The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
Locking up a BBQ
Figgy
Fighter of the night manChampion of the sunRegistered User regular
Fighter of the night manChampion of the sunRegistered User regular
Just got a rather expensive BBQ as a gift, and we had a break-in several months ago. I would like to lock this thing up in the back yard. What is the best way to do this?
It will be situated along a wooden fence. The chain/device could loop through a fence post or it could loop through the metal stand that is holding the Central AC unit to the side of the house.
Would a standard chain do? How easy is it to get through those with bolt cutters?
It will be situated along a wooden fence. The chain/device could loop through a fence post or it could loop through the metal stand that is holding the Central AC unit to the side of the house.
Would a standard chain do? How easy is it to get through those with bolt cutters?
Figgy on
0
Posts
Really goddamn easy. They make bike locks that are resistant to cutting though.
As long as your robbers to be don't bring a dremel and an air compressor, you're pretty set with just some steel cable.
Dark_Side has a good idea if it's going to be locked in a place without something to lock it to.
Also, buy a large dog. They make for entertaining burglar alarms.
Note: don't do this
As for bike locks, I had a cable lock on my bike last summer that was cut in broad daylight in the middle of a rather lively area of downtown... so am I missing something?
The grill itself is at least 100 or 150 pounds, so no one is going to be lifting this thing anywhere. It is on wheels, though, and we live right by a busy road. It's not inconceivable that someone who knows its there could park their truck, cut the lock, and wheel it out in a matter of minutes.
the steel cabling sounds like the best idea.
Do you want to be able to move this thing?
If not
b)
c)
Slight overkill, but nothing will move that fucker without some serious work involved.
The thing with a grill is that unfortunately it does have to stay outside, and away from the house. Just making it difficult to casually take off with is enough. If you lock it permanently into the ground, then you lose portability. If you don't, you can move it but then you're wondering if someone's going to take it.
Most people around here lock their grills up with a steel cable and generally store it in an area their dog can reach or be seen from while chained up.
Also make sure to check your local laws on grills, they might not allow them to be attached to a wooden fence. I know around here recently that the firefighters bitched until the police started enforcing a law that made it so people couldn't have grills on porches or patios anymore due to all the fires caused, so it would be a good idea to give those a once-over.
Additionally if it's super-flash I would also recommend a BBQ cover, it will protect it further and will make less visible.
Satans..... hints.....
It will freak the shit out of anyone for a bright light pointed at them and endless vortex of water hosing them down into stopping and leaving.
Setting it in concrete, or setting some sort of locking device in concrete which you then lock it to, would be the best way to keep it.
And also be hilarious when he forgets to turn it off at a party.
But now he wont, because you reminded him.
Really though, I don't want to have to auger a hole in the ground to permenently fix this thing down. I own a townhome, so the back yard isn't enormous, and having a cement post in the ground will seriously limit future plans (such as building a deck or stone work).
What about some sort of stake that goes into the ground with an eye hook on top? Something perhaps with threading down half of it, several feet long. It would be seriously stuck down in the ground, and it could have a thick cable?*
I've also got a spot light that lights up the entire yard and even spills out into the street, and it's hooked to a motion detecter.
So, end of story, what sort of cable/chain is most resistant to cutting with simple bolt cutters? I know nothing is going to withstand a torch or a grinder or something, but if someone is willing to bring power tools into my backyard, maybe they want that grill more than I do.
This isn't some $1000 grill supreme or anything, but it's much nicer than something I would have bought for myself and I want to take care of it. I'll definately be picking up a cover before it even goes out there (it's in the garage right now.. a garage too small to fit both the bbq and my car, and too inconvienant anyway to lug the BBQ to it).
*Something like this?
Edit: And what is going to happen if the chain simply loops around one of the fence posts? These are like 8x8 posts cemented into the ground. They'd have to take a recipericating saw and cut half the fence out... not gonna happen.
My understanding is that there are no cables that aren't vulnerable to good bolt cutters, short of getting one thick enough that hand tools simply aren't practical. It's hard for cables to have fun stuff like roll bars or tempered cores that high end yoke and bolt locks have.
if you can sink the thing in such a way that you can get a u-lock through it and around a cast part of the grill, though, that would be a decent idea.
that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
What about a giant chain? There was galvanized steel chain where the links made of half inch (it looked at least) steel. Bolt cutters are going to get through that easier than steel cable?
I do know about bike theft, though, and the answer to everyone with a bike who ever asked about a chain or a cable lock is "get a u-lock."
Even if you did buy a chain that bolt cutters couldn't get through, you would still need to find a padlock that they couldn't get through.
ed: I mean, there are industrial or military level materials that I assume aren't vulnerable to consumer hand tools, but you face the problem of finding a place to get them, and then paying however much they cost.
that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
True. The good news is that a bike is a lot easier to take with you than a giant BBQ... I guess.
I do have a U-lock, but it wouldn't work in this situaton. UNLESS I could somehow get it through an eye hook in the ground and onto the body of the BBQ. You couldn't twist the stake out of the ground while it's held by the U-Lock, and you certainly couldn't just pull it out with that wide threading. I guess you could still snip the actual steel of the hook... so I'd have to make sure that is thick as hell.
You'd think someone would invent some kind of product specifically made for BBQ security? Some of these things costs $2000. That is insane.
I mean, a chain is going to provide some level of security, even if it's nothing more than security theater. Another thing you could look into is getting it tagged in a prominent place. That kind of thing might deter thieves, also.
that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
From personal experience, somebody can just cut the cross-bar on the fence and lift the grill over it. Assuming they've got a couple strong guys.
The design of the fence is such that you'd have to rip half the fence completely off because joist hangers would prevent the chain from sliding up the post. Seeing as the fence is also cemented into the ground, that would be extremely difficult (and extremely loud and obvious from the street).
Once again, this is a heavy, large, cumbersome grill. No one is lifting this thing anywhere save a few inches off of the ground in order to carry it.
You could get one of these, but they're over $1000 each. I think the cheapest options for the OP are the concrete anchor or the U-lock to the fence.
Man, the people in this thread must be expert grill thieves.
Like you said, it's a huge-ass heavy thing. If someone is scoping a way to steal your particular used grill, they're going to get it no matter how much work you do. Or destroy it in the process. Taking the wheels off makes it significantly less portable.
I live in a city with an exposed back yard and while I have a charcoal grill, it's still something that's very visible that I didn't want to have walk off. So I locked it up with chain to an old fence post. Sure enough, nothing happened, and eventually I got sick of the chain and just left it unlocked.
And nothing happened. Because at that point it's a dirty used grill. There's no point in reselling a grill and if someone is poor they just have a cheapy hibachi or something.
Maybe I'll try to get a Charmglow branded BBQ cover to fool people.
Thanks guys!
It's locked with a heavy duty master lock dealie with all sorts of boasted features.
It's looped through the frame of the grill, so unless the thief has the time to dissemble the entire thing and leave the stand behind, it's staying put.
I'm probably being over-cautious here, since I'm sure BBQ thefts aren't as common as I'm thinking they are, but better safe than sorry.
Or just go to the neighbor who didn't chain his down.