It's all gone

[rixtag]

I lost all my equipment last night. Stolen out from in front of my house. I was watching my duaghter while my wife was sleeping( trying to get caught up) and I heard some noise outside. I got up off the couch and walked over to the door in time to see them jump in the truck and drive off. Gave the baby to the wife and jumped in my truck to follow them. No luck. Long gone. The trailer was locked and everything was connected to a cable that was run through the wheel. I must have heard them cutting the lock I guess. I wish I could say that equipment theft was covered on my policy but it wasn't. The cost of insurance to cover theft was more than the equipment's value. You can't ( as far as I know) insure for lost business. Lesson: If they want it bad enough they will take it.

I wonder what would you all do in the same situation?

I have only 2 props ( 1 res-1comm) I will have my partner take up the resident and I am scrambling to get something to help out for a while.

I am really kinda in shock right now.

Rick

[rkbrown]

Wow, sorry Rick :(

[tovoninc]

that's awful. I've had cars broken into and there is a lost sense of security and a feeling that you've been violated. Be sure to check your home owners policy since it was parked at your house. A long shot but it's worth a look.

[HLC]

Rixtag, Sorry to hear about that. I am just keeping my fingers crossed on my stuff till I get a little bigger. The insurance in my area is outragious for commercial coverage. I only grossed about 5k last year (my first year) and the cheapest insurance I found was 1200 and that's only 300K liabiliy/ 12K equipment. Kinda hard to give 25% of your earnings for insurance. I do know that if you tell them (your homeowners) that it is used ANYWHERE but your home you'll be out of luck for sure.

[awm]

not spose to cuss ,but thats just a sorry
a-- thief. some day im going to get to do a little payback.. pity the fool.thats going to be a most unlucky man.
not trying to talk big,just ticks me off an brings back memories.wouldnt say it if i didnt meanit.my sympathies.hope u had insurance to cover.

[RMDoyon]

Check with your homeowner's insurance co.
Your equipment is personal property and it was parked at home.

Roger

[lawnkid]

Did you see any faces or anything or license plates? I'm very sorry. Now that's just not right to steal someone's equipment and live your life like that. It's like you worked your whole life for that stuff. What kinda things were stolen? File a police report and see what happens? :mad: :mad:

[Pulpit46227]

Check your homeowners insurance.

[anythinglawns]

I agree with Roger. Check out your home owners policy. I ask my agent one time if my equipment was stolen would it be covered. He told me that if it where stolen of my property then it would be covered.

[rixtag]

I apologize, I live in an apartment, I just forget and call it a house sometimes. Renters insurance doesn't cover it.

awm, I am right there with you. If I find him, do I " talk" to him first or call the police first? just kiddin'. I just don't have it in me to duke it out with someone. I do, however have it in me to pursue every legal avenue and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. maybe talk to a few people around town etc...

lawnkid, All I saw was someone getting in the truck and the trailer following it down the road. I have pretty good description of the truck though. Filed a report but closing the door after the cow is out. Trailer contents: 6x10 trailer w-gate and gate lift eXmark 36 wb, toro 21, honda 21, proline trimmer, walk-behind edger, new stihl blower, gas cans, tarps etc

Some local cutters that I have talked to will keep the eyes peeled. They also offered to loan me equipment to help me out and I offered to let them do my props until I am back on my feet.

I can't believe the support and understanding from you guys and the locals. I really appreciate this industy because of it. How many people can say that a complete stranger would let them borrow a $1k peice of equipment? All Iknow is that I would not hesitate to do the same for other cutters in the same boat anytime.
I suppose it's a good thing that I kept my old crapsman blower and edger as backups. :D Back to scrub equipment for a while.

Thanks again you guys,
Rick

[goodbeus]

I had a new 21" snapper stolen off my trailer in front of a church that I used to do...I also had a cable running through it...they had cut the cable with lock cutters like it was a string...I learned from that not to use cables anymore, sorry about what happened to you, just learn from the experience... :cry:

[Brickman]

Dang dude that s--t sucks!
Man I guess I must be lucky and live in a low crime area. For the most part I don't lock the house even when I go to work. In the soon to be seven years since I started this biz I have not had anything stolen from my trailer.
Another LCO "lost" his blower a few years back. I wonder if it was stole, or if HE lost it due to absent mindedness, and blamed some body for stealing it. I find it hard to believe that is all they would have taken.

Good luck man, if you need a new WB I have a JX75 John Deere new in the box I bought off of Ebay I would sell you for about $100 less than they can be bought around here.

[proline32]

This is why I lock my tools in a secure gated storage complex every night and locked into a garage. They would need an access code just to get on the property and a camera videos every vehicle that comes and goes..... It's a pain in the butt to have to load and unload like this on a daily basis but I sleep better knowing they are secure..... I live in an apartment complex as well.

[KirbysLawn]

Any updates?

[rixtag]

Nothing new yet.:mad: I have a few leads on the vehicle description, but nothin' concrete yet.
Thanks for asking.
I will try to update later.

Rick

[rixtag]

I got my trailer, toro trim mower and some other stuff back yesterday.

The rest will be back pretty soon.

I am so stoked.

I now have enough equipment to add a crew. Maybe next season.

Just a little update.


:) :) :)

Rick

[mowngrow]

i know where you are coming from. just last week i watched my truck, trailer and all of my equip. drive off. but luckily i got it all back within fifteen minutes thank s to the quickness of the North Little Rock PD and a concerned citizen. i aged about five years in that fifteen minutes . i hope everthing turns up

[JasperStorm]

Nothing's lower than stealing tools that someone uses to put food on the table for their family.

Everyone I know in this business has been victimized by thieves at some point, everything from a couple of just-planted b&b shrubs to a trailer with two Scags.

I would post my boobytrapped backpack blower idea, but I don't want to get any of you in trouble.

[richlawns]

I had a guy walk off with my weedeater while I was in 7-11 getting a drink. The clerk said he saw the guy but he thought he was with me.. Go figure.:dizzy:

[JimLewis]

Wow. That friggin sucks, man. I feel for you.

Lesson to the rest of us - be sure you are totally insured for something like this. You can never have too much insurance.

Sometimes I stay up late at night (1, 2, 3 am) and I always wonder outside every once in a while just to see if I can catch a theif in the act of something. I am not a violent person at all. Never started a fight in my life. But I gerawnteeya that if I ever catch someone red handed stealing something in my neighborhood, their gonna get an @$$ beatin - pronto. Nothing pisses me off more than a theif.

Oh, wow! Just read that you got some stuff back. That's way cool. How'd you find your stuff?

[rixtag]

Jim, some other trailers had been stolen and one of them was a big tilt trailer. The type you see a track hoe on. The owner had been on vacation. He was taking his kids to daycare and drove past the guys house that stole it and it was parked in the back of the house. He called the police and that is how it all started. The police estimate that with his friends there will be more than $1 million stolen. Needless to say the guy has a lot of amnesia and it might be worse for other people than it was for me.

Rick

[lawnkid]

That's good that you got your stuff back. Most guys don't. Anyway congratulations on getting the stuuf back and now you can finally mow again. :)

[sirsweatsalot]

well rick im sorry. if ya find those as*holes, i'll shotin for ya. i don't know what i'd do if some one took my whole operation. i know if i found them they would most likey be re-thinking what they had done.

[brucec32]

Bummer. I would never be able to sleep at night with my trailer sitting on a lot at an apt. complex. Mine sits in my garage, sometimes unlocked, but then I have 2 acres in the country, and my drive is long enough that you can't see it from the street. They do make almost un-defeatable trailer hitch locks, btw.

It's a shame. Next time, invest in some serious security measures if you have to park it there. (removeable hitch coupler, hitch lock, padlock, cable, motion alarm on the cable, etc) A covered trailer would also be a great idea. The thieves might not be as tempted if they can't see the goodies.

[goodbeus]

For those in the Jacksonville, Fla. area, be on the look out...had another LCO tell me yesterday about 2 white guys in a blue van and 2 black guys in a green explorer going around stealing equipment...they come from Ga., the cops know about them as well... :blob2:

[rixtag]

Just got a call from the detective.....they found my beloved eXmark at a pawn shop.:D :) :cool:

Going to pick her up tomorrow :D
:blob3:

[SLS]

:D HIP, HIP,..HOORAH! :D




I HATE those shady 'fencing operations', errrrr, I mean pawn shops. :angry:

Thats where my Redmax hedge trimmers were found...but the guys that stole them are GRAND JURY bound! :D