Can Trailer Wheel Locks be Easily Defeated

Updated 01/05/2016 | Published 01/03/2016

Products Featured in This Question

Rack'Em Lock'em Magnum Wheel Lock - Steel - 12" - 20" Wheels

(232)

$146.09

Fastway Universal Coupler Lock for 1-7/8", 2" and 2-5/16" Couplers - Key 318

(990)

$57.00

The Club Tire Claw XL Wheel Lock with Lug Nut Protector Plate

(72)

$170.71

Question:

Looking at these wheel locks, what would stop a thief from unscrewing the lug nuts and removing the tire. Slap another tire on and off he goes with your trailer!! My rims are solid so this wheel lock has no holes to go thru. Another customer who brought another brand with a small guard covering part of the lug nuts was able to take them off and the tire. How do you guys address this problem? I am a 73 yr old lady and saw that problem after looking at all the wheel locks pictured. Got to design a big plate to cover the lug nuts and a heavy steel lock that a bolt cutter cantake cut!! Good luck on your research for a better lock.

asked by: Jeannie/ A

Expert Reply:

I can pass along your lock concerns to the manufacturers. Any lock can be defeated given enough time and persistence. A wheel lock such as # RA-25 is a deterrent, as all locks are. If a thief wants that trailer bad enough, they'll find a way.

Thieves have a tendency to pick the low-hanging fruit; that is to say that the mere presence of a lock is likely to cause a would-be thief to move on to an easier target. Things that take time like removing a tire from a trailer are not worth the time in prison if they get caught. Not to mention how likely is it that a thief is out and about with a trailer tire and wheel with the same bolt pattern and size as the ones on the trailer?

This type of wheel lock does not require that the wheel have holes. The center part of the wheel just has to be more narrow than the width of the tire which is pretty much all wheels with a few exceptions. If you used this lock with a wheel lock set such as # RG01-150 they would not be able to remove the tire and wheel from the trailer.

A similar wheel lock, # WI491-491LNP, sounds like what you described with the plate that covers the lug nuts.

If you put yourself in the mindset of a thief, the logistics of removing a tire and wheel with a lock from a trailer and then replacing it with another tire and wheel is just not an attractive prospect.

If trailer theft is a major concern I would and some redundancy and use multiple locks. So I would use wheel locks and a coupler lock such as # FA86-0015-318 as an example (there are many types of coupler locks) similar to how a door might have a lock at the knob and a dead bolt lock. Now, if only the tow vehicle was that secure.