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Keys in?

N

notjustair

Well-known Member
The thread on theft below got me thinking. How many of you leave the keys in everything? Everything from tractors to the pickup around here has the keys hanging in it. If I ever take them out it is a pain to figure out what I did with them so I can move something. We haven't had any theft close by so I never consider it. It also helps that the neighbors call me if anything seems fishy and watch close if they see me leaving the farm. I keep telling myself I should start pulling keys but I would have to look like a jailer to have every one I needed on a daily basis with me. .
 
NOT sure what"s the issue, "cuz 9 out of ten posters here have most of their stuff broke down/or won"t "crank" at all times.

So WHAT"S the harm in leaving the keys "in"?????
 
Hey now kinda go easy on us poor folks. Times are tough on us while we support the privileged ones who don't work but still get a check. Lol
 
I WASN'T " picking on the 'po folks, just stating the facts of how it is around my place!
 
Usually try to hide the ones on that are likely to ever be stolen.
We also have a few older machines that still have NO key. Then yes there are a few that you have to know what your doing to get started.
Final thing-what difference dose a key make to a thief-trailer, and battery powered winch and there gone 75 miles in a hour!
 
my keys are all in the trucks and tractors on my place,at least the ones that still have keys , the wife pulls hers out, and nothing is more agravating to me than having to move her car when im working ,and having to go find the keys, plus move the seat back and the steering wheel ect just so i can get in it , mine i just jump in fire them up and do what i need it for
 
So what's your address? So's we can help watch over you stuff. P.S. Don't forget to let us know when your going to be away.
 
Same here plus my drive is 1/2 mile long. I also have 4 family members you have to drive by to get to my place.
DON TX
 
Back in my day on the farm, most of our vehicles werent worth stealing anyhow.

Leave your keys in an old beater that won't run and maybe the thief will get it running for you.
 
I take the keys out of everything on my place. Granted I still live in the country but I'm not as far our as I was 18 years ago, and there have been plenty of cases of theft in the area over the years.

That said if you should ever have anything stolen, don't let your insurance company know that the keys were in it. The way I understand it, as long as you take 'reasonable' measures to insure something can't be stolen they will cover a loss. Unfortunately, leaving the keys in a vehicle, in their eyes, is just asking for someone to steal it.

Case in point, years ago criminals broke into a mfgs yard and stole 6 vehices. Even though they were locked behind a fence topped with barbed wire, they would up having to come out of pocket for nearly half a million dollars to cover the loss on their own because the keys had been left in the all but one or two of the trucks.
 
Key is left in the tractor. Nobody can figure out how to get the thing started. But when I get out of my vehicle, I ALWAYS pull the key, even if I'm getting out for just a few seconds. Never been locked out of my vehicle, something my wife can't say.
 
If I ever kill or injure a thief, it will not be because of whatever I catch him doing. It will be from years of built up aggravation from dealing with lost keys, frozen locks, wrong keys, forgotten keys, locks that were changed without telling me, broken keys, broken locks, forgotten combinations, keys locked in the vehicle, etc., etc.,

When I think of all the time I have wasted on "security" over the years, and knowing that a determined thief or vandal is going to win every time, including in court, it seems easier to just leave everything open. Unfortunately, my insurance company wouldn't see it this way.

Thieves hit a local construction company several years ago, broke into the shop, loaded a bunch of tools into a dump truck that was parked inside, hooked up a trailer and backhoe, and took off. They were caught when the backhoe got stuck in a RR underpass. Insurance company gave the owner a hard time because the keys were left in the dump truck. "HELLO, the trucked was in a LOCKED building!!!!".
 
i keep the keys in everything. I dont believe there is anything more frustrating than trying to find a set of keys when moving something
 
I used to have a friend that left his keys in everything. "Nobody around here would steal my car." Sure enough, someone stole his car and wrecked it. I've investigate a lot of stolen car reports, stolen property reports, etc. Leaving the keys in the car or doors unlocked? You're just asking for problems. We don't lock up everything, but we secure the easy to take, valuable stuff.

My oldest boy is big on leaving keys in his car or leaving things unlocked. I asked him why he does that. "It's too much trouble to take the keys with me." Guess who has had stuff stolen from his car?
 
I pull them. Insurance company will have a problem if left in. When car was stolen, that was the first question cops asked. I look like a jailer with a large clip. I remove just the key I need. Too many keys will damage switch.
 

I almost always take mine out of the car but usually left in the truck. When I left my F-350 with 6.0 overnight at a field right by a fairly busy road last summer, I left the key in it hoping it would be gone in the morning, but no such luck.
 
Most tractors did not have a key. Car and truck I always pull when ever getting out of car. When I was young and single was going to a singles group and one of of the guys left his key in switch and closed door, well it locked his key inside, found out late at night when he went to leave. don't remember how he ever got it open as over 40 year ago but at that time I started taking a second set all the time. A few times have had to use that second set as doors locked automatacily. This fall local mechanic pushed dead car in and left key in, when he hooked up battery charger on dead batery, click, the car locked, he had to use his lock out tools to get in and as soon as he got door open the window went down so he could reach in for anything and the keys came out. If I am hooking up trailer and get out to check hitch position I either pull key or open window and leave door open if just checking that hitch, have had wind blow door shut but with window open I was OK.
 
one of the first thing when any different vehicle is acquired is spare key under the license plate. New ones will noy run but key will open door. Notice some new care do not have key hole on right side.
 
Some of my machinery that is old and hard to start I leave the key in but any vehicle of mine will be indoors and the key in my pocket or well hidden. It might be a minor inconvenience having to actually find the key to start a vehicle but it is a lot more frustrating having to call the police and report a stolen vehicle. Chance are if they find it I won't want it back anyway after some "joy rider" has driven the wheels off it.
 
The downside to leaving the hand crank beside the tractor is if a stranger (thief) wants to borrow your tractor and breaks his arm cranking you could be in for a lot of law suits. he-he
 
A bunch of years ago My Grandpa's work car was stolen from in front of His house.
The thiefs popped the ign switch and tore up the trunk lid trying to open it.
The car was found abandoned in a field outside of town.
When Grandpa got it back the keys were still hanging from the radio knob!

Steve A W
 
You will definitely change your ways AFTER you are ripped off. I put in a house alarm a year ago after I heard a neighbor up the road had his barn broke into and a bunch of stuff stolen. You cannot be too careful. I know of many people that have had trucks stolen, homes broken into, equipment stolen, I do not want to be a victim.
 
I don't as a rule, I pull keys when I exit any vehicle, if I had numerous vehicles, trucks equipment, I'd have a locked and well hidden key box with all keys properly ringed and labeled, more than likely 2 key boxes, one as a back up, and again well hidden.

I'll never know if anyone has poked around my yard as its connected to a few hundred of acres along with my home, I could get away with it, no one would really know, but all it takes is one time, so I don't help them by leaving keys in anything. If its in my garage, yes, in case of an emergency, I don't want to fumble around or waste time, thats a bit different and a better reason to not pull them, thief would likely find them on the hook anyway.
 
For a while in Northern Ireland there was a risk of having your car booby trapped if it was left unlocked, or it could have been stolen to use for car bombing a city centre....If it was, you could have been an accessory to a bombing or if it had been booby trapped you had no legs or no life.....Kinda made sense to lock up and take your keys with you and nearly everyone still does to this day.
Sam
 

One would think with some self propelled farm equipment exceeding 6 figures that the manufacturers would assign these machines their own personal KEYS.
 
I got booby trapped onct. I was in a place in Williamsburg called Rosie Rump's Regal Dump, an the waitress trapped me in her boobies from behind...oops... we're talking about two different things.....
 
All of my tractors have keys in them all the time. My service truck has keys in the ignition that are stuck. I mean they won't come out, been that way for over fifteen years. My pickup doesn't even need a key to start, just to lock the doors. Farming partner is the same way. Keys are in ignition or on floor in all rigs. Our wives however. Lock their cars when parked in the garage at home! Yup. We have been lucky and that's the way I' hoping it stays. Hell. Our house hasn't been locked up in at least 5 years. I know I know. On borrowed time.
 
50/50 here. Leave the keys in the tractors that have them all
the time except when the grandkids are coming over.
Not that it would matter much if I pulled them all the time because
most take the same key. Two keys, three if you count lawn tractors.
The expensive keys, meaning the hand cranks, are on the tractors
unless I leave them out for some reason, THEN I bring the cranks in!
I pull the keys out of my daily driver pickup because I had one other
truck with electric door locks that would lock when you shut the door.
Got in the habit quick! LOL
 
After having a large amount of hand and power tools,new power washer, ATV's, gasoline, stereos, CD's,from boy's cars parked in driveway,riding lawn mower, from unlocked barn, you bet they will have to break locks to get in the next time!
 
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