# Copper Thieves



## Mike120

Yesterday morning the guy who works for me came to the house and said "no power at barn". Went down and the conduit to the meter box was a bit loose, the conduit to a sub- panel was chopped off, and wires were dangling from the transformer on the pole at the street. The deputy sheriff told me that they just hook up a dually to the conduit running up the pole with a cable and drive off......They pulled three copper cables of AWG 00 (2/0) a little over 250' out of the ground. I guess they needed some X'mas money. I assume the dog chased them off when they were trying to get the sub-panel wiring 'cause they dropped a flashlight. I should have it all replaced/fixed on Monday for a bit over $3K, but this time I'm putting in aluminum.....with a sign on it. I guess when I have power restored, I'll have to put in a camera system. I've been considering one for some time, but until now, I hadn't even considered putting a camera on the electric meter and outside conduit runs.


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## hillside hay

Good Lord! That's pretty brazen!


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## Tim/South

They got the radiatiors out of 3 trucks here and the battery out of one backhoe.

It is going to cost nearly $2000 to replace the radiator in the F900. We are just going to scrap the F700, not worth the expense and trouble to fix.

We can put a plastic radiator in the one ton flatbed.

Later I discovered they had also come back more than once and stole off road diesel. It is a hand pump on a 1,000 gallon tank sitting on the fence row at my back yard.


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## panhandle9400

They have hit a few center pivots near here and it is about 6500 to 7000 to repair that . I have a big nh3 storage tank and scales , they meth cookers have tapped me 2 times in a year. They have some infared motion detectors with a range up to 4.5 miles I am thinking of installing atleast 2 of them with a base here at the house. If I do catch them stealing copper or nh3 , here in this area ,I will just shoot to kill, 30 minutes to nearest town and whos story will they believe mine or a dead thief ? I have done talked to the law and told them it was going on .


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## swmnhay

3-S's

Shoot,Shovel,Shutup.


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## RockyHill

Tuesday afternoon and early evening two local churches had their HVAC units stolen. As of yesterday pm our church hadn't been a victim.

A black primered 80's model GMC or Chevrolet was seen leaving with one. A neighbor had seen a red Ford ranger parked behind the other church.


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## NewBerlinBaler

Some good news... Video surveillance units are now quite affordable. Last year I installed a self-contained, solar-powered, motion-sensing LED light / video camera to monitor a remote gate. Got the unit from the Northern Catalog for $140. The mounting pole was another $25. Charges itself up during the day but keeps working for days even without sunshine. Any motion will trigger a 10-second video recording - long enough to identify a trespasser. At night, motion also triggers the light. It came with a 1GB SSD card that holds about 120 10-second videos. For $20, I bought a 16 GB card.

The gate is on a secluded stretch of road. For years, kids would pull off and "park" late a night. The next day we would find beer cans, used condoms, etc. Now that the motion sensor is installed, that activity has stopped. I'm thinking in getting another unit to watch the barn.

They're easy to install as there's no need to bring power to it. To look at the videos, I bring a ladder to get the card out and take it to my PC. I was reviewing the data once a month or so but now I think I'll just wait till there's evidence of trespassing / vandalism / theft.

Gary


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## JD3430

NewBerlinBaler said:


> Some good news... Video surveillance units are now quite affordable. Last year I installed a self-contained, solar-powered, motion-sensing LED light / video camera to monitor a remote gate. Got the unit from the Northern Catalog for $140. The mounting pole was another $25. Charges itself up during the day but keeps working for days even without sunshine. Any motion will trigger a 10-second video recording - long enough to identify a trespasser. At night, motion also triggers the light. It came with a 1GB SSD card that holds about 120 10-second videos. For $20, I bought a 16 GB card.
> 
> The gate is on a secluded stretch of road. For years, kids would pull off and "park" late a night. The next day we would find beer cans, used condoms, etc. Now that the motion sensor is installed, that activity has stopped. I'm thinking in getting another unit to watch the barn.
> 
> They're easy to install as there's no need to bring power to it. To look at the videos, I bring a ladder to get the card out and take it to my PC. I was reviewing the data once a month or so but now I think I'll just wait till there's evidence of trespassing / vandalism / theft.
> 
> Gary


I have to get one of those.


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## somedevildawg

Yea, it just never ends, damned thieves.......problem is, if they catch em they won't do any real time....you know they may suffer from a host of diseases....including the dreaded affluenza disease......might as well take em out, no know cure......


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## DSLinc1017

I have a camera system on the barn and yard, works great, can even check in live or see past footage on my I things. 
Was fairly inexpensive to purchase and very easy to install. The web site is 
http://www.supercircuits.com/


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## somedevildawg

Someone was marketing a camera system that was basically a trail camera with data capabilities over the cellular network, would send an email after it took the pic.....not sure how it went over, also was marketed to hunters.......that would be ideal, real time alert and pic.....anything else is good, just not timely


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## Teslan

panhandle9400 said:


> They have hit a few center pivots near here and it is about 6500 to 7000 to repair that . I have a big nh3 storage tank and scales , they meth cookers have tapped me 2 times in a year. They have some infared motion detectors with a range up to 4.5 miles I am thinking of installing atleast 2 of them with a base here at the house. If I do catch them stealing copper or nh3 , here in this area ,I will just shoot to kill, 30 minutes to nearest town and whos story will they believe mine or a dead thief ? I have done talked to the law and told them it was going on .


We've had to replace two pivot wires over the last couple of years. Sheriff deputies said that they catch these people and even set up stings on them and then the judges let them free.


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## DSLinc1017

Tim/South said:


> They got the radiatiors out of 3 trucks here and the battery out of one backhoe.
> It is going to cost nearly $2000 to replace the radiator in the F900. We are just going to scrap the F700, not worth the expense and trouble to fix.
> We can put a plastic radiator in the one ton flatbed.
> Later I discovered they had also come back more than once and stole off road diesel. It is a hand pump on a 1,000 gallon tank sitting on the fence row at my back yard.


Last spring we had all the catilitic converters stolen out our trucks at our shop. Dumb shits didnt realize they where on video. Local police loved getting the DVD of the whole thing, including the car, license plates and clear view of the two bone heads.


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## Grateful11

After someone stole some wheel weights here we put in some No-Glow Game Cameras, no glowing red light. They're camouflaged and are quite hard to see. We went with Moultrie M-990i's. Picture quality is very good. Amazon has them for about $140 plus batteries and a memory card. Hardest part is choosing which option to use video or photo, burst mode, time delay, etc. Video eats batteries and memory card space as there's normally a lot of activity around here. High resolution photos seem to be the best option. Already caught a couple uninvited guests and had their tags run by the Sheriff's dept but turned out to be a tractor dealer with no sign on his truck and a friend of my son.

http://www.moultriefeeders.com/productdetail.aspx?id=mcg-12596


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## somedevildawg

DSLinc1017 said:


> Last spring we had all the catilitic converters stolen out our trucks at our shop. Dumb shits didnt realize they where on video. Local police loved getting the DVD of the whole thing, including the car, license plates and clear view of the two bone heads.


But.....did you get restitution?


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## DSLinc1017

somedevildawg said:


> But.....did you get restitution?


Sure did! Got the catalytic converters back as well as they paid, or I should say the mother of the kids paid to get them put back on. As it was her car that was found the next morning with the stolen goods. 
Not sure what ever happend to the kids, never followed up.


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## Tim/South

My problem with motion detecting cameras is the trucks are parked in my pasture. I have cows walking around grazing.

My diesel tank if 40 feet from my back door.

My place is very visible from the road. Someone was watching. I had been going to keep my FIL company each night until about 10:00. The thieves knew my routine.


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## Bonfire

The ultimate stealth game camera is a Reconyx. I have an HC600. You can set that thing up to take pictures so fast, it looks like a video. It takes 12 Nimh batteries (pricey) but they will last for months before they need to be recharged. Pictures quality is superb. Night vision is excellent. The camera is kinda expensive but it's been worth it for me.


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## Bonfire

panhandle9400 said:


> They have hit a few center pivots near here and it is about 6500 to 7000 to repair that . I have a big nh3 storage tank and scales , they meth cookers have tapped me 2 times in a year. They have some infared motion detectors with a range up to 4.5 miles I am thinking of installing atleast 2 of them with a base here at the house. If I do catch them stealing copper or nh3 , here in this area ,I will just shoot to kill, 30 minutes to nearest town and whos story will they believe mine or a dead thief ? I have done talked to the law and told them it was going on .


How are the meth heads taking the nh3? Using a hose from your valve to their LP gas tank?

You probably already know this but a 357 Sig round carries quite a punch!!!


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## FarmerCline

Tim/South said:


> My problem with motion detecting cameras is the trucks are parked in my pasture. I have cows walking around grazing.
> My diesel tank if 40 feet from my back door.
> My place is very visible from the road. Someone was watching. I had been going to keep my FIL company each night until about 10:00. The thieves knew my routine.


 You need to get you a big mean bull that will make them think twice about getting back in that pasture. The only problem is it needs to be friendly to you....maybe it could be trained and you would have yourself a guard bull.


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## Mike120

Interestingly I tell my son he is paranoid because he has cameras all over his place and has been much more security conscious since his place was broken into years ago. Now I'm pissed and am planning for the same thing. Just goes to show you that a Liberal is really just a Conservative who hasn't been robbed yet........


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## ontario hay man

Im surprised more thieves dont steal tractor weights. We had a few guys do that one time. You would be surprised how a grumpy old rotweiller off the chain will fix thieves. I had one that would wait until somebody would grab something then he appeared and they were to far from the truck. He always seemed to no who was up to no good he never attacked anybody but thieves. If somebody grabbed something in the dark he grabbed them lol. He was fun to watch.


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## JD3430

Mike120 said:


> Interestingly I tell my son he is paranoid because he has cameras all over his place and has been much more security conscious since his place was broken into years ago. Now I'm pissed and am planning for the same thing. Just goes to show you that a Liberal is really just a Conservative who hasn't been robbed yet........


Or had kids yet.


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## panhandle9400

Bonfire said:


> How are the meth heads taking the nh3? Using a hose from your valve to their LP gas tank?
> 
> You probably already know this but a 357 Sig round carries quite a punch!!!


They are using a screw driver ? turn locked valves to open enough to get it out of my loading hoses, my guess they are putting it in ice chests ? I have some tricked out siaga shotguns loaded with buckshot, prefer beretta p92 . If they are stealing nh3 they will steal whatever they can carry off too. I hate liars and thieves !!!! My storage area is 1/2 mile from my house , located on paved road, have small hill between so I cannot see the activity, thats where the infared motion dectectors would be handy.


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## mlappin

swmnhay said:


> 3-S'sShoot,Shovel,Shutup.


Have a selection of rifles on the farm including a .223 and a Enfield 303. Also have readily available a backhoe or a mini excavator.


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## mlappin

NewBerlinBaler said:


> Some good news... Video surveillance units are now quite affordable. Last year I installed a self-contained, solar-powered, motion-sensing LED light / video camera to monitor a remote gate. Got the unit from the Northern Catalog for $140. The mounting pole was another $25. Charges itself up during the day but keeps working for days even without sunshine. Any motion will trigger a 10-second video recording - long enough to identify a trespasser. At night, motion also triggers the light. It came with a 1GB SSD card that holds about 120 10-second videos. For $20, I bought a 16 GB card.
> 
> The gate is on a secluded stretch of road. For years, kids would pull off and "park" late a night. The next day we would find beer cans, used condoms, etc. Now that the motion sensor is installed, that activity has stopped. I'm thinking in getting another unit to watch the barn.
> 
> They're easy to install as there's no need to bring power to it. To look at the videos, I bring a ladder to get the card out and take it to my PC. I was reviewing the data once a month or so but now I think I'll just wait till there's evidence of trespassing / vandalism / theft.
> 
> Gary


I've been thinking of getting some dummy cameras and mounting them along the dirt road along the one side of our farm along with a "smile your on candid camera" sign to see if it cuts down on the dumping.

Didn't spend years removing old rusty fence and cleaning up the fence rows just so shit heads have a place to dump or go off roading in our fields. Really hate to have to re-install those fences just because some people didn't beat their kids enough.


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## mlappin

Meth heads are just one more reason we went to 28 or 32. We never had a problem but any time we did have tanks at other fields I would let a few friends on the county police department know where they would be sitting.


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## rjmoses

About 10-11 years ago, my next door neighbor was using a lot of migrant workers for his peaches.

I came home one day and found that the radio had been stolen out of my truck.

So, every once in while, usually after I had been out to town and had some liquid refreshment, I would let a clip go from my 9MM at 1-2AM.

But I am known as "El Loco".

Never have had any problems with theft again. Even my alcoholic cousin, who's been up on theft charges, stays away.

Ralph

I may not be crazy, but I don't want the world to know that!


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## mlappin

rjmoses said:


> About 10-11 years ago, my next door neighbor was using a lot of migrant workers for his peaches.
> 
> I came home one day and found that the radio had been stolen out of my truck.
> 
> So, every once in while, usually after I had been out to town and had some liquid refreshment, I would let a clip go from my 9MM at 1-2AM.
> 
> But I am known as "El Loco".
> 
> Never have had any problems with theft again. Even my alcoholic cousin, who's been up on theft charges, stays away.
> 
> Ralph
> 
> I may not be crazy, but I don't want the world to know that!


Sounds familiar, works at home as well. Also helped that years ago my little brother went after a couple of guys with a golf club that messed with his stuff, and the little brother was known as the calm mellow one.


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