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Post by lincoln on Dec 2, 2015 22:41:50 GMT -5
When I was a sub-contractor, I had tool insurance as part of my public liability/income protection policy. When I went full time, for one of the companies I was subbing for, I dropped the policy, as I'm now covered by the company I work for. Tools are only covered while I'm at work, and that has worried me for a while. So, today I got my own policy, covering $10 000 worth of tools, 24/7, for less than $10 p/week.
My van is reasonably secure - 2011 iload, with a steel mesh barrier between the cab and the rear, no windows in either of the rear side doors, tinted windows, and an alarm system. Feel much better now, should the worst happen.
Is tool security a major concern for you, where you live and/or work? Do you have to take 'extreme' precautions, like emptying your van, truck etc every night?
Lincoln.
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Post by holmz on Dec 3, 2015 5:34:43 GMT -5
I have an alarm on the house. They came in an open back door once and they FRO'ed forthwith when the alarm went off.
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Post by charley1968 on Dec 3, 2015 16:30:35 GMT -5
Not really a concern, but i have my expensive tools in the house instead of the garage.
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Post by holmz on Dec 3, 2015 16:38:30 GMT -5
Not really a concern, but i have my expensive tools in the house instead of the garage. I like that approach, but is your wife OK with that? And if so how?
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Post by charley1968 on Dec 3, 2015 16:52:22 GMT -5
Honestly? In fact she isn't. She says my room looks like a garage..but than: i don't tell her what to keep in the bedroom /her room and she's otherwise quite free to design the interior as she sees fit.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2015 17:17:16 GMT -5
Really good price on your insurance ,lincoln .Currently am insured very well , use "Knack" boxes for secure storage on the jobsite .
Will be outfitting a new tool trailer soon ,security shall be Bear traps ,trip wire spring loaded baseball bats set at shin height ,last line of security will be Mace spray set at eye level on the lock hasp......probably get sued for criminal abuse.
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Post by Tom Gensmer on Dec 3, 2015 20:11:31 GMT -5
Approximately 4 years ago my Sprinter was stolen out of our apartment parking lot. We live in a reasonably nice neighborhood, but nevertheless thieves broke in, started the van, and proceeded to drive around the neighborhood breaking into garages, using my van to transport their ill-gotten items. My van turned up empty two days later.
This was back when I was an employee, but I still had everything privately insured through State Farm. To qualify for insurance, I had to submit all of the serial numbers to State Farm before they would insure anything. While a pain in the neck to get the spreadsheet built and populated, it turned out to be an asset when I was able to print off a complete list of stolen tools (including serial numbers!!), and submit to the police the same morning as the theft.
State Farm paid out the value of the policy (~$24,000) within two weeks, and over the next three or four months many of the tools turned up at pawn shops, many of which were returned to me. The police still don't know who stole the van, but many of the individuals who pawned the tools ended up in jail or the work house.
Two years later, my van was broken into. This time the thieves only made off with a few tool bags, but it was still a major inconvenience.
Nowadays, I rent a 13'x40' space at the mini storage across the street. This keeps my van out of the elements and away from prying eyes. As a benefit, I now have space to store tools, and with the help of a generator I can use the space as a work shop.
I absolutely recommend insuring your tools, particularly if you rely on them for your income.
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Post by jimbouk on Dec 4, 2015 2:47:47 GMT -5
Over here insurance is very expensive. So much so it's better to have a pot of cash on standby to re stock if things do get taken.
One of the benefits of festool is the buy back scheme if you have your stuff registered with them.
Another good security measure is smart water. An indelible dye viable under uv light. It has a unique Dna specific to the user and never comes off so wherever the tools go they will always be tracked back to you. It's not expensive either.
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Post by Red on Dec 4, 2015 3:25:46 GMT -5
We've got some serious locking storage issues here in the timber land, but we make due with Knaack (and other brand) jobsite boxes and locking trailers. Our mill, heavy equipment and UTV are in God's hands, however, so video equipment is my wife's forte.'
Fortunately, she's just as concerned about security as I am -- and her concealed LTC proves it.
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Post by Red on Dec 4, 2015 3:32:32 GMT -5
Over here insurance is very expensive. So much so it's better to have a pot of cash on standby to re stock if things do get taken. One of the benefits of festool is the buy back scheme if you have your stuff registered with them. Another good security measure is smart water. An indelible dye viable under uv light. It has a unique Dna specific to the user and never comes off so wherever the tools go they will always be tracked back to you. It's not expensive either. This is a very interesting concept, Jimbo in the UK. Do you happen to have a link you might share?
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Post by jm on Dec 4, 2015 4:09:43 GMT -5
To qualify for insurance, I had to submit all of the serial numbers to State Farm before they would insure anything. While a pain in the neck to get the spreadsheet built and populated, it turned out to be an asset when I was able to print off a complete list of stolen tools (including serial numbers!!), and submit to the police the same morning as the theft. Wow. I can't imagine having to catalog all my tools, especially hand tools that don't have serial numbers, which I probably have almost an equivalent investment in. I'm with Nationwide, and the rep told me keeping photos would suffice. Hopefully I'll never have to file a claim, and that the rep isn't trying to short me.
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Post by jimbouk on Dec 4, 2015 6:10:29 GMT -5
Over here insurance is very expensive. So much so it's better to have a pot of cash on standby to re stock if things do get taken. One of the benefits of festool is the buy back scheme if you have your stuff registered with them. Another good security measure is smart water. An indelible dye viable under uv light. It has a unique Dna specific to the user and never comes off so wherever the tools go they will always be tracked back to you. It's not expensive either. This is a very interesting concept, Jimbo in the UK. Do you happen to have a link you might share?Here you go red. www.smartwater.com/
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Post by holmz on Dec 4, 2015 7:36:43 GMT -5
Honestly? In fact she isn't. She says my room looks like a garage..but than: i don't tell her what to keep in the bedroom /her room and she's otherwise quite free to design the interior as she sees fit. I think that they are pretty much the same everywhere.
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Post by Knight Woodworks on Dec 4, 2015 10:33:38 GMT -5
Good topic. As far as theft insurance goes, my experience has been that insurance companies charge too much and offer too little. It's been a while since I was quoted the particulars but I remember thinking I could replace my tools every five years for what the insurance would cost. In addition, they have a vigorous depreciation schedule. In three years most common power tools were virtually worthless by their calculation. I looked into what insurance with full replacement would cost and was shocked to learn it was close to the cost of the tools themselves, every year. I ended up insuring just a few of my most expensive commonly used tools.
Regarding security- it's been dependent on the area. I've lived places where I removed most of my stuff every night, what a pain. Mostly though, I've been fortunate to live in low theft communities.
Tool storage on site varies. I often work in occupied homes so I pack up my stuff every night or organize in an empty closet out of sight. On large jobs with other trades I bring a Knack box. It wouldn't stop a determined thief, but will keep people from "borrowing" my stuff.
Many years ago I stopped by a job site to meet with the GC to discuss my subbing some finish work. We reached an agreement and decided that I'd start the next day. The boss said he had an empty gang box and asked if I'd like to unload my tools then, to save time the next day. I declined since I wanted to do a bit of maintenance. Well, you can guess what happened. That night the site got ripped off. They cut the boxes open and took most of the tools. What they didn't take, they smashed. If I had left my stuff I'd of been wiped out.
John
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Post by toomanytoys on Dec 4, 2015 20:22:17 GMT -5
I don't have any major stolen tool stories, but right now I'm hip deep into selling Christmas trees off the farm. Over the years we've had a number of things stolen, including 20 sections of 40 ft long aluminum irrigation pipe. They probably bent it up to take it away. I actually have a long list of frustrating disappearances.
But what has drawn me into this discussion was I now rototill the perimeter of the farm so I can see tracks in soft soil. And following some tracks about three years ago at Christmas I came across the stump of a stollen tree and in the soil you could see the footprints of an adult and a child. What a wonderful way to teach your children the meaning of Christmas but by teaching them how to steal.
There's not too many more things that gets by blood boiling then finding, or maybe I should say not finding something of yours. I've setup video cameras around the farm house, garage and equipment area of the farm, but I'm not too far away from setting up 9 acres of surveillance.
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