Truck Security Ideas

Afternoon,

I am posting this for my FIL who does not have internet access where he lives.

He has a 2013 4 cylinder 5 speed SR Tacoma with manual doors and windows.

Due to where he lives (on the side of a mountain) during the winter he has to leave his truck at various locations along the public forest roads that lead out to his property. Depending on the weather and snow levels this may be .5 miles, or it may be all the way out at the main highway that leads to town (several miles).

He uses an atv with tracks to get from his truck to his house, for those who are curious.

Anyways, due to this situation he is looking for ways to add security to his truck while it is parked in the middle of the woods, often times near a highway where his previous trucks have been vandalized over the decades.

His ideas range from a blinking led on his dash to an actual GPS device that monitors vehicle location.

I wanted to start this thread to see if anyone else is in a similar predicament and if they learned anything valuable in their experiences and if they have anything to recommend.

Thank you.

- Mike

 

My truck has a kill switch installed. The previous owner used to take it in to Mexico to visit family and installed the kill switch and a tailgate lock. Seem like a fairly cheap way to foil the common thief.

 

Excellent idea. I will incorporate this as well.

I'd like to keep people from even breaking in by deterring them before they get near the truck, if possible.

 

You want to know when someone is messing with your truck. If you live a half mile away, that calls for a standard vehicle alarm and air horns under the hood.

 

I don't know about the area where your FIL lives, but he already has the best truck security: a manual transmission. About 99% of the people who steal vehicle cannot drive a stick. In fact, it has been suggested that you could leave your MT truck running on a city street and expect it to be there when you returned.

 

4wd n chains so he can drive it to his house?

 

One thing I can say is to not leave anything in plain sight in the truck.

 

Most home alarm sirens are 12v and MUCH louder than a vehicle alarm. A friend whose vehicle had been broken into several times wired up a home alarm siren under the seat of his truck. Several of our friends tried and couldn't stay inside the cab with the home alarm siren going off because it was so loud. It wouldn't prevent someone from breaking in but they wouldn't spend long going through his truck.

 

Dash cam and or game cam, so you'll at least have the bastards on camera.

 

Get a fake realistic snake and leave it on the front seat

 

Put a sticker on the windows that say “under video surveillance” at least it might make said their go hmmmm, better not.

 

The truck is sometimes only 1/2 mile away. Other times when it is near the highway it is closer to 7 miles away. Can't hear that.

 

It is 4wd with more aggressive tires, but this is impossible. We are talking feet of snow. He lives on the backside of the main ski mountain in town, so vehicular travel is literally impossible.

 

A halfway decent thief will cut the negative cables on the battery terminal after forcing open the hood. Take that into account with any effort expended on electronic theft deterrent. If you want to have backup batteries for the alarm you want to make sure they are hidden and well protected.

I'd get a club, cheap and makes life difficult without imposing too much self-inflicted pain. That and maybe a lojack or other vehicle recovery system which can be activated if the vehicle is taken. And up insurance.

 

Even easier than kill switch, just pop the hood, grab the starter relay with a set of relay pliers/pullers, stuff it in your pocket, close hood. Switch means the thief has a chance of overriding it but stealing the relay itself, no way they are bringing one of the correct type with them to steal your vehicle.

 

left alone given the time a thief will get bolt cutters etc

wheels battery other accessories are vulnerable

id find a way to park it at least as close as #4 buck

 

How has no one suggested this yet? It's like a pocket sized alarm....


Beyond that, a simple blinking LED can do a lot to dissuade people at a very minimal cost.

 

Yea, but the thief’s don’t know that.

 

Juzt thinking .
Along with a kill switch mention, could a switch be added to a relay?

Sorry for not knowing

 

Don’t live where you can’t drive to.