must have had to work hard to steal it.. we left it on an 'island' where we park equipment with berms around it and areas that would be difficult to pull thru to get at it...

I hate theives....

spent the morning driving the local area, a few main roads.. some known.. un.. low rent areas.. called a few pawn shops, hit a few small jobsites in the area.. etc.

spoke with the law earlier.. gave a description.. answered some questions.. etc..

[b:606c07dff3][i:606c07dff3]

"500g diesel tank.. just filled tuesday..." UMMM, probly Not stolen for the trailer....too hard to sell that off!!!!(especially being reg. to a company)
More likely to be the "want" of the 500 gals, of fuel in that tank, and anything that was free off-load on the trailer.
Could very well be an "INSIDE" Job.....(someone that KNEW the tank was full)!!
THAT, would be my FIRST guess!!!!
Hard to trace fuel!!!! :shock: Lots of $$$'s for fuel involved!!! :?:

Gonna get worse, before it gets Better!!!!!

Gary..... :roll: [/i:606c07dff3][/b:606c07dff3]

I second the thought " I hate theives.... "
Guy down the road lost a 18ft utility trailer from his front yard last week.
When I lived near McKinney Texas I had the sheds and the house broken into, lost a lot of tools, and a nice 12 Gage shotgun. The local cops never seemed to be much interested, the first question was always "You got insurance?" they took a report and I never heard anything back. I hate theives!
Andrew

my thoughs on the fuel too. kinda.. or similar ..

at lunch on tuesday I went over to pick up a ditch witch and haul it back tot eh rental yard.. I looked acorss the job and saw the fuel supplier fueling the 500g tank right then. Rained alot the last 2 days, so tank was probably still full.

at 5pm yesterday that trailer and equipment was parked on the job when the super left.

it had to be taken from 5:01 pm wed to 6:59 am this thursday morning.. I'd say it had to be a 4wd pickup.. and while a half ton mighta toted it.. a 3/4 or better would have pulled better.. with that 2000$ of fuel on board. hitch was setup for a large ball.. a 2 5/16 not the common 2 or 1 7/8 so the average homeowner probably didn't have a ball to fit.. but there are som many out of work contractors and what not around here still driving a diesel 3/4 ton that there are plenty that COULD HAVE hauled it off..

Anyone have a private airplane that could do a flyover of area. Can spot lots of things from the air.

Put an ad in local papers with reward. Turns mouths loose.

Bingo.

I'd be looking at staff and relatives of staff.

Dean

good point. someone might have a neighbor that sees the trailer and turns em in?

Hello Soundguy,
I hate to hear of the thieves also. I know your pain i had a new wood splitter stolen a few years back a nice 27 ton splitter from sears and paid for too.

The sherrif came out but did not seem to be interested either. He said that the theives are hard to find like that i gave 1500 for the splitter and turned it into my home owners insurance and they gave me 600 for it so i got some relief for it but not much.

I seen your post and just had to reply.
Sorry to hear of it
Hope you find it.
Bob Lucas 9n 8302

lots of folks losing trailers here also lately.some were chained up etc. I have two at the house,got them hooked to trucks with a lock through hitch. wouldnt stop a determined thief but it may slow them down.My nephew lost two last year off jobsites,one he had a living quarters built in the front.thieves simply watched until he went to supper and stole it then.

Argh. That sucks. My neighbors installed IR cameras all around their place due to thefts of stuff from the yard and garage. I agree, in my experience local police (and others) totally uninterested in anything other than finishing the call. Yeah, we'll take the report, we'll call you. And they never do.

If it don't involve free donuts, the cops ain't interested.

Sorry for your loss Sound Guy
a good friend of mine had his 18 car hauler stolen last year filed a police report.
3 months later he gets a notice from DMV someone is trying to aquire a new title for the trailer.
turns out a salvage yard and tow company towed the trailer off the side of the road where it was abandon with a scrap truck on it that had slipped off the side of the trailer.
they kept the trailer for 3 months before they filed for a abandon vechile title.
when he went to court for it the salvage yard wanted $6000. for storage fees.
the only reason he got it back was because the VA state Police did not notify him of where the trailer was with in 72 hours he still had to pay $150 for the tow and of course the truck that was on it was gone.
I hate thiefs too just noticed this weekend some one stole Grandaddy JD two bottom plow with cultivators from over at the shop.

Betcha after I replaced all that I'd have gps/lojack on the next one and not tell anyone about it. Folks trying to sell me that technology for the fleet cars I ran even told me I could set it up to "lock" the unit and if it started moving when it was locked I'd get a text on my cell phone real time. I Don't have much faith in Law Enforcement, our sheriff's department couldn't find out who drove across their lawn in front of a video camera, of course the county board wouldn't take any initiative to make the sheriff look at the tape either. Isn't it wonderful to be union, you get to commit crimes while on the clock and the elected officials that want you to endorse them won't do anything about it.

Watch craigslist also

Go back to the police - Offer Reward = Free dounuts for the next 30 days.

Most police forces are understrength. Theft of something like a trailer is kinda hard to catch because most often the scum bag puts another tag on it and they cannot stop everyone pulling a trailer. So with having to enforce traffic laws, accident reports, domestic disputes, durgs and worse, plus donut breaks, minor things like a stolen trailer isn't a big priority. Keep in mind they say one cop, on duty for every 1000 of population is about right. I know here in my county, counting towns and county cops we would be hard pressed to come up with the needed 55 cops off season total, per shift. Most of the small towns have no police force and rely on the county.

For example, Fergus Falls Mn, pop about 13.5 K, would require for 8 hour shifts, about 40 full time officers and 40 part timers to avoid paying overtime., The have 23. The county has about 28 and there area hand full of smaller towns with 1, 2 and 3 man departement.

Rick

gonna do something that's for sure!

i plan on it!

2 5/16 ball? If I was stealing the trailor and only had a 2 inch ball, so what? Just don't hook up the safety chains and if it comes off, so what just keep going, only faster.
Theft is one of my BIG worries, too many of the scumbags that have never worked for anything in their life. All they know is government assistance or taking what they want. I realy hope they are found!
Wish you luck! joe

with the diesel tank towards the rear of the trailer.. I don't think it would set on a trailer ball without a lil help. Yeah.. I know.. negative tounge weight is not great.. but it usually gets hauled by a 1.5t heavy service truck or larger vehicle.. so it isn't an issue.

I meand.. I guess you could rig it with a chain to keep it on a small ball.. or have one of those 3-way deals.

i guess if yo were int he theft business.. those might be standard tools..

(quoted from post at 00:13:55 09/21/12) Sorry for your loss Sound Guy
a good friend of mine had his 18 car hauler stolen last year filed a police report.
3 months later he gets a notice from DMV someone is trying to aquire a new title for the trailer.
turns out a salvage yard and tow company towed the trailer off the side of the road where it was abandon with a scrap truck on it that had slipped off the side of the trailer.
they kept the trailer for 3 months before they filed for a abandon vechile title.
when he went to court for it the salvage yard wanted $6000. for storage fees.
the only reason he got it back was because the VA state Police did not notify him of where the trailer was with in 72 hours he still had to pay $150 for the tow and of course the truck that was on it was gone.
I hate thiefs too just noticed this weekend some one stole Grandaddy JD two bottom plow with cultivators from over at the shop.

Click to expand...

I use to do Break down rotation are another term Drunk calls for the law...Most of what you got called to haul in at 2am was something that had been sitting their for days/weeks/ mo's :twisted: back then I got under contract $35 most of what you hauled in would only bring $25... It cost $10/15 to file the paper work for a unclaimed vehicle... You would sit on it for a year and junk it out no paper work... But if it had value do the unclaimed deal then a a mechanics lien and hope they did not come and claim it... If they did and you had all yer ducks in a row you made MONEY!!!! No way you could lose.... It was a rare event,,, sounds like a crooked deal but by law legal... So you lose cleaning up the mess for peanuts but hit a home run every now and again... I have never been involved in a deal like this that the tower had all his ducks in a row I could call his bluff and get the vehicle back at a fair price,,, after all, all he really wants is his money for the tow he does not want to take a chance of losing it...

I don't think the law has to notify you its up to the person who has possession of it (towing co.) in most cases by doing a unclaimed report to the DMV in X amount of time its not 90 days you can bank on that...... In your case the tower wanted it and did not do his report he chanced it let'n it set and filing a mechanics lien,,,, The tower rolled the dice and lost he knew he lost his storage by law if it was challenged ell he could lose it all so took the tow money that I bet if it were challenged was less under contract than he got ... I have been in possession of a stole vehicle are 2... It was discover cuzz I applied for a title are a lien are the VIN did not chiffer out to what I had... I stamp #'s on trailers regular (local license plate agency sends them my way) were folks are applying for a title 99% of'em have a good Florida serial #,,, I don't get it I stamp rite above the FLA. # They get a NC title.... The serial # is their good as ever it don't mean chit...

OH by the way Sound, I go along with the inside job too. Most likely a guy with a diesel truck.

Back in the 80's a top secret secure site we were guarding (the PVT's had to have a secret clearance just to walk the fence, us NCO's in charge had to have a top secrest) came up missing 500 gallons of gas out of a tanker truck. The security manager new it had to be an inside job (kinda hard to sneak past armed gusrds). Turned out one Sgt and Pvt from his relief both had 4X4's and had been filling up so they could play in the boonies on thier off time. But yea, I'd bet on an employee or recently fired one.

Rick

If it was off road dyed diesel in the tank and you
have some employees with diesel rigs that you
suspect, see if you can dip their tanks. If the
diesel comes up red, turn them in to the fuel tax
people. The fine for using red diesel on-road is
pretty high, so at least they will pay a penalty
even if you can"t prove that they stole the
trailer.

(quoted from post at 20:47:16 09/20/12) If it was off road dyed diesel in the tank and you
have some employees with diesel rigs that you
suspect, see if you can dip their tanks. If the
diesel comes up red, turn them in to the fuel tax
people. The fine for using red diesel on-road is
pretty high, so at least they will pay a penalty
even if you can"t prove that they stole the
trailer.

Click to expand...

Have to get the cops involved in that. HE would need the owners permission or a search warrant before he could dip the tanks. If someone there is the thief or they have a tank at home with farm fuel that they been putting in their truck they are not going to give permission and the cops gotta have probable cause to get a warrant.

Rick

it was red diesel

Most (newer/newish) livestock trailers use a 2 5/16 ball so it's not all that uncommon for rural folks to have that size.

Sorry for the loss, I'd hate to have my Featherlite taken as i don't think I'd get enough from insurance to replace it, even if I could find a used one, bumper pull aluminum ones are scarce as hen's teeth in these parts.