ust when you thought you were safe, industry bodies are warning RV theft rates are on the rise, doubling between 2014 and 2015. Which is why it's never been more important to guarantee the security of your van.

That's why in this issue of Caravan and Motorhome, we're going deeper into van security than ever before. We're torture testing 16 of the most popular security accessories available to determine the best way to thief-proof your RV.

Coupling locks - wheel clamps -

padlocks - alarms and GPS trackers, we're busting them all wide open and you'll be astonished by the results.

Is a top-shelf $200 wheel clamp any better than a $20 lock? Well, after days of gruelling testing, that's exactly what we're about to find out!

STATISTICS

According to the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council, motorhome thefts have doubled between 2014 and 2015.

Below is the recorded number of motorhorrie thefts Australia wide. This does not include caravans which are not classified as motor vehicles according to the N.M.V.T.R.C.

TOTAL MOTORHOME THEFTS

2014

ACT 0

NSW 5

QLD 5

SA 1

TAS

VIC 0

WA 3

TOTAL: 15

MOTORHOMESSTOLEN

& RECOVERED

2014

ACT 0

NSW 2

QLD 5

SA

TAS

VIC 0

WA 2

TOTAL: 11

2015

0

12

7

2

8

31

2015

0

6

3

0

6

17

HOWTO PROTECT

YOURSELF

Most of us know that if a thief wants something badly enough, they're going to get it. The best thing we can do is to deter them by making their job as difficult as possible in the hope they give up altogether. So what are your options?

• Home remedies, such as chainsand padlocksCoupling locks that prevent accessto the hitch receiver

• Wheel clamps that stop the tyresfrom rotating

• Alarm systems that notify you ofa threat

• CPS trackers that monitor thevan's location

• Data DOT technology foreasy identification

, Windsor

THEHOME

REMEDY

Will a simple padlock through the coupling handle really stop a thief? How about a chain through the tyres? These are great examples of home remedies we've all seen used - but how effective are they? To find out, we'll compare them to store­bought security devices, to see ifless really is more when it comes to RV security.

�How b.ese are we've all hey?To ,re-:ss really rity.

TESTING Every thief has one objective - get in and get out as fast as possible to avoid being caught. Every nerve-racking second it takes to breech your security system, the more likely they are to abandon their attempt.

Think about it. Your neighbours across the road might start mowing the lawn. The postie comes to deliver mail. Cars drive past. The utility worker comes to read your meter. Any more than five heart-thumping minutes and even career criminals are going to make a run for it.

To that end, our testing concentrates on speed. If a device can stand up to our punishment for five minutes or more -it scores a pass. For anything under that, we'll record the time it took to bust open and move on to the next test.

Ultimately, we want to know how each device will stand up to three of the most commonly used thievery tools on the block. A lever bar, bolt cutters and a drill. We'll use these to find each lock's strengths and weaknesses, then assess them on how quickly they can be disabled, plus their features, fi.tment compatibility, ease of use and price.

Full points will be awarded to the top performer(s) in each category. Subsequent points will be awarded to the runners-up relative to how far behind they are. So the longer a device can hold off a thief, the more points they'll be awarded, and if they only fell short by a small margin, they still receive high marks. This enabled us to ensure each device is scored consistently on its merits rather than placing in the pack.

1. AL-KO Universal 5.

Coupling Lock2. SCA Trailer Coupling Lock 6. 3. Cargo Mate Trailer Cop 7. 4. ARK Double Locking 8.

Coupling Lock

0�

0

Purpleline 9. Trojan Wheel Clamp Saracen Ultra 10. ARK Wheel Jaw ARK Coupling Lock 11. AL-KO Easy ClampKlampit Wheel Clamp Purpleline Nemesis 12. ARK Wheel Clamp

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www.caravanandmotorhome.com.au 91

MINI FEATURE SECURITY OPTIONS COMPARED

Coupling locks are designed to prevent a vehicle hitching up to your van and driving away. They're cost effective, a good visual deterrent and some even allow you to securely lock your van to your tow vehicle while you're on the road. But with prices ranging from $20 to $200, how do you know you're buying one that'll actually stop thieves?

CARGO MATE TRAILER COP _, 11MMtnim,,aJza·,<·rr,

FEATURES: 2/5 • ''1r,,,,1 FEATURES: 3/5 • a EASE OF USE: · 2/5 �. EASE OF USE: 4/5 �. COMPATIBILITY:

PRICE:

HOW IT WENT

5/5

$20

The Trailer Cop is seriously impressive for just $20. You can't lever on it, bolt cutters wouldn't touch it and it was slow to penetrate with our drill, and even then, you still need an Allen key to remov� it once you bypass the lock. It's small, compact and light weight to store which is an advantage. It's not much of a visual deterrent, unfortunately. It's fiddly to put on, you're likely to get greasy hands when removing it and you'll also need to carry the Allen key.

FEATURES:

EASE OF USE:

COMPATIBILITY:

PRICE:

HOW IT WENT

4/5

4/5

5/5

$34.99

For the price, it performed reasonably well. Structurally, the assembly itself couldn't be levered off the coupling easily. The type of padlock plays a huge part in the effectiveness of this one. The padlock supplied didn't stand up to our bolt cutters or drill, but if you upgraded it to a hardened and shielded padlock, you'd definitely slow an attacker down.

92 www.caravanandmotorhome.com.au

COMPATIBILITY:

PRICE:

HOW IT WENT

5/5

�o

Our home remedy was a padlock through the coupling handle and another one locking the drag chains back around the draw bar. Together, this prevents someone hitching up to our van and stops them from hooking up the chains and dragging it away. The main benefits are that � it's super easy and versatile. We only spent $20 on each padlock, but they are hardened and shielded, and proved more difficult to get off than other locks tested.

SCA TRAILER

COUPLING LOCK

FEATURES:

EASE OF USE:

COMPATIBILITY:

PRICE:

HOW IT WENT

3/5

4/5

5/5

$43.99

Although it appears similar to the AL-KO unit (more on this shortly), the metal took longer to drill and cut through both the u-bolt and body, as was evident in how long it took to penetrate.111e bright yellow colour is clearly visible from afar, making it a good visual deterrent. It might not rival the more expensive coupling locks, but if you're on a tight budget, this would tick a lot of boxes.

g handle the draw

I,urvan and it away.

-

AL-KO UNIVERSAL

COUPLING LOCK

FEATURES:

EASE OF USE:

COMPATIBILITY:

PRICE:

HOW IT WENT

3/5

4/5

5/5

$45.95

The AL-KO Coupling Lock is one of the better visual deterrents available. It's a very easy to use, lightweight and compact lock. While the lock barrel is rigid and the 50mm ball didn't budge, we'd like to see a stronger metal composition used throughout, particularly in the locking u-bolt.

FEATURES:

EASE OF USE:

COMPATIBILITY:

PRICE:

HOW IT WENT

4/5

5/5

5/5

_$_64.99

This versatile ARK lock works when the van is both hitched and unhitched to your tow vehicle. It's extremely easy to use, lightweight and compact. Its unique dual lock design and chrome plated hardened steel construction took a bit of work to make it budge. While we did pry it off our unhitched van, it took more work than others and was significantly harder to disable with a drill thanks to its dual locking mechanism.

RESULTS

FEATURES:

EASE OF USE:

COMPATIBILITY:

PRICE:

HOW IT WENT

5/5

3/5

5/5

$189

You definitely get what you pay for with Purpleline. Y:,_ only have the versatility of using it with your van hitchec unhitched, but it proved to be the most solid coupling locr � our test. Levering on it barely marked the powder coat. Bo!: cutters did nothing. And the hardened lock barrel held our longer than any other lock when the drill was used. Yeah o�s;. this one isn't the cheapest, it is a little fiddly to install and it's the heaviest in our test - but it works, and works well.

COUPLING LOCKS

Purpleline Saracen Ultra

Cargo Mate Trailer Cop

Home remedy

SCA Trailer Coupling Lock

ARK Double Locking Coupling Lock

ARK Coupling Lock

AL-KO Universal Coupling Lock

CROWBAR

PASS

PASS

1 min 04 secs

28 secs

1 min 24 secs

32 secs

14 secs

BOLT CUTTERS DRILL

PASS 2 min 44 secs

PASS 2 min 01 secs

38 secs 2 min 03 secs

18 secs 24 secs

13 secs 1 min 48 secs

12 secs 38 secs

11 secs 48 secs

www.caravanandmotorhome.com.au 93

MINI FEATURE SECURITY OPTIONS COMPARED

WHEEL CLAMPS COII/IPJIREDI - - - -

Wheel clamps mechanically lock your RV by stopping the wheel from turning all together. So even if a thief can hitch up to your van, they're going to struggle to tow it anywhere. They're not as cheap as coupling locks, but they are the best way to physically immobilise your RV.

FEATURES:

EASE OF USE:

COMPATIBILITY:

PRICE:

HOW IT WENT

1/5

5/5

5/5

$40

It's a fairly standard trick - you loop a chain through your tyres and loop it around the axle then lock it with a padlock. It's cheap, easy, compatible with any setup and simple to store while in transit. While a humble chain might deter opportunistic thieves, it was still fairly easy to remove. Our hardened and shielded padlock held up okay against the drill, but could be removed fairly quietly with two snips from our bolt cutters.

FEATURES:

EASE OF USE:

COMPATIBILITY:

PRICE:

HOW IT WENT

3/5

5/5

5/5

$59.95

The AL-KO wheel clamp is a highly visible deterrent that's cheap, easy to .fit and fairly compact to store. Unfortunately, the lightweight 2mm steel construction and thin welds buckled during testing. The locking mechanism was easily bypassed, and like the other claw clamps, the lack of wheel nut guard means the tyre can easily be removed.

94 www.caravanandmotorhome.com.au

FEATURES:

EASE OF USE:

COMPATIBILITY:

PRICE:

HOW IT WENT

4/5

2/5

2/5

i69.99

An affordable, lightweight and bright visual deterrent. This was the only wheel clamp we managed to cut through with bolt cutters. And while it does have a plate that prevents access to the wheel nuts, juggling it while .fitting the clamp to the wheel is difficult, particularly if you've got low hanging wheel arches. Higher grade steel would go a long way to improving the security of this lock.

ARK WHEEL JAW

FEATURES:

EASE OF USE:

COMPATIBILITY:

PRICE:

HOW IT WENT

3/5

5/5

5/5

j89.99

Of all the wheel clamps we tested, this one is the easiest to fit. It's made from solid 3mm steel with thick welds and didn't budge when being levered on. The locking mechanism is well protected and difficult to bypass. The only down side in its design is that it doesn't cover the wheel nuts, so it'd be fairly easy to jack up and remove the entire wheel.

FEATURES:

EASE OF USE:

COMPATIBILITY:

PRICE:

HOW IT WENT

4/5

4/5

4/5

_l99.99

Another easy and very compact wheel lock to use; AR.K's bright yellow slim design held up well in testing and forges ahead in terms of practicality because it can be stored nearly anywhere in its neat carry bag. The tightening mechanism requires you have enough strength in your hands �,� , • f! to ensure a firm fit, and while · · ?· it took us over three minutes _ "° : � · ,, to lever off the wheel, a bit more of an arch in the inner clamping arm would have

�.,,...�.: ,4prevented us from levering it " · .. 'off altogether.

ICLAMPIT 1 �

FEATURES:

EASE OF USE:

COMPATIBILITY:

PRICE:

HOW IT WENT

4/5

3/5

4/5

$199

The Klampit wheel clamp is quite solid for its size and weight. The lock held up well against our attempts to remove it with a lever bar, it's a great visual deterrent and there's next to no chance of cutting through it with bolt cutters. The extended length of the Klampit system can make it a little tricky to fit if your wheel arches sit low, or if you have wide mud flaps.

RESULTS

•

FEATURES:

EASE OF USE:

COMPATIBILITY:

PRICE:

HOW IT WENT

5/5

2/5

5/5

$249

This is the Sherman tank of the wheel lock world. We had no chance oflevering it off the tyre, you can't access the wheel nuts, a bolt cutter would barely scratch its 3mm steel frame and the lock is the best of all we tested. If money was no object, this would definitely offer the best protection. That said, it is time consuming to fit, bulky to store and the heaviest in the field. It's also not cheap, coming in at $249. With exception to the Klampit wheel clamp, that's more than double the price of all other wheel clamps tested.

WHEEL CLAMPS

Purpleline Nemesis

ARK Wheel Jaw

ARK Wheel Clamp

Klampit

AL-KO Easy Clamp Wheel Clamp

Home remedy

Trojan Wheel Clamp

CROWBAR

PASS

PASS

3 min 05 secs

PASS

2 min 41 secs

54 secs

1 mins 41 secs

BOLT CUTTERS DRILL

PASS 2 min 31 secs

PASS 2 min 02 secs

PASS 1 min 04 secs

PASS 59 secs

PASS 34 secs

32 secs 1 min 02 secs

12 secs 47 secs

www.caravanandmotorhome.com.au 95

MINI FEATURE SECURl1Y OPTIONS COMPARED

BEST 1/ALUE FOR MONEY

• Cargo Mate Trailer Cop• ARK Wheel Jaw

One thing is very clear; the Cargo Mate Trailer Cop and the ARK Wheel Jaw represent the best value for money coupling lock and wheel clamp. For a shade over a $100, you can immobilise your van and lock out the hitch, providing maximum protection on a tight budget.

BEST VALUEFOR MONEY

NO SECURITY SYSTEM IS

COMPLETE WITHOUT. ..

... A few modem-day advancements. While an alarm will make a heck of a lot of noise, we highly recommend a GPS tracker like the ATS Black Knight which track� your van's every move and leads police straight to the culprit, should they manage to bypass your locks and make off with your RV. Black Knight arc so confident in their product, that they'll pay a 'theft warranty' of $500 if your KrS protected RV is stolen and not recovered, and a claim is accepted by your insurer.

lf 98 www.caravanandmotorhome.com.au

STOP THIEVESIN THEIR TRACKS -

�

IF MONEY WAS NO OBJECT

• Purpleline Saracen Ultra coupling lock• Purpleline Nemesis wheel clamp

If money was no object and Fort Knox is what you want, you couldn't look past Purpleline's Saracen Ultra coupling lock and Nemesis wheel clamp. Yes, they're a little bulky and they take up a bit of space in the boot, but they're almost impenetrable and what can be disabled takes a serious amount of work and skill - meaning most thieves will have given up long before they crack it. This is the ultimate protection for your caravan.

INSURANCE - ARE YOU

REALLY COI/ERED1

Did you know that some insurance policies have an 'Abandonment' clause that stipulates criteria for how long and where your RV can be left unattended? This little-known detail may also bring a potential claim into question if you leave your van behind without properly securing it. So when you think about it, a hitch lock or wheel clamp is essential to maintain proper insurance coverage.