Scrapper thieves

clint s · Jun 1, 2012

Well so far around here anything metal that is not close to the house in good view seems to be fair game. This week at the farm down the road someone got 2 200's and I think a 560. Owner has been in a nursing home for 2 years and the place is vacant. They have been sitting for close to 10 years. I tried to buy them several times for a bit over scrap price, but the greedy kids thought they were gold mines. They put them on craigslist for 2 to 3 k and said they ran last year. Well I guess now no one will restore them.
I chased a truck off my land backed up to an old 3pt converted snowplow, only thing that saved it was it was too heavy for 2 guys to lift. They cover their plates so you can't get them. Cops are less than thrilled to investigate "scrap metal" theft. I know they got a few batteries and some smaller stuff

I have since placed strategic nail filled boards in front of "scrap" equipment. I know I got them because I followed a rim mark on the road for a mile before they stopped to .change it

uncle henry · Jun 1, 2012

2x2x1/4 angle iron with sucker rod cut at a 45 weld
to it work as well

Kenneth R Ohnstad · Jun 1, 2012

shoot them

Phil Tibbetts · Jun 1, 2012

Good idea but with my luck I would forget and run over them myself. I love it when the crook gets what he deserves. Better be careful you don't get sued for damaging his tires.

504 · Jun 1, 2012

The low life's have stolen over 200 bronze vases from a local cemetery. Every stone has two, they
did catch two last month selling them but there are
more missing.

Ron-MO · Jun 2, 2012

A co-worker of mine had an older car he no longer drove sitting in the parking lot of his apartment building. One day he came home to notice it had a side window broken out. Within a week the car was missing entirely. The local law enforcement located the car, and untimately the thief, however the car was pretty much destroyed by the time he saw it sitting in an impound yard. The law had it towed from the scrap yard to the tow company impound yard, and would not release it until he paid the tow and storage bill. Since he only had liability insurance he was stuck with either giving it to them or pay the bill. He did end up getting AAA to pay the tow bill, however gave the car to a relative for parts I believe. Thief was out on parole and last I heard he was back in prison over the deal. Seems the thief thought the car was abondoned, and broke the glass to see if anyone would repair. When it sat untouched for a few days he drug it onto his trailer and took off while the owner was at work (in the middle of town in middle of the day).

SadFarmall · Jun 2, 2012

Well, round here it tends to be fuel the thieves prefer. Satisfaction for us a while back when a chap came to the farm and prized the fuel cap off our old IH C1300 truck. Those trucks left the factory with a 6 or 8 cylinder petrol engine, but ours had been converted to 6/354 Perkins Diesel. He carefully filled his petrol engined Holden with Diesel. Then he came and asked for help when his car stopped halfway along our drive. Sadly we had to say the telephone was out of order so we could not call the local garage, and in any case the local chap only repaired cars on public roads, never on private property. We added that hope was not lost, because the next place that could help was only 19 miles away. It was a sunny day, so no doubt the walk did him a power of good.
SadFarmall

mkirsch · Jun 2, 2012

Wow. That's about as smart as driving all around town looking for the cheapest gas price. How much gas do you waste doing that to save 2 cents a gallon when you only have an 11 gallon tank, or buy only $20 worth of gas?

Clearly the idiot had to drive more than 19 miles to get to your place, and he was taking a chance that he would find gas when he got there. How much gas and time did he waste for potentially nothing?

oldtanker · Jun 2, 2012

Clint you better check yer local and state laws on that......"traps" as such are illeagal in some states and could see you behind bars.

Rick

W.Brehm · Jun 2, 2012

(quoted from post at 13:55:16 06/02/12) Clint you better check yer local and state laws on that......"traps" as such are illeagal in some states and could see you behind bars.

Rick

What's really sad is if someone would get hurt from one of those traps, the landowner can be sued. It's not right but its the law. My Brother-in-law who's an attorney always tells me, " You can sue anyone for anything."

Baelee05 · Jun 2, 2012

Good idea! If you like prison.

clint s · Jun 2, 2012

(quoted from post at 08:23:54 06/02/12) Good idea! If you like prison.

I know to the letter of the law I "could" get in trouble but....... It's not like I put anything in a driveway, path, roadway or anyplace that could or should see foot or vehicle traffic. You can and will get in trouble if you specifically target someone by hiding something where you know they will be even if it is on your land . That I did not do.
The boards are not " hidden traps". Thy actually just sitting out there, not covered, not hidden. Come in during the day and you will see them from a mile away I am sure they are quite difficult to see at night though. The pile of scrap and equipment is in a fenced in field, way off the road. It is fenced in with 2 strands of wire (marked with red ribbon every 10 to 15 feet) to keep the animals (and I guess people too) out of the garden and away from the equipment for fear in ingesting hardware or the garden. So I guess I could also go to prison if they get cut on the wire that they have to take down to get in too because the gate is locked to keep them out.
Sorry for the rant guys, but it sucks even if you have no intent at all (not saying I didn't have a little) you could get sued if someone trespasses and attempts to steal from you and they get hurt.

All that said they located the tractors at a scrap yard about 10 miles away. They were all partially disassembled. The yard is getting in trouble for not taking ID and the police are wondering why they were so quickly being disassembled.

IH fan · Jun 2, 2012

(quoted from post at 08:09:34 06/02/12)

(quoted from post at 13:55:16 06/02/12) Clint you better check yer local and state laws on that......"traps" as such are illeagal in some states and could see you behind bars.

Rick

Click to expand...

What's really sad is if someone would get hurt from one of those traps, the landowner can be sued. It's not right but its the law. My Brother-in-law who's an attorney always tells me, " You can sue anyone for anything."

Luckily, here in the middle of Kansas, juries are not so quick to side with the "injured party", especially in a case where that party was doing something illegal. Wife was on such a jury and they sided with the person being sued. Afterward, the judge came in and said juries here generally have pretty good common sense and side with the defendant. Still it will cost you a lawyer's fee. I was on a jury that would have been similar, but the judge threw the case out on a technicality before it really got started.

clint s · Jun 3, 2012

(quoted from post at 21:36:22 06/02/12)

(quoted from post at 08:09:34 06/02/12)

(quoted from post at 13:55:16 06/02/12) Clint you better check yer local and state laws on that......"traps" as such are illeagal in some states and could see you behind bars.

Rick

Click to expand...

What's really sad is if someone would get hurt from one of those traps, the landowner can be sued. It's not right but its the law. My Brother-in-law who's an attorney always tells me, " You can sue anyone for anything."

Click to expand...

Luckily, here in the middle of Kansas, juries are not so quick to side with the "injured party", especially in a case where that party was doing something illegal. Wife was on such a jury and they sided with the person being sued. Afterward, the judge came in and said juries here generally have pretty good common sense and side with the defendant. Still it will cost you a lawyer's fee. I was on a jury that would have been similar, but the judge threw the case out on a technicality before it really got started.

I think people being sue happy actually help this situation. Juries ,judges and the courts are getting sick of it and most use common sense when dealing with cases like this.

GRAPE-DRANK · Jun 3, 2012

(quoted from post at 19:00:48 06/01/12) shoot them

I'm with Kenneth, if you got the ghusto, keep your mouth shut, and can afford a good attorney shoot them. After a good attorney represents you you'll be given a medal. Someone bold enough to trespass on your land to steal large items is bold enough to hurt you if you catch them in the act. We are living in lawless times.

Selling barnyard treasures for scrap just so it can be shipped to China so they can make trinkets to sell back to us, oh and the weapons they'll most likely use on us someday. Makes my stomach turn.

Ken Ind · Jun 3, 2012

Aint it amazing that you can go to jail for protecting you oun stuff!!! I would shoot the s.o.b. that tried to steal my stuff. I really dont want to go to jail but after all I have worked very hard for the stuff I have and what is mine is mine .

Dan Richardson · Jun 8, 2012

There is no law against putting a few rounds in the vehicle and
it's easy to hit.

mkirsch · Jun 8, 2012

(quoted from post at 03:58:12 06/08/12) There is no law against putting a few rounds in the vehicle and
it's easy to hit.

Actually, yes there is a law. More than one usually.

First off, "brandishing." Waving a gun around in a threatening manner.
Second off, "assault with a deadly weapon." All they have to do is say they were in fear of their lives. It's your word against theirs.
Third off, "destruction of property." Unless the truck they're using to steal your stuff is yours, after all...
Plus, there's probably some law against discharging a weapon within 500' of a house or building...
If you hold the thieves at gunpoint until the police arrive, they will get you for unlawful imprisonment too.

When the cops show up, the dead body better have a recently-discharged gun in its hand so that you can plead self-defense and Castle Law.

oldtanker · Jun 8, 2012

(quoted from post at 16:34:14 06/02/12)

(quoted from post at 08:23:54 06/02/12) Good idea! If you like prison.

Click to expand...

I know to the letter of the law I "could" get in trouble but....... It's not like I put anything in a driveway, path, roadway or anyplace that could or should see foot or vehicle traffic. You can and will get in trouble if you specifically target someone by hiding something where you know they will be even if it is on your land . That I did not do.
The boards are not " hidden traps". Thy actually just sitting out there, not covered, not hidden. Come in during the day and you will see them from a mile away I am sure they are quite difficult to see at night though. The pile of scrap and equipment is in a fenced in field, way off the road. It is fenced in with 2 strands of wire (marked with red ribbon every 10 to 15 feet) to keep the animals (and I guess people too) out of the garden and away from the equipment for fear in ingesting hardware or the garden. So I guess I could also go to prison if they get cut on the wire that they have to take down to get in too because the gate is locked to keep them out.
Sorry for the rant guys, but it sucks even if you have no intent at all (not saying I didn't have a little) you could get sued if someone trespasses and attempts to steal from you and they get hurt.

All that said they located the tractors at a scrap yard about 10 miles away. They were all partially disassembled. The yard is getting in trouble for not taking ID and the police are wondering why they were so quickly being disassembled.

LOL here in MN with the current laws your boards on the ground can be considered a trap that get see you behind bars for a couple of years. You would be in a lot less trouble if you just shot out the tires as long as you don't threaten the crooks with the gun. Had a neighbor shoot out the tires on a local kids truck cause the local kid thought he could hunt anyplace he wanted.....he was charged with vandalism but the judge dropped the charges when the guy paid for new tires......if he had put out boards with nails he would have been in a lot more trouble.

Rick

big a · Jun 9, 2012

On most farmsteads, an overturned spike tooth harrow would be just as effective, and it's intent not so obvious, as purpose built tire shredders!

Pays to have a lawyer for a wife!

rhtx55 · Jun 9, 2012

+1 Put up some large NO TRESPASSING signs like the goverment has,
USE OF DEADLY FORCE AUTHORIZED in very small letters.

rhtx55 · Jun 9, 2012

If it's good enough for the military, it's good enough for me.
It's a shame we don't have the same rights against property thieves.

WSJ · Jun 9, 2012

The poor guy is probably just hungry, offer to take him to lunch at the Black Bear Den. It's not your fault if he accidentally falls in the black bear den and hits his head on a big rock. Hunting accidents happen all to often.

NoNewParts · Jun 9, 2012

game cameras
put a line on your posted signs that they are in use
put one in an obvious spot with a small tag on it that says:
' you found this one...two more hidden ones are
taking your picture'
word will get around in the bad people circles

paintball shots will help the authorities find the
right fleeing truck

Scrapper thieves

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