1. If possible concrete a steel RSJ into the ground with a hitch bolted to it & the nuts holding the hitch to the post welded. Hitch the van to this & remove the jockey wheel.
2. I'd suggest setting the height of the welded hitch so the front of the van was slightly lower than the rear, fit rear leg locks & an Al-Ko lock as well. Having the front of the van lower & the jockey wheel complete with its clamp bolt removed makes it hard work for unwanted visitors. Obviously a secure post behind the van as well as it being hitched to a heavy steel post would make life extra hard for them.
3. I have no concernes over security here now, in fact I'm told we go over the top with it. Having had our first new van stolen off the drive it was my intention to make it as hard as possible to take another. That's why I dug the flower border up & concreted the RSJ in. Our vans will all require a mover now because the vans now have to go on the drive forwards to hitch to the post but this again will make life difficlult for anyone wanting to have a go at taking it.
We always keep mover controls, the Jockey wheel & its clamp bolt along with the Al-Ko kit, all the van keys & corner steady handle safely away from the van when its on the drive.
Quote: Originally posted by Webmaster on 05/9/2013
Hi Guys, I'd like to quiz you on some questions about security of caravans that are kept on driveways (to assist a UK manufacturer regarding a security product they are developing). If anyone could answer these, it would be really appreciated.
1 - What advice would you offer to caravan owners who wish to keep their caravan safe on their driveway?
2 - What impact would having a driveway bollard installed have upon insurance premiums? Are there any other actions caravan owners can take to reduce premiums, other than wheel clamps and hitchlocks?
3 - What are the biggest concerns you have regarding caravan security? (ie relating to theft of the van itself and/or break in)
If you are able to answer in the same format 1 to 3, that would be great
Cheers, hope you can help!
Ian
1. Slow any would be thief down as much as possible with hitchlocks, wheel clamps, ground anchors, bollards etc, and install a simple night & day CCTV camera to catch them at it & use as irrefutable evidence in any courts or claims.
2. I believe a bollard would reduce premiums, same as all my other kit did. I fitted a Sold Secure Gold ground anchor to the front of my house and use an 8mm Boron Steel square link chain around the chassis legs & axle and back to the ground anchor; bolted off with a 96 lever padlock. Also have a wheel clamp on each wheel, an Alko hitchlock, and 24hr PIR activated CCTV cameras monitoring the caravan and driveway. (We suffer a lot with Gypsies stealing caravans locally; they have been a 'Star' of my CCTV 3 or 4 times having a look at my security, with the Police copying their faces from my SD card for future reference). I do keep considering a bollard.
3. Biggest concern is the caravan disappearing whilst away with work, or the contents been stolen, ruining a planned holiday. I always leave a lot of stuff in the van; why should I go to the hassle of emptying it every time? Just rely on CCTV to scare the sods off theiving contents; and a hefty amount of kit would be needed to circumvent the other measures.
------------- Regards
Chris
Caravanning for 22 years
1997 Toyota Land Cruiser 3.0TD & 2004 Avondale Mayfair 510-5L
Previous towcars:
2002 Nissan Primera - sold
2002 Ford Galaxy - Died & scrapped. Good riddance.
1998 BMW 525TDS SE - PEx
1998 VW Passat SE - Crashed into & scrapped
1997 Peugeot 406 GLX - PEx
Ours is a new caravan parked on the drive. It has an Alko wheel lock and hitchlock. We use a motor mover to park it hitch in next to a fence.
We have thought of bollards immediately behind the caravan but wondered about the extra expense. Would they stop determined thieves? I think they would.Will get round to it some day.
We just hope our little dog barks loud enough to warn of potential thieves.
We never leave the caravan on motorway services unless we can see it and have put wheel lock and hitchlock on.
Quote: Originally posted by path20 on 05/5/2016
ChrisPolly......What kind of CCTV do you have?
They have never posted since 2013.
------------- XVI yes?
As well is two words!
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Topic: Caravan Security on Driveways - Questions
