Trailer locks at the ramp
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Saltwater Fishing
Forum Name: The Briny Bar
Forum Description: The place for general chat on saltwater fishing!
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=78813
Printed Date: 11 Jun 2026 at 7:37pm
Topic: Trailer locks at the ramp
Posted By: worksux
Subject: Trailer locks at the ramp
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 8:35am
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An elderly guy came back in to the ramp to find some thieving ***** had nicked his trailer at Kuaotunu last weekend. Not the first time that I have heard this happening. Who locks their trailers while out fishing?. I never did but will do from now on How often does this happen? ------------- http://www.legasea.co.nz" rel="nofollow"> 
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Replies:
Posted By: Wide Load
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 8:37am
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I throw a cable through my wheel most times, better safe than sorry. Just remember it's there at the end of the day  ------------- http://www.legasea.co.nz" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: double dose
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 8:42am
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I don't use a wheel clamp but I have a lock where the trailer hitches to the tow bar. I think I read a thread on here a while back about some one stealing the winch handle off a trailer, It made me check to see if mine came off easily and started caring a spare. There is some ***** out there! The last thing you want after a good days fishing is to get back to the ramp and you can't get your boat out of the water.
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Posted By: Reel Deal
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 8:46am
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Hi, Dave iv heard of that happening at raglan. My extreme came with a padlock on the ball bar so lock as soon as hitched on. Not bullet proof system but would prevent the opitunists. Trailer also has 3 large numbers welded on it that matches with 3 numbers wielded on to th boat. Good thinking extreme! I guess the scum are replacing there rotten trailers? ------------- The gods do not subtract from the allotted span of men's lives the hours spent on fishing - Assyrian Proverb |
Posted By: Fletch
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 8:47am
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Yep, keep mine locked although may do same as wide load from now on....wouldnt be hard to break the lock off id say....Poor bugger that had his knicked. ------------- http://www.legasea.co.nz" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: jakepitsville
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 9:01am
| have not had a trailer go missing but a few years ago, ever single time i fished out of Taipa in the Far North both my D shackels would go missing... must have lost like 5 or 6 before i started locking them in the truck... also have a padlock n stainless sleave on tow point! good deterant! |
Posted By: Finatic
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 9:09am
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I believe these scumbags stealing trailers also do so to cut up and sell to the scrap metal yards. ------------- What's the cheapest type of meat? Dear balls. They're under a buck. |
Posted By: KikBac
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 9:25am
| I have a padlock thru' the trailer hitch - both on the vehicle and at home in the driveway. Nothing to spoil your day on the water by coming back to a missing trailer. |
Posted By: ponty
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 10:39am
| I padlock to my car and take the D shackles off. What the heck would you do if your trailer was stolen? It's not like you can just get someone to pick you up and worry about it later. |
Posted By: family affair
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 1:36pm
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i had a padlock through mine but lost the key so one good whack with a dumpy hammer and it snaped off easy as. i havnt got a lock anymore but hmm myte have to think of some way to lock him on know. iv had d shackles get stolen iv even had my prop bag get stolen at kopu pub 1 day haha. ------------- mv maui |
Posted By: Olfart
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 2:18pm
Arrived at HMB one day with the wife acting as crew and a guy came running up to me and asked if I would help by loading his boat on my trailer and running it home for him as some barstool had knicked his. The guy reckoned he was only a couple of K's from the ramp, so I did the Good Samaritan thing. Dropped my boat in the water and left the Mrs. holding it while I loaded the other guy's boat on my trailer and towed it to his place - which turned out to be at least 5 K's away  By the time I had dropped his boat off in his driveway and got back on the road again quite some time had passed and when I got back to HMB all the close-by parking had been taken so had to park quite some distance away.Long story short..got back to the boat (and a very irate Mrs) and headed out for a fish... but the bite time was well and truly done by the time we got to our spot, so suffered a zilching for our efforts. Since then I have always had a towbar lock and a wheel clamp on my trailer when it is left unattended - even at home (even though the rig is behind locked gates). (Never did hear from the guy I had helped - he had promised me a tray of the brown stuff for helping him....) Not that that would stop me from helping another boatie in the same predicament if I came across one in the future. And despite the precautions I take, I always worry when heading back to the ramp that everything will be as it should be as far as my trailer is concerned).
------------- Semper in excreta sumus, solum profundum variat.... |
Posted By: letsgetem
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 2:36pm
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My boat and trailer was stolen up north, overnight. I had a trailer coupling lock, which is a pin with padlock, that prevents the coupling being attached to a towball. It didnt stop the thieves (arseholes). I now think the coupling lock isnt sufficient, and intend using two devices - a coupling lock and a security cable attaching the trailer to something. But, that wont stop determined thieves. Keeping the boat beside the house should help too.
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Posted By: JW
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 2:53pm
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I had one of those red and yellow pincer type wheel locks. Lost the key. A 12 volt drill took about 10 seconds to sort it. So I went for a more expensive cable type with lock. Drove off with it around the wheels and it snapped like cotton . I now have the most expensive chain and padlock I could find and it seems to be the best option. I reckon you need to make life difficult and put two layers of security on stuff. Would like to put one of those bars over the outboard screws to stop that getting lifted. They had them on a deals site but they sold out. Anyone know where you can get them from?
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Posted By: Southern_Jez
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 2:53pm
| If we head into the lakes and surrounding bush for overnighters we remove the wheels from the trailer, put them in the truck, and keep the nuts on the boat. Takes a bit more mucking around at the ramp, but while one of us is doing that, the other is organising things on the boat. We also take the truck battery out and use that on the boat as backup. So if you want to pinch my truck and trailer go ahead, but bring your own wheel nuts and batteries ;) |
Posted By: krow
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 2:56pm
Fairly dangerous thing to do as the padlock is more than likely quite weak and may not hold in the event of the toe hitch coming off the ball. I suggest you do a little test and hook the chain up only and drive off. I suspect you'll be amazed at how easly it smashes the lock. Have you obtained a warrant with this setup?
Also for all those folks out there that secure your trailer to the vehicle with a locking pin make sure your whole toe ball and bar is not the removable type because it's just as quick and easy to pull that pin and your tralier is gone. You can buy a locking pin for this too. I have.
I lock the hitch with the lock pin and use a wheel clamp. Didn't worry about the clamp when my trailer was the worse one of the bunch but now it's new and is often at the ramp in the dark. Don't worry about the shackles I just carry a couple of spares just incase. |
ponty wrote:Posted By: Muzzfishing
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 2:59pm
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I always put a padlock on the tow hitch, has a small latch on it for the lock so the handle can not be lifted up to release tow ball. Will now start padlocking the safety chain to the draw bar as well. Have it locked at home as well and a big piece of chain in a block in the ground wrapped around the draw bar. Another local fish O lost his trailer winch and post to which the boat rest up against from his trailer from Te Kouma car park over night for a 769 Blue fin. ------------- http://www.legasea.co.nz" rel="nofollow"> A Good Skipper Keeps the water on the outside of the boat.
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Posted By: Catchelot
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 3:02pm
The Testing Station does not allow padlocks because in the event of an emergency it impedes progress for the Fire Brigade if they have to remove the trailer from the vehicle...
I used to padlock my towing chain on my dinghy to the car until I got told off.
 ------------- "The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." - Jacques Cousteau |
Posted By: ponty
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 3:10pm
To reword it. From my house to the boat ramp=D shackles connected the chain to the towbar. Once the boat is off the trailer the D shackles are taken off on winch and on chain and the chain is then padlocked to the towbar. I sometimes forget
but most of the time i swap them over again at the end of the day. |
Posted By: Big -Dave
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 5:28pm
PAdlocks are not enough on a safety chain, as above, chains are quickly and easily cut..as well as the obvious of padlocks being weak or smacked off with a hammer. What I would consider is a bracket that covered the nut on your towball, had a leg going up each side of the towball and coupling and then locked on top of the coupling. Use one of those round padlocks that have very little lock shaft showing. |
Posted By: Rob Optimist
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 6:21pm
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Always have padlocked the hitch on for two reasons, one obviously to make it a little harder to steal and also to safeguard the hitch accidentally comming undone. Good habit to get into. ------------- "attitude is everything" |
Posted By: Cigar
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 7:27pm
| I swapped my hitch pin for the pin that has a padlock on the end - the trailer is not insured if not locked/secured when attached to the vehicle (AMI) |
Posted By: back2black
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 7:32pm
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Next Overnighting Excuse! Honey Someone has knicked our boat trailer so will have to keep the boat in the water for another day until insurance organizes a replacement! So I might as well fish another day...see u tomorrow!  ------------- Auckland Blasting Services Ltd Multi Media Blasting - Automotive/Marine/industrial/Residential Ph: 0225278968 ( 02BLASTYOU ) |
Posted By: jeff007
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 7:42pm
Just heard about that and was thinking maybe it happened at night? that ramps reasonably visable but then again mongrels are pretty brash these days
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Posted By: mowerman
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 7:45pm
| I always take d shackles,winch handles with me,make sure trailer is padlocked on to car and back it in somewhere so it cant be moved |
Posted By: Spaz
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 7:51pm
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I've always locked my trailer to the car. Quick and easy to do, and acts as a deterrent. For when it's parked at home, I have run a cable from my security panel out to the trailer. If anyone try's pinching it, the house alarm goes off. |
Posted By: MiltDogg
Date Posted: 17 May 2012 at 9:34pm
| I clamp mine... Have one of the SAS clamps, supposed to be t best.?! Had a Trojan one to begin with and forgot to take it off one morning... Just spat it out t back like it wasn't there so got me money back and got the SAS. With my insurance if t trailer gets flogged with a clamp on it the excess is $250... If it gets flogged without a clamp excess is $2,500.00. Hence I clamp the fker. |
Posted By: corokid
Date Posted: 18 May 2012 at 1:57am
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Got into the habit of locking mine when overnighting. As certain locks can be dealt to by well equipped thieves this is the set up I had on previous vehicle. I had 5 star mongoose alarm with optional trailer protection circuit which could be selected by switch. Disconnecting the trailer plug caused volt drop which would activate alarm. In addition this would page my cellphone. Always thought what use would it be as probably at least 10 min away, but only one road outa coro so appropriate phone call could be made to the right people . 
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