How do you protect your tools from been stolen?

[pennywise]

I wrote my phone number on the inside battery comparment of a 18v dewalt drill the once. One day I woke to find the van door open and the dewalt gone.After about 8 weeks on a saturday night I had a withheld number call my phone, when I answered this guy held my drill up to the phone and pulled the trigger spinning the chuck and said " remember this noise mate,? this is the drill I nicked out of your van" he then starting laughing and put the phone down. I really wish I had some plastic explosive in that drill and could of detonated it with my receiver and blew his head all over his chavy **** tip flat.

If it had been me, would have just told him it weren't mine anyway nicked it the previous week, take the wind out of he sails a bit

 

[johnnymacc]

i second the rotty response,keep it in my gated garden padlock on gate security lights and two daft staffys

 

[Sav]

I put those security locks on my van. They are discreet, but have a big lock that goes up and down inside the side dioors and the same thing on the rear ones. This and the bulkhead and factory alarm and deadlock system, helps I think (Renault Trafic).
I always take out my tester though and leave it at home.
I better go and check, just to be on the safe side !!!!!
Sav
P.S If that fails, I also have a carboard cut out of the mother in law in the back, that will definately do the trick !!

 

[rocker]

Do any of you seriously empty your van after a days work?

Every night mate. I've been stung myself, all my gear was in my locked car which was in a locked garage. now I unload and remove everything every night, sometimes it's knackering but you get used to it. My garage is now alarmed up and has even more locks on it... they wouldn't get away with anything if they tried it on again but I'd still like to catch the toerags...... it's coming up to 4 months since I was done so I reckon they'll be coming back soon, new tools and all that. In fact I'm thinking of getting hold of a few empty cases and sticking a few bricks and a GSM tracker in there. Not bothered about calling the rozzers but I wouldn't mind introducing the little sods to Mr Axe Handle. Anyone know where I can get old empty tool cases on the cheap?

I know carting your tools up the road could be a nightmare but it's only really a matter of time before you'll wish you'd had. Can't you just double park with the hazards on for two minutes, shunt it all inside your front door and then park it?

 

[rocker]

I wrote my phone number on the inside battery comparment of a 18v dewalt drill the once. One day I woke to find the van door open and the dewalt gone.After about 8 weeks on a saturday night I had a withheld number call my phone, when I answered this guy held my drill up to the phone and pulled the trigger spinning the chuck and said " remember this noise mate,? this is the drill I nicked out of your van" he then starting laughing and put the phone down. I really wish I had some plastic explosive in that drill and could of detonated it with my receiver and blew his head all over his chavy **** tip flat.

I would have found that ****er. I don't know how but I would have found him and I would have served him his own teeth. I'm getting angry just thinking about it.

 

[coxy84]

abit off subject, i spent about a hour on monday morning looking for my van keys, i trashed my house and shed looking for them, in the end i found them in the ignition in the van, i must have been tired after work last friday!

thank god i live in mid wales!

 

[Strickers]

My battery power tools are all hilti and i have a key fob to charge all the batteries. Doesn't stop them being stolen but i'll feel better knowing that they can't be used.

 

[BLBelfast]

I know carting your tools up the road could be a nightmare but it's only really a matter of time before you'll wish you'd had. Can't you just double park with the hazards on for two minutes, shunt it all inside your front door and then park it?

Taken your advice mate. These stories are scaring me

Just went down and lifted my toolbox, sds, battery drill and kangoo inside. The rest, bar the ladders, are either not expensive or knackered anyway. Took me 3 minutes and will probably sleep sounder tonight.

 

[saveloy]

Just a little advice to anyone who has been robbed, if you don't know. Beware that these scummy bottom feeders may well have 2nd go shortly after nicking your tools for the first time, knowing full well that the victim will have gone out and bought a whole load of new tools to carry on with. It's happened to a few blokes round here!!

 

[LukeD]

I wrote my phone number on the inside battery comparment of a 18v dewalt drill the once. One day I woke to find the van door open and the dewalt gone.After about 8 weeks on a saturday night I had a withheld number call my phone, when I answered this guy held my drill up to the phone and pulled the trigger spinning the chuck and said " remember this noise mate,? this is the drill I nicked out of your van" he then starting laughing and put the phone down. I really wish I had some plastic explosive in that drill and could of detonated it with my receiver and blew his head all over his chavy **** tip flat.

Clint ****inh Eastwood stole your drill?

I use our Golf more than the landcruiser. Clients prefer it outside their homes etc . Smaller and less likely to be robbed. I drive down after work to drop off big stuff etc

There was a really good bespoke kitchen fitter i know that sprayed £4k ;s worth of festool bright dayglow pink , cases etc all. His attitude was its a lot harder to shift stuff like this!!

 

[Bigboy247]

I had my house trashed then after 40mins they filled all the kids stuff and my garage full of tools and loaded my van and took the lot. Just before christmas my van turned up but no tools and my insurance haven`t still payed up. Found some of my tools on ebay Hilti stuff only available special order in the USA police said will will get round to it. Went and brought it and collected it with the rest of my tools and then the police came and said hello sir. So am in court in about three months for explaining to the people not to break into my house and give it my dogs with a shovel, upset my christmas and scare my family to death. My house has cctv and alarm and no one saw anything. So will be going back to live abroad as soon as I can. I hate the tax man anyway and love the sun.But going to spray all my tools shocking pink I may look stupid on site but no one will steal them lol.

 

[Bigboy247]

Six other contractor where done in a month all the same M O.

 

[accordfire]

Six other contractor where done in a month all the same M O.

Somewhere along the line, someone needs to give these thieving *******s the message once and for all that thieving off hard working tradesmen is a crime that deserves what the Arabs do to shoplifters - it's time their hands were cut off.

Where's it all ever going to stop?

 

[rocker]

As long as the pigs turn a blind eye to pikey sites, and there are 'outreach' centres for people who, through their own damn choices, have got themselves hooked on junk, it's never going to happen.

It only pays to be a failure as a human being in this damn country. BBoy's got the right idea, we should all sod off somewhere sunny.

 

[Strickers]

would it be illegal to charge a capacitor from car engine attached to the bare copper around your tools with no means of discharging, well unless some little thief discharged it to the ground. lol

 

[High Tower]

would it be illegal to charge a capacitor from car engine attached to the bare copper around your tools with no means of discharging, well unless some little thief discharged it to the ground. lol

Fraid so!

Causing harm with intent

Madness!!

 

[LukeD]

Fraid so!

Causing harm with intent

Madness!!

I can think of worse !! No Urban myth etc. There was a toilet cleaner many many years ago at marlborough College who rigged his house doors up to the mains . Police went nuts ! he was lucky never to have killed anyone .

Or you set up a "bait van" and have a little action yourselves , just make sure you dont talk about it afterwards. But will certainly be talk of the town amongst the thieves.

 

[Mark_Burgess]

As for marking tools, we tend to use tamper proof labels - shiny things that you can have printed, but which break apart when you try to remove them. Has come in handy once or twice on and off sites. Like these here.

Looks like I am about to buy some of those, just realised that my Bosch 10.8v screwdriver has been nicked, traced it back to last thursday, it was a CHUBB ALARM installer in same building as me that was when I last had it.

Tempted to create a fault on the alarm, but my luck someone else will come out to repair it.

 

[BlueToBits]

About 5 years ago my van was getting broken into all the time. I placed an old drill on the nearest shelf to the back doors and connected a theatrical maroon via a 9v battery to a bathroom pull switch with the cord tied to the drill flex. Sure enough, a month later we heard the bang from the back of the house we were working in followed by another contractor who came running towards us. "...the back of your van just blew up and 2 lads went running off in a plume of smoke". They got the knackered drill but that was all. I recon they'll think twice before trying it again.

 

[grantr37]

get one of those lizards from the jungle that has a perma lock poison bite, you know the ones that bite you and about 3 hours later you turn green and topple......then they let go....and start eating you...then put a little collar on it with a tag saying something like "my name is mike and I eat tool theives" just so they can see the message before they black out.....put it in the tool box.....they open it.....chomp....