Securing a portable generator outside?

[rlitman]

Just remember GOOD "lock pickers" can pick any commercially available lock (not that there are a lot of good lock picking thieves around) .

Master padlocks are junk. The best are probably ABUS. $$$ ! Tubular (round key) locks do add a bit of a challenge, but not for the experts. What slows locker pickers down is access to the lock cylinder itself.

When a neighbor lost the key to her garage's padlock, she asked to borrow my 42" HF master key (bolt cutter). I showed up with a pick set. It weighs less, and one day when she finds the key in a couch cushion she'll have another lock.

Anyway, while my house is secured with Medeco locks, the fence gate securing my generator enclosure has an American padlock (with doubled up wafer discs), and the generator is on a steel cable secured with American 700 series locks (that goes to a forged ring bolt on the side of my garage that secures ladders too). The kind of folks who have the skills to pick these locks won't take the risk to ****** a generator, so I'm not worried about picking.

Master makes all sorts of stuff, and since they bought out American, those locks are decent against physical assault (if you have the anti wafer breaker disks noted above to prevent bypass), but they're not cheap. Abus makes decent stuff too. Lots of people have learned that Bic pen bodies can pick tubular locks.

 

[theoldwizard1]

... American 700 series lock ...

High praise from the Lock Picking Lawyer ! "Good value for the money."

The kind of folks who have the skills to pick these locks won't take the risk to ****** a generator, so I'm not worried about picking.

This is the important point !

Amateurs use bolt cutters and portable grinders. If your lock is in an area away from the public's eye, you are vulnerable to these attacks.

 

[Hobby_Man22]

1. Chain…….
2. insurance witha low deductible.
3. enclosure…….. but $$$$$$ like the zombie box dicussed in several prior posts. Then they might steal the entire box and all ?
4. DIY home made box

If they ( thief) are determined ………….

No chain or lock is going to work.

Move to better neighborhood.

Good thing they haven't made silent cutting discs yet. Then again in this case just plug the tool into the generator and cut the chain when it's running.

 

[stickshift]

Good thing they haven't made silent cutting discs yet. Then again in this case just plug the tool into the generator and cut the chain when it's running.

Lol that would add insult to injury!

 

[nadogail]

In addition to all of the other suggestions; How About a sign alerting the world that "THIS PROPERTY IS PROTECTED BY SMITH AND WESSON"

 

[PoorUB]

Kind of related. I was staying at a drive up motel and in the morning I was standing outside my room enjoying the sunrise and a man that was staying a couple doors down walked up and asked if I had saw or heard anything during the night because someone stole his small trailer that he pulled behind his motorcycle. I walked over and looked a the lock. It had been cut through with a high speed grinder with a cutting wheel, right outside his motel door! Pretty ballsy, but I suppose 5 seconds with a battery grinder and they were gone with the trailer.

I guess my point is with all the battery tools available there is not much you can do to stop a dedicated thief. A lazy, unprepared thief any old type of chain and lock will do, but if someone really wants it they will get it.

 

[Hobby_Man22]

Gone before anyone could roll out if bed and walk to the window.

 

[Skiff Builder]

Cement ,D rings, cable, chains, removed wheels...... I'm coming with a hand truck and saw and I'm cutting the plain steel frame around the Genny.

Mine sit's in a large puddle of water with a bare wire, from a distant outlet run to it
In reality, I have a large 2nd level deck with no outside stairs= helps a bit

 

[Hobby_Man22]

Cement ,D rings, cable, chains, removed wheels...... I'm coming with a hand truck and saw and I'm cutting the plain steel frame around the Genny.

Mine sit's in a large puddle of water with a bare wire, from a distant outlet run to it
In reality, I have a large 2nd level deck with no outside stairs= helps a bit

Always wondered how well hoisting a genset with the crane worked as a theft deterent. How hard could it be to start the crane up?

 

[toyotadriver]

Again NO lock is impervious. The best security in the world can be defeated. But, if yours is more secure than your neighbors stuff, your neighbor gets to be the victim and you don’t.

The biggest issue with security measures isn’t someone damaging them. It’s getting the property owner to actually use them. You can have the best locks on your garage door but if you leave your garage door open, your great locks are useless.

 

[bas157]

Something like this plugged into an outlet that has power (either end of extension cord or circuit on a transfer switch) could help for the lawn mower/generator swap type of thieves.

Reliance Control Corporation POWER FAIL LIGHT W/ALARM by RELIANCE CONTROLS MfrPartNo THP207M, 1, Multi - - Amazon.com

Reliance Control Corporation POWER FAIL LIGHT W/ALARM by RELIANCE CONTROLS MfrPartNo THP207M, 1, Multi - - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

There are other cheaper and more expensive options. The cheaper ones all look like with the brand name being some made up english sounding word as the company, like this one from "Bewinner" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P5SGTGR/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[rlitman]

In addition to all of the other suggestions; How About a sign alerting the world that "THIS PROPERTY IS PROTECTED BY SMITH AND WESSON"

That just means "property has no security system when owner is away".

 

[kelpaso1]

In addition to all of the other suggestions; How About a sign alerting the world that "THIS PROPERTY IS PROTECTED BY SMITH AND WESSON"

Those signs don't mean **** to most people.

 

[stickshift]

Those signs don't mean **** to most people.

It might for criminal contemplating an occupied home invasion, but yeah, doesn't mean much for perp looking to steal a piece of equipment outside the house. Their plan is to be gone before you notice anything is amiss.

 

[Metallitubby]

@Metallitubby any other examples of how generator thieves operate?

Not many more examples because our inverter generators are so quiet, that they grow legs easier than most. It's hard to protect something that you may not even notice being taken until it's too late.

Someone else mentioned the EU2000/EU2200 handles being cut, but we do sell a metal brace that wraps around the handle to help prevent this (if you are using a cable/chain through the handle.)

 

[nadogail]

An alarm could be rigged to sound when the cord plugged into the receptacle on the generator is cut or unplugged. This would require the addition of a dummy receptacle on the generator.

 

[bas157]

Nadogall, the products I Iinked to yesterday on Amzaon are alarms that sound when they lose power. They should do what you thinking of without needing to do anything except plugging them in to the extension cord or a powered outlet if using a transfer switch.

I did get the metal handle guard for the honda, a grinder would make quick work of it, or a tamper proof torx bit, as that is what holds it on. Would probably keep a meth-head from getting it, but not a determined or prepared thief.

 

[PoorUB]

I know a guy that lives in a large city. He rents an apartment and parks his motorcycle inside a single garage. The only access is through the overhead door. He has had motorcycles stolen so he anchored a couple large steel rings into the floor and used two hardened chains and locks, one thorough each wheel and a portion of the frame. He came out one morning, opened the garage door and his motorcycle was gone. No evidence of how they got into the garage, but both chains were cut with a grinder. I suppose they got the overhead door open, went inside and closed the door, cut the chains and opened the door and they were gone. He figured it had to be someone in the apartment complex that was familiar with him and the motorcycle.

 

[Mallen]

A big dog is not just a deterrent, but an alarm.

I'm not too worried about people who know how to pick locks stealing my generator. I'm worried about the guy with bolt cutters or a reciprocating saw.

 

[Jim_No_Garage]

I knew an older guy when I was in HS that had lots of cool cars. He had a Green 1969(?) Camaro with a supposed factory 427 and a 4 speed. He parked it in a garage at a local apartment complex. Each garage was a stand alone building with 6 overhead doors but no internal partitions. He locked HIS garage door but they got into the the garage - scooted the car sideways to the next door which was unlocked - probably on 4 jacks - and rolled it away - never to be seen again.

I know my generator cable would only last 5 seconds to a grinder with a cutoff wheel but you have to come right up to the front of the house to get it. I don't normally run it overnight so you don't have the cover of darkness . . .

We always lock the cars while parked in the driveway but you hear the periodic warnings from the police - lock your cars and don't leave the keys in them. My neighborhood gets annual visits from crews that will work the neighborhood, pilfering things from unlocked cars left in the driveway.

I hate a thief!

Cheers

Jim

 

[Uncle murph]

Now that the Atlantic hurricane season is about to get started, I've been thinking about my generator for the first time since last storm season. When the power is out, I run the genny in the backyard. I don't run it overnight , but I also don't lug it back to the garage. Which means that an enterprising thief or group of thieves could easily swipe my generator in the middle of the night, under cover of all the noise from neighbors running their generators. Given that generators are quite valuable in a local area affected by a multi-day power outage, I've been considering securing it while it's outside. My brother suggested digging a hole, pouring in some concrete, securing a D-ring to the concrete, cover back up with dirt (no grass here, so no turf damage issues). When I need to use the genny during an outage, dig to the D-ring, attach chain and secure to genny. A tree would be a good alternative, but no trees close to where I'd park the generator during use.

Any other ideas?

Don’t kid yourself,generators are routinely stolen in broad daylight while running!Its all reward for the thieves if successful with virtually no penalty if caught.

 

[Paco Pena]

If you love it, lock it up. Hard to replace a genny during a disaster.

Paco

 

[nadogail]

An armed guard is generally pretty effective, but the labor cost could exceed the cost of generator replacement.

 

[Jacko264]

How about a concrete pad with anchor points so the gen can sit on the concrete and a steel frame over the gen fastened to the anchor points then a removable shed over it that could be moved when not in use .
my idea is what thieves don’t see will leave alone
Graham

 

[Jsf721]

Good thing they haven't made silent cutting discs yet. Then again in this case just plug the tool into the generator and cut the chain when it's running.

During hurricane sandy my neighbor woke up freezing to find his generator gone and a lawn mower left in its place (running).

 

[Hobby_Man22]

During hurricane sandy my neighbor woke up freezing to find his generator gone and a lawn mower left in its

What happens when they need a mower?

 

[nateo]

What happens when they need a mower?

A smart thief breaks into your shed first and uses your mower. That's why you should never use Stabil and only high ethanol fuel, the thief will still be tugging the pull cord in the morning when you get up.

 

[Hobby_Man22]

Lol! I'm not a smart thief or a theif at all apparently

 

[rburke65]

Wow…that’s a thought out plan to leave a running mower!

 

[Metallitubby]

Wow…that’s a thought out plan to leave a running mower!

We have about ten calls every hurricane/storm season with this tactic.