Protecting Your Snowmobile From Thieves
Your snowmobile makes winter bearable. It is a powerful tool for winter chores if you live in the country and an excellent form of entertainment for everyone during the cold and snowy months. Of course, these benefits make your snowmobile a prime target for thieves. Fortunately, you can take some common sense steps to keep your snowmobile safe from burglars.
Securing the Sled
Obviously, you never want to leave the keys in your snowmobile, even if it's in the garage. You do need to go much further than that simple measure. You need to lock your sled to something else, like a tree if it's outside or a beam if it's inside. If you keep it on your snowmobile trailer, the snowmobile needs to be locked to it and the trailer placed where thieves cannot easily get to your sled. Experts recommend parking your trailer with one side against a structure or a tree so thieves have a harder time attacking the locks without drawing attention to themselves.
Locks
If you are traveling with your snowmobile, one of the worst things you can do is inadequately lock your trailer to your truck. If your coupler lock is inferior, thieves can simply pull up, smash the lock with a hammer and drive off with your trailer and your snowmobile, a devastating loss. You need to invest in a lock that fits into the coupler itself, making an easy smash and trailer grab much more difficult. Then you need to buy a more sophisticated lock to attach your snowmobile to the trailer. No lock combination can make your rig theft proof, but better locks make your property less appealing to thieves who generally look for an easy mark.
GPS
In recent years, GPS has been used more and more on snowmobiles to both navigate during travel and as a way to track stolen snowmobiles. You can buy an anti-theft device that uses GPS and other technologies that can allow you to see the location of your sled at any time. Investing in such a device makes financial sense when you consider how much money you have in both your snowmobile and trailer.
Even when you value your snowmobile, it's easy to be lax with its security. However, you need to treat it just as carefully as you do your car or truck. In fact, stealing your snowmobile can be an easier task for thieves. You should use sophisticated locks and new technology to keep your sled safe.