Reward for stolen mill out of Bend oregon

[backwoods sawyer]

A mill in my area came up missing just wanted to pass on the information.

http://bend.craigslist.org/grd/4080832400.html

What steps can we take to prevent this from occurring? putting a lock on the hitch just slows them down a bit.

[bedway]

Thats a *DanG shame. when they catch em id beg to spend 15 minutes with them in a room. It would be the last time they stole something!

[AnthonyW]

It is a shame and I'm sorry for the owner. Ironically, considering about to keep it from "rolling away without me" was the second thought I had about my 'new' mill. The first being "where the heck am I going to park this thing?"

So as the OP stated, what have others done to prevent this?

[NCDiesel]

...snip...

So as the OP stated, what have others done to prevent this?

Most police will advise you to keep the saw in a locked building.  It will be out of view and they can charge the thieves with breaking and entering if someone does steal it.  In most jurisdictions the B&E makes the larceny crime much more serious and likely to carry jail time.  In my book, that is just small comfort after the fact however.

Unfortunately, as backwoods sawyer mentioned, coupler locks will not matter to a determined thieves.  I use them to deter the opportunistic, unprepared thieves though. 

Taking the wheels off is too inconvenient to me but I have seen this done to other trailers/equipment.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

I took the hitch off my mill.....I'm stationary.

If I were sawing on the road and left it over night.....I'd still take the hitch off, it doesn't take but a few minutes to remove it.

[Happycamper]

I was away for September and before I left I padlock-chained the head to the rails. One wheel and hub removed, plus it would have to be dropped down to be able to get it out of it's (house).
It is pretty low for anyone to steal a mill as I'm sure many owners are depending on it for some income. Hopefully it can be traced when the thief is looking for parts or blades.
                                      Jim

[terrifictimbersllc]

I move the head to the front and chain it there with a heavy duty (Abus) motorcycle chain and lock.  Would take a cordless grinder to cut it and knowledge to hot wire & pack it up. Tongue weight would be too heavy to hook up or tow for most pickups. Sometimes also clamp a heavy log or cant on it.

[thecfarm]

I use buck shot.  :( 

[DR Buck]

I'm afraid the police would have to find the theif before me in order for him to survive.

[thecfarm]

DR_Buck,Maybe we'll be cell mates some day.
NCDiesel,made a good point,if it's locked up in a building it's more of a seriuos crime. And the worst part I know it's true. Just like if DR_Buck did do something to protect what we work hard for,we would be cell mates.  :  Don't get me going. Too Late.  :D Stealing is stealing.

[Kcwoodbutcher]

Mine sits by the road in front of my house. One tire is flat, bearings are probably seized and it has two chains holding it to the ground ( almost tipped it with a big log and that was the remedy ). It would take a thief two days to dig it out of the sawdust and then he would still have to move a bunch of logs to get it out. I 'm here 98% of the time. I feel pretty safe.

[chep]

I am sorry to hear of a stolen mill.

Mr KCWoodButcher, that is funny I dont care who you are. And so true for many of us. YOu just had me chuckling! :D

[AnthonyW]

Mine sits by the road in front of my house. One tire is flat, bearings are probably seized and it has two chains holding it to the ground ( almost tipped it with a big log and that was the remedy ). It would take a thief two days to dig it out of the sawdust and then he would still have to move a bunch of logs to get it out. I 'm here 98% of the time. I feel pretty safe.

I wish I felt that safe. I am not sure there are 'purposeful' thieves around. I haven't seen many police reports or gossip to that end. But I am very worried about the opportunistic ones. Right now the mill is in the driveway, hooked and locked to the truck.  That can't be the case all the time. I am liking the idea of the concrete post and chain, plus the hitch ball lock. I even looked into the hex link chain, but they was big $$$ for a 4ft length online. I'll scope HD and Lowe's but I doubt they have it. I am also thinking about a "boot" for one wheel.

To the gentlemen that posted about leaving the carriage forward, will leaving the carriage forward rather than on the rest effect the alignment, increase wear, or have any other negative effect if left like that for an extended period of time?

[Bandmill Bandit]

one good deterrent with the WM mills is removing the hitch as well. When i am at a job site over night my hitch comes off during set up. the primary reason is cause I don't like banging my knees on it but the very close second reason is security of the mill.

I leave my carriage forward as well and chain locked in that position.

[backwoods sawyer]

My mill is always on the road as i do 100% of my milling at other locations. some are tucked back out of the way where the mill seems safe others not so much. I always double lock the hitch.
Each woodmizer has a #,tracking a lost mill thru parts ordered is posible, eventualy. So I added a GPS tracking unit to my mill with real time updates for added security, a print out at the end of the day gives a huge amount of statisics that have other benifits and it can be transfered to law enforcement with real time up dates never the less it is not 100% infalable.

[GDinMaine]

I put a lock through the hitch release.  And! I put down the front and the rear stabilizers and put a fair bit of tension on them.  Then I put locks through the hole where the bar goes to loosen them. I will buy more locks, so I can do this with each stabilizer.

[Brucer]

Anything can be stolen. Our best protection is to make it too inconvenient for a thief to bother.

A thief won't find the hitch to my mill anywhere near the milling site. If he steals one off another mill, he'll find it very difficult to attach to mine.

Of course, having a couple of extensions attached to the mill will slow down a thief quite a bit. And the tail light isn't anywhere near the mill site either.

I've cultivated the two neighbours overlooking the site -- they report unusual activity to me as it happens. There are several people that do business with me who travel the road past the mill every day.

That's the simple stuff. I'm not going to tell you (or anyone else) the serious steps I've taken to protect my mill.

[Chuck White]

Running the sawhead to the front of the mill to add weight seems like a good idea in some aspects, but in my case, doing so enables the hydraulic system.

I think removing the hitch would be the single, best deterrent!

Highway workers who set up the mobile warning signs in this area always remove on wheel from the trailer!  It's a deterrent, but not guaranteed either!

I like the idea of mounting a game cam near the mill and another one a little further away, watching the mill and cam #1.

[rmack]

Some of the best lessons are the hardest learned... unfortunately.

both for the mill owner, if the mill never comes back, and the thief, if he gets caught.

[Fla._Deadheader]

 Set up a GPS system, so, when the mill starts moving, it sends a signal to your cel phone. It can be tracked and the perps dealt with. 

Something like the Lo-Jack system. It might cost a little, but, so does your equipment.

I have just designed and have a working model ready to install that stops motorcycle theft ON the hwy. Down here, the Colombians ad Jamaicans will ride double, stop next to you, and stick a pistol in your face. They get possession of your Moto and ride away. NO MORE. 

[jueston]

I always thought that the GPS was the best route to recovery, but I recently found a little gadget available online, which you plug into your cigarette lighter which blocks all PGS signals from 20 to 30 feet around the car, thieves can use this to steal cars or equipment which rely on GPS for theft protection systems...

some systems like onstar use a cellular signal and would partially function even with the GPS disabled....

but that does take a lot of foresight and only a professional thief would have one.