Your Farm Machinery Deserves Some Protection

The machinery that you invest in can play a huge role in helping your farm grow and flourish. Investing in the right tractors, harvesters, and other equipment can be quite costly, but it’s worth it in what they help pay off. That is if they’re available to help. Farm machinery and equipment is actually quite a common target for theft. Thinking about what you can do to prevent theft is a smart move.

Keep them in a secure area

There are plenty of reasons to avoid keeping your tractor out in the open, corrosion not least of them. However, you should make sure that you have a garage or a barn that you’re able to store it in when you’re not using. Make sure to have locking bars or even gate valve locks to secure the entrance. Without the right key, people won’t be able to access the area where your vehicles are stored, making them that much safer.

Of course, you have to make sure you’re using these devices on doors that aren’t going to easily break open, too. Avoid the older barns with the rotted wood. Make necessary repairs to secure the entire barn.

Your Farm Machinery Deserves Some Protection

Monitor the situation

Directly watching over your equipment helps give you a lot of peace of mind. For that reason, you should consider looking at installing some farm security cameras directly where your farm equipment is stored.

Aside from helping you prevent crime or to identify the criminal, CCTV acts as a good deterrent. The average criminal might see the risk of getting caught that such a system poses. Then, they may choose to move on to an easier target rather than risk going getting seen and going to jail.

Keep the vehicles in place

Outfit vehicles with a disc brake lock. They might not fit all vehicles, but those that do benefit from having one. As the name implies, this locks the vehicle by connecting to the disc brake. This stops anyone from driving off by jamming the wheel of the vehicle.

There are also steering wheel locks and other deterrents, all designed to do much the same thing: stop someone from driving off without the right key.

Don’t let them get away

If you happen to come across a very resourceful thief, then they might be able to steal your machinery even with all of the above precautions. However, that doesn’t mean that they’re going to get away with it.

To that end, consider investing in GPS trackers. Outfit one to all your vehicles. This way, you and the police will be able to track down precisely where your machinery is and where it is being moved. It helps ensure you can get your equipment back. And, greatly increases the chance of catching the thief.

Don’t take for granted how valuable your farm equipment is. Hopefully, the tips above can help you give it the protection that it needs. Then, you can rest a little easier!

by
Barb Webb. Founder and Editor of Rural Mom, is an the author of "Getting Laid" and "Getting Baked". A sustainable living expert nesting in Appalachian Kentucky, when she’s not chasing chickens around the farm or engaging in mock Jedi battles, she’s making tea and writing about country living and artisan culture.
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