A wheel clamp in us e

S ecuring your caravan , m otorhom e or trailer

Mos t o f us a ccept the need to ma inta in our ca ravan o r mo to rhome to obta in the maximum

bene fit from it but s ome t imes s e curity is neg le cted a s be ing une s sent ia l, unt i l i t 's too la te .

The re is a lw ays a ris k o f the ft and th ie ve s w il l s e e an oppo rtun ity w he the r your ca ravan,

moto rhom e o r t ra i le r is w o rth 25,000 o r 1,000. Much o f the fo l low ing advice is d ire cted a t

ca ravans but s ome is app l icab le to t ra i le rs and moto rhomes , w ith ment ion o f s ome products

app l icab le to pa rt icu la r un it s .

Ge t more fre e he lp and advice w hen you jo in the C lub .

B asic A dv iceDe te r the oppo rtun is t th ie f by us ing re la t ive ly ine xpens ive products

Cons ide r the be s t s e curity device s ava i la b le to reduce the ris ks o f your un it be ing s to le n

and a ls o reduce your insurance prem iums

Cons ide r means to he lp re cove ry o f your un it i f i t is s to le n

De te r the fts o f p rope rty from your un it w ith s imp le device s

Th ie ve s don 't on ly s te a l w hen your un it is s to red , it 's vu lne rab le a t a l l t imes e ven w hen

jus t s topp ing fo r a cup o f te a o r to s t re tch your le gs a t a mo to rw ay s e rvice s ta t ion. Y ou

the re fo re need to cons ide r a range o f measure s to pro te ct yours e lf a t a l l t imes .

D ATA SH EET#14 K eep ing yo u r carav an ,#14 K eep ing yo u r carav an ,m o to rh o m e o r tra iler secu rem o to rh o m e o r tra iler secu re

#14

A h itch lo ck o n a h itch

Products to deter the th iefThe re a re hundreds o f ca ravan s e curity device s on the ma rke t , w ith s ome be ing be t te r than

o the rs . As w ith m os t th ings you gene ra l ly ge t w ha t you pay fo r, but independent te s t ing is o fte n

the be s t w ay to che ck the capab i l i ty o f s e curity e qu ipment .

So ld Se cure is an independent o rgan is a t ion, ca rrying out te s t ing on a w ide range o f s e curity

device s , includ ing those fo r ca ravans . Y ou may a ls o s e e Tha tcham approved products and those

accred ite d by European bod ie s s uch a s TU V and SCM. The So ld Se cure logo w il l be s e en on m any

se curity products s o ld in the U K w ith go ld , s i lve r and bronze ra t ings . W hee l lo cks can obta in a

d iamond ra t ing .

It is impo rtant to unde rs tand tha t no product can gua rantee a un it w i l l no t be s to le n. The a im is

to de te r a th ie f w ho pre fe rs e a s ie r p ickings o r to s low dow n the more de te rm ined th ie f, o r the

one w ith a good too lbox conta in ing la rge le ve r ba rs and d is c cut te rs .

Fit t ing more than one s e curity measure s hou ld s low dow n a th ie f more than s imp ly us ing one .

W hen looking a t mechanica l s e curity device s remembe r the re a re a t le a s t tw o th ings to cons ide r

the s t rength o f the ma te ria l i t is made o f and the lo ck. A w hee l clamp made o f th ick h igh-grade

s te e l is w o rth le s s i f s e cured by a cheap lo ck tha t can be de fe a ted in a m inute .

Y ou w il l a ls o need to cons ide r the requ irement o f your insurance company. O ften po l icie s w i l l

re qu ire a m in imum o f a h it ch lo ck and w hee l clamp to be f it te d to a ca ravan fo r s tanda rd cove r,

but w i l l g ive d is counts i f h ighe r grade measure s l ike an approved w hee l lo ck o r t ra cke r device is

f it te d .

Don 't fo rge t to make sure the th ie f know s the device is f i t te d s o bright ly co loured device s o r

s t icke rs in the w indow he lp , though s ome t ra cke r device s depend on be ing h idden and unknow n

to the th ie f.

A vailable productsHitch locks

A good h it ch lo ck w il l p rovide a re a sonab le degree o f

pro te ct ion from the oppo rtun is t th ie f, but it w i l l no t p rovide

suff icie nt s e curity on it s ow n a s the de te rm ined th ie f can

bypas s the device . Buy one tha t is manufa ctured from heavy

s te e l and cove rs the h it ch f ixing bo lt s . Some h it ch lo cks can

lo ck the ca ravan to the ca r tow ba l l and th is is us e fu l w hen

s topp ing a t a s e rvice s ta t ion en route to a camps ite . Even if

de s igned to do s o w e do no t re commend le aving the h it ch

lo ck f it te d w hile in t rans it , i t may h inde r the Eme rgency

Se rvice s .

W he e l cla mps

A s imp le wheel clamp

A wheel lo ck being fit ted

A n alum in ium leveller

W hee l clam ps com e in a l l s o rts o f qua l it ie s , but a good

product w i l l he lp de te r th ie ve s a s it ta ke s t ime to remove . It

s hou ld a lw ays be used w heneve r the ca ravan is le ft

una t tended, a t home o r aw ay. Remembe r, i f the product is

heavy, bu lky and d iff icu lt to f it , you a re le s s l ike ly to us e it

and how eve r e ffe ct ive it is , i t 's us e le s s un le s s it 's f i t te d . Fo r

e xample , ta ke a coup le o f M i le nco products , bo th Go ld So ld

Se cure go ld ra ted w hee l clamps . The O rig ina l w hee l clamp is

idea l fo r ta king aw ay a t a re la t ive ly l ightw e ight 12.3kg, w hile

it s b ig bro the r the Mega C lamp is fa r heavie r a t 27.5kg and boas ts concre te -f i l le d a rms tha t w i l l

re s is t m os t fo rms o f a t ta ck d is c cut te rs and oxyace tyle ne burn ing . The Mega C lamp shou ld

provide be t te r p ro te ct ion and cou ld be a good cho ice fo r w hen the ca ravan is le ft in s to rage but

may be too la rge to ta ke aw ay on ho l iday. Remembe r to re ad the manufa cture r's ins t ruct ions and

com ply w ith them . A ls o , s ome clamps le ave the un it 's w hee l nuts e xposed meaning the clam p

can be removed by removing the w hee l. In th is ca s e , you may l ike to cons ide r us ing lo cking

w hee l nuts a longs ide the clamp.

W he e l locks

Bo th m a jo r ca ravan chas s is manufa cture rs , AL-KO and BPW ,

have a s e curity device tha t f it s through the ca ravan 's w hee l

to an axle -m ounted re ce ive r. The device s a re made to So ld

Se cure 's D iamond s tanda rd , un ique to w hee l lo cks , and a re

re cogn is ed a s an e ffe ct ive s e curity lo ck fo r ca ravans . Ea ch

manufa cture r on ly s upp l ie s w hee l lo cks fo r it s ow n

chas s is . AL-KO mode ls s ince about 2001 and BPW mode ls

s ince 2004 can be f it te d w ith th is type o f w hee l lo ck, but

on ly i f your ca ravan ha s a l loy w hee ls . The use o f the se

D iamond s tanda rd w hee l lo cks w il l usua l ly p roduce a s ign if icant re duct ion in your insurance

prem ium . But no te the AL-KO w hee l lo cks a re s pe cif ic to the ca s t o f the a l loy w hee ls and a new

lock may be needed w hen you change your ca ravan.

The re is a d is advantage to the se lo cks you have to a l ign the w hee l and

the re ce ive r pe rfe ct ly to f it them . Th is is no t usua l ly a prob lem in

s to rage , but on s ite w hen you have a ch ie ved your pe rfe ct le ve l on the

ramp, how do you then a l ign the w hee l ape rture w ith hub? O ne s o lut ion

is to us e a w hee l le ve l le r ra the r than ramp. It can a ls o be cha l le ng ing to

f it the lo cks to bo th w hee ls on a tw in-axle ca ravan. Y ou a re l ike ly to

need a ja ck to pos it ion the s e cond re ce ive r a lthough a product ca l le d

LockNLeve l may provide a s o lut ion.

Se curity posts

The se can be use fu l, e spe cia l ly i f you keepyour ca ravan a t home . Fo r gre a te s t s e curity the pos ts

need to be s e t in concre te and have an inte rna l lo cking mechanism , to avo id the vu lne rab i l i ty o f

a pad lo ck. Pos ts can be purchased w ith a tow ba l l on top s o the ca ravan h it ch can be lo cked on

making them h igh ly e ffe ct ive a s bo th the h it ch lo ck and pos t need to be phys ica l ly ove rcome to

a l low the rem ova l o f the un it .

W he e l sta nds/w inte r w he e ls

S ecu rity po s t

A g ro und ancho r

A co rner s teady lo ck

If you th ink tha t ta king the w hee ls o ff

your ca ravan w hen it 's in s to rage w il l

p rovide pro te ct ion to the tyre s and

prevent the ft th ink aga in. Th ie ve s may

view the ca ravan on axle s tands a s

anoppo rtun ity fo r f i t t ing rep la cement

w hee ls .It cou ld a ls o inva l ida te your

insurance i f your provide r ins is ts on a

w hee l clam p o r lo ck be ing f it te d . The re a re lo ckab le w inte r w hee ls

ava i la b le and e ven a So ld Se cure go ld s tanda rd product , but do che ck

w ith your insurance company be fo re f it t ing them .

M isce lla ne ous locks

Corne r s te ady lo cks a re a s imp le , compact

device tha t enab le the co rne r s te ady le gs to

be lo cked in the dow n pos it ion. The se a re

l ightw e ight , re la t ive ly cheap and ea sy-to -f it

device s and can improve an e xis t ing good

bas ic s e curity s ys tem .

Fo r mo to rhomes a s te e ring w hee l lo ck o r device s uch a s a C lutch

C law a re re la t ive ly s imp le mechanica l device s , h igh ly vis ib le and a

w ay to de te r o r s low dow n a th ie f. Fo r l ightw e ight t ra i le rs and

o the r un it s a ground ancho r is ve rs a t i le and can be used w ith

cha ins o r s pe cia l f i t t ings to s e cure your un it to the ground. The re is

a po rtab le one fo r us e in s o ft g round. The s e cre t o f g round ancho rs

(a s w ith mos t o the r products ) is to ensure the w ho le s ys tem is

s e cure a good ground ancho r us ed w ith a poo r cha in tha t can be cut w ith bo lt croppe rs w il l be

ine ffe ct ive .

Ala rms

A re l ia b le a la rm , used a longs ide o the r s e curity device s , can de te r th ie ve s . It can provide w a rn ing

if s omeone a t tem pts to move your ca ravan o r ga in ent ry. W ha teve r the type and purpose o f the

a la rm , make sure tha t it is re l ia b le and prope rly f it te d . An a la rm tha t goe s o ff re gu la rly, w hen no

th ie ve s a re nea r, w i l l make youunpopula r w ith ne ighbours and cause the a la rm to be igno red

w hen the re is a genu ine incident . Cons ide r w ha t fe a ture s a reprovided w ith the a la rm , s uch a s

inte rna l m o t ion s enso rs to de te ct in t rude rs o r o the r s enso rs tha t can de te ct the ro ta t ion o f a

s te ady le g w inde r o r movement o f the un it . I f you keep your ca ravan a t home , it is s ome t imes

pos s ib le to conne ct your ca ravan s ys tem into your home a la rm s ys tem , i f you have one f it te d .

Sim ila rly, i f you have a t ra cke r device f it te d it is o fte n pos s ib le to l ink an int rude r de te cto r to the

same cont ro l cent re . Ta lk to the peop le w ho f it te d your house a la rm o r t ra cke r un it . O ne o fthe

s imp le s t a la rm s is the s tanda rd pe rs ona l a la rm tha t us e s a pu l l co rd a ct ion. The se can be used

to pro te ct doo rs a t n ight and can e ven be used to pro te ct te nts , a t ta ched be tw een a ground peg

and tent z ip .

G etting your un it back

A go o d t racking s ys tem s ho u ldb ring a qu ick po lice res po ns e

I f your un it is s to le n the chance s o f ge t t ing it ba ck can be drama t ica l ly improved by taking the

fo l low ing measure s f irs t :

T a king photogra phs

Pho tograph your out f it , ta king pa rt icu la r no te o f any d is t inct ive fe a ture s tha t cou ld ident ify the

un it and he lp the po l ice .

Etching a nd ma rking

I f your ca ravan w as manufa ctured in the U K s ince 1992 it s hou ld have a Cent ra l Reg is t ra t ion &

ident if ica t ion Schem e (CR iS) ma rk on the w indow s and chas s is - a un ique 17-cha ra cte r

ident if ica t ion. Ensure you keep the CR iS o r DVLA reg is t ra t ion document fo r your ca ravan o r

moto rhom e in a s a fe p la ce and no t in your un it . Ins ide the ca ravan o r mo to rhome you can use

e ithe r an u lt ra -vio le t pen o r a s imp le s p irit -ba sed fe lt t ipped pen on raw p lyw ood ins ide a

cupboa rd o r unde r beds w ith the CR iS ID o r veh icle re g is t ra t ion fo r a mo to rhome . If you have an

imported ca ravan you can s t i l l have your un it CR iS reg is te red . Th is is w o rth do ing a s the va lue o f

the CR iS s ys tem is re cogn is ed by the po l ice w hen ca rrying out che cks fo r s to le n ca ravans .

M icrodo t s e curity pa ckage s a re a ls o ava i la b le to ma rk up an out f it 's f ixture s and f it t ings and a

s ys tem know n a s Smart W a te r can be a ls o use fu l in a ca ravan 's in te rio r to provide a un ique ,

t ra ceab le code .

M icrochips

CR iS reg is te red ca ravans from the 1998 mode l yea r have a

rad io fre quency ident if ica t ion (RFID) tag f it te d a s s tanda rd

w ith in the bodyw ork. CR iS int roduced a new and enhanced

ident if ica t ion s cheme fo r the new mode l yea r 2016. Ca l le d

V IN Ch ip , no t on ly is the re an embedded ch ip , the re 's tampe r

evident s e curity la be ls and the use o f s cannab le Q R code s

fo r rap id ident ity che cking by the po l ice . O lde r ca ravans can

be upgraded, conta ct CR iS fo r more in fo rma t ion and the bund le s ava i la b le .

R oof ma rking

Ma rk the roo f o f your van w ith the la s t s ix cha ra cte rs o f it s CR iS numbe r w ith la rge s t ick-on

le t te rs tha t can be re ad by roads ide came ra s . Commercia l s t ick-on kit s a re ava i la b le o r you can

make your ow n.

T ra cking syste ms

The mos t up-to -da te s ys tems use GPS s a te l l i te and mob ile

phone te chno logy to s end a s igna l out tha t can be used to

lo ca te the un it . The re a re tw o ma in type s o f un it , pa s s ive

one s and those tha t automa t ica l ly s end out an a la rm w hen

the un it is m oved. The be t te r s ys tems w il l s end the s igna l to

a cont ro l cent re , w hich w il l then conta ct the ow ne r to che ck

the movem ent is le g it ima te .

The se cont ro l cent re s , i f A s socia t ion o f Ch ie f Po l ice O ff ice rs

(ACPO ) approved, w i l l ob ta in a rap id re sponse from the

po l ice . The s ys tems do how eve r requ ire ba t te ry pow e r and w hile the un it s have the ir ow n ba ck-

up ba t te ry, i f the th ie ve s d is conne ct the un it 's ba t te ry, th is on ly w o rks fo r a re la t ive ly s ho rt

pe riod . Y ou mus t the re fo re ensure your un it 's ba t te ry is kept in good cond it ion w hile in long-te rm

s to rage . W hile the se s ys tems requ ire a re a sonab le ca sh out la y and an annua l fe e , they produce

good re su lt s and m any insurance companie s o ffe r cons ide rab le d is counts w hen a good qua l ity

Ex tra s ecu rity meas u res tos afeguard yo u r un it in clude a

S hand leo lo ck that do ub les as ahand ho ld

S leeps afe co mpact battery w indo walarm

t ra cking s ys tem is ins ta l le d .

D eterring theft from your un itAla rms - Sophis t ica ted a la rms to de te r the ft o f the un it a re

o ften use fu l to w a rn o f unautho ris ed ent ry in to the un it .

The re a re a ls o inexpens ive sma ll ind ividua l a la rms

ava i la b le fo r the doo rs and w indow s , a lthough the se a re

gene ra l ly more s u ite d fo r s ho rt -te rm use w hen camping.

Improve d locks - Ca ravan and moto rhome doo r lo cks a re

gene ra l ly no t robus t s e curity device s . Y ou can buy kit to

improve the s e curity o f your e xis t ing lo ck, s uch a s the

B right lo ck, o r your dea le r can f it a more s e cure lo cking

mechanism to your e xis t ing lo ck. A lte rna t ive ly you can put

add it iona l lo cks on the doo r. I f you f it e xt ra lo cks , make

sure you can s t i l l e a s i ly e xit from the un it in an

eme rgency.

If you a re se lling a ca ra va n or motorhome - Neve r pa rt w ith your ca ravan unt i l the money

has cle a red , th is include s bu i ld ing s ocie ty cheque s and bank dra ft s , w hich can be fo rged o r

s to le n.

If you a re buying a ca ra va n or motorhome - Don 't buy ca ravans o r mo to rhomes in

pub ca r pa rks o r mo to rw ay s e rvice s ta t ions . Che ck a

s e l le r's ID and remembe r rogue s e l le rs have been know n

to use the drive o f an empty house . Che ck the ca ravan 's

w indow CR iS ID . Has it been removed o r a lte red? If i t s o ,

conta ct the po l ice .

C he ck if a ca ra va n or motorhome is sto le n - Does

it have outs tand ing f inance aga ins t it o r is an insurance

w rite -o ff by conta ct ing CR iS (ca ravans ) o r HP I

(moto rhomes ) us ing the CR iS ID o r re g is t ra t ion p la te

numbe r re spe ct ive ly.

Be w a ry o f re a l good de a ls - W hen looking to purchase and us ing the Inte rne t do che ck the

com pany s e l l ing ca ravans o r mo to rhomes is bona fide . I f the price s e em too good to be t rue it

p robab ly is s o be ve ry caut ious . A lw ays pay w ith a cred it ca rd a s th is s hou ld g ive you

add it iona l p ro te ct ion.

If your un it is sto lenNot ify the po l ice and your insurance company. The po l ice w il l ne ed a s fu l l a de s crip t ion

a s you can g ive includ ing your un it 's cha s s is numbe r o r CR iS numbe r, any o the r s e ria l

num be rs and ident ifying ma rks o r fe a ture s

If you have comple ted the fo rm be low , th is w i l l be a use fu l re co rd fo r the po l ice

In the ca se o f ca ravan the ft in fo rm CR iS and the Po l ice .

1. Se curity pos t

2. H it ch lo ck

3. Numbe r e tched on w indow s

4. H igh s e curity ca ravan doo r lo ck

5. B right ly co loured w hee l clamp

6. Lock dow n co rne r s te ad ie s

7. Pos tcode ma rked on roo f

8. Item s ins ide ma rked w ith pos tcode

9. Re l ia b le a la rm s ys tem

10. Re co rd s e ria l numbe rs and de s crip t ions o f in te rio r f i t t ings

W hat to consider w hen storing your caravan

Le is ure un it s a re a t g re a te s t dange r o f be ing s to le n w hen be ing s to red . I f you keep your un it a t

your house you w il l ne ed to cons ide r many o f the pre ced ing products to pro te ct your un it .

An a lte rna t ive is to us e a s to rage compound. The C lub ha s a numbe r o f s to rage s pa ce s a t

va rious C lub s ite s , cl ick he re fo r furthe r de ta i ls . I f th is is no t conven ient , t ry the Ca ravan Sto rage

Site O w ne rs As socia t ion (CaSSO A), w hich ha s membe rs a cros s the count ry. Some CaSSO A s ite s

have s oph is t ica ted s e curity s ys tems and e ven indoo r s to rage fa ci l i t ie s . Y ou w il l a ls o f ind s to rage

s ite s w ith m ore ba s ic le ve ls o f s e curity a s CaSSO A s ite s a re graded a cco rd ing to the le ve l o f

s e curity - go ld , s i lve r o r b ronze .

W hen in s to rage it is w o rth removing pe rs ona l items from your un it and le aving the cupboa rds

open s o the th ie f can s ee the re 's no th ing o f va lue ins ide . I f pos s ib le , ta ke out the un it cush ions ,

w hich w il l no t on ly keep them dry but drama t ica l ly re duce the s a le ab i l i ty o f the ca ravan.

A nd finally ...If you hea r o r s e e anyth ing conce rn ing ca ravan the ft o r d is posa l o f s to le n un it s conta ct the

confident ia l fre e phone C rime stoppe rs Line on 0800 555111. Y ou may be ent it le d to a

rew a rd and the re is no need to g ive your name if you don 't w ant to .

P le a se note inclusion on the se pa ge s doe s not constitute e ndorse me nt by T he C a mping a nd

C a ra va nning C lub

If you ha ve fe e dba ck on our ne w forma t Da ta she e t, p le a se le t us know , using our short

Fe e dba ck Form.

W eb :W eb : The Camping and Ca ravanning C lub

Greenf ie lds House W estw ood W ay Covent ry CV4 8JH

Tel:Te l: 024 7647 5442

W eb :W eb : Ca ravan Sa fe ty and Se curity Group

W eb :W eb : Centra l Reg is t ra t ion & ident if ica t ion Scheme (CR iS) ca ravan and moto rhom eche ck

Tel:Te l: 0203 2821000

W eb :W eb : CaSSO A

Sec ure s t o rage assoc ia t ion

Tel:Te l: 0843 2165802

W eb :W eb : So ld Se cure

Tel:Te l: 01327 264687

W eb :W eb : AL-KO

One o f t he M a in supplie rs o f c a ravan and mot orhome running gea r and c hass is and somemec hanic a l se c urit y dev ic e s

Tel:Te l: 01926 818500

W eb :W eb : BPW

M anufac t ure r o f c a ravan Chass is and running gea r. F rom Sept ember 2017 BPW lightw e ightd iv is ion ow ned by A l- Ko , so p lease c ont ac t t hem d ire c t ly .

Tel:Te l: 01926 818500

W eb :W eb : Lock’n ’Le ve l

Ema il: info@ loc knleve l.c o .uk

Tel:Te l: 01525 375271

W eb :W eb : Bulldog

Tel:Te l: 01952 728171

W eb :W eb : HPI

Tel:Te l: 0845 3008905

W eb :W eb : Keen E le ct ron ics

Tel:Te l: 01296 423203

W eb :W eb : Milenco

M anufac t ure r o f mec hanic a l se c urit y dev ic e t ha t a re So ld Sec ure ra t ed

Tel:Te l: 01908 220102

C o ntactsC o ntacts

W eb :W eb : Phantom t ra cking s ys tems and a la rms

Tel:Te l: 0845 130 3301

W eb :W eb : SAS P roducts

Tel:Te l: 0117 937 4747

W eb :W eb : Se le ctama rk

Tel:Te l: 01689 860757

W eb :W eb : CanTra ck a s s e t t ra cking

Tel:Te l: 01908 330385

W eb :W eb : Sa rgent E le ct rica l

M anufac t ure , supply and repa ir o f a la rms t o c a ravan and mot orhome indust ry and gene ra lpublic .

Tel:Te l: 01482 678981