Bold Boulder Thieves!!!

[Tom M King]

Kind of a long story. It rained two inches yesterday. Across one of the state roads on both sides of our place there is some construction work going on. Those guys didn't work today, because the ground was too wet from all the rain.

There is another state road that goes down the middle of our place. Off that middle road is a path to an abandoned rock quarry. The path in to the rock quarry is a bit less than a quarter mile. The quarry hole has 8 tenths of an acre of water in it, and several acres of all sizes of Granite around it, and beside the path when you get close to the quarry.

Someone "borrowed" a dump truck, and rubber tracked skid steer loader from the construction site, and went into the quarry path, tearing the red dirt path all to pieces. They did obviously take some fairly large bolders, knocking down trees in the process.

On their way out, they made a wrong turn onto some of our trails, and got the truck stuck up to the axle. They went back to the construction site, and "borrowed" a 320 class excavator, driving it across the state road, knocking down some trees, got it onto our trails, and walked it about a half mile to pull the dump truck out. All this I figured out by the tracks left, and holes where the truck got stuck. They walked the big excavator back, and parked it where it was, but it left two thick, muddy tracks across the road.

I knew the equipment owner, and called him. I knew he hadn't done it. He said they didn't even work today. People don't take keys out of stuff around here, but maybe they'll start.


So, we're missing some big rocks, that I would have given anyone if they asked, and they won't be missed a bit, but I'm pretty pissed about the path, and trails being torn up so badly by someone who knows how to operate equipment, but was too stupid to realize that after two inches of rain, the ground would be too soft to put any piece of equipment on.

A deputy did come out, and made a report, but who knows if anything will come of it.

[Bruce Wrenn]

A deputy did come out, and made a report, but who knows if anything will come of it.
Did the deputy ask you the great question. "If you find out who did this, give us a call." That's what the police did when my motorcycle was stolen.

[Jim Koepke]

A deputy did come out, and made a report, but who knows if anything will come of it.

If they didn't dust for fingerprint evidence you likely won't hear from them again.

jtk

[John K Jordan]

If they didn't dust for fingerprint evidence you likely won't hear from them again.

jtk

Sometimes....

A friend and I returned to the truck after cave diving at a spring in Fla to find someone had broken into his truck and taken money from his wallet. Carl had "hidden" his keys in the tailpipe and the guy who took the money put them back when he was done! Carl reported the theft to the local authorities.

Months later: he got money in the mail. The police caught a guy breaking into other vehicles in the same area. The guy confessed. And gave back the money.

BTW, with some recent exceptions, anyone can buy a set of keys that fit any construction equipment. Some get stolen that way. Some owners buy insurance. Some put GPS trackers on their equipment and use a service that sends a text message if the equipment is even moved. When leaving the property for more than a few hours I disable the starting circuit on my new excavator. (It's not a big one but I'm amazed at what it can lift - I used it last week to give a 3000 lb rock to a neighbor.)

JKJ

[julian abram]

Geez, sounds like a lot of effort for a few boulders. There are some strange folks floating around in this world.

[John K Jordan]

Geez, sounds like a lot of effort for a few boulders. There are some strange folks floating around in this world.

Strange? Greed! Big rocks are big money. If you haven't checked you might be surprised. Architects and landscapers will pay a small fortune for the right rocks for their clients with deep pockets.

[Jim Koepke]

One of the high schools in my area while growing up had a big rock with the school's name engraved on it.

It would occasionally go missing before important football games. It would always turn up eventually.

jtk

[John K Jordan]

One of the high schools in my area while growing up had a big rock with the school's name engraved on it.

It would occasionally go missing before important football games. It would always turn up eventually.

jtk

University of TN has a huge boulder that students have painted for over 50 years, messages, artwork, graffiti, whatever! Anyone and everyone is unofficially invited to paint when and what they want (just play nice, kids!) Sometimes it gets painted one day and painted over by someone the next.

https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2016/10/28/university-tennessee-celebrates-50-years-rock/92887980/

[glenn bradley]

Sorry for the damage to your place Tom. In the arena of dumb crooks, we found a smooshed pickup truck in the yard one time when some clever thieves thought they'd roll some of this sort of stock into their f-150 and make a killing at the salvage yard.

432015

[Michael Weber]

Sorry for the damage to your place Tom. In the arena of dumb crooks, we found a smooshed pickup truck in the yard one time when some clever thieves thought they'd roll some of this sort of stock into their f-150 and make a killing at the salvage yard.

432015 I worked for an HVAC manufacturer that used lots of these big sheet metal rolls. One became unsecured and started rolling. Rolled right through the reinforced cement block wall and ended up in a cement culvert about 30 feet later. They put a new overhead door where the hole was.

[Brian Elfert]

BTW, with some recent exceptions, anyone can buy a set of keys that fit any construction equipment. Some get stolen that way. Some owners buy insurance. Some put GPS trackers on their equipment and use a service that sends a text message if the equipment is even moved. When leaving the property for more than a few hours I disable the starting circuit on my new excavator. (It's not a big one but I'm amazed at what it can lift - I used it last week to give a 3000 lb rock to a neighbor.)


I never understood why companies use generic keys like the Indak key on expensive equipment. For years Toro used a generic key on their commercial riding mowers even though some cost over $20,000 in 1992. I don't know if Toro still does this today, but I have a 2005 Toro commercial mower in my garage with the same generic key.

[John K Jordan]

I never understood why companies use generic keys like the Indak key on expensive equipment. For years Toro used a generic key on their commercial riding mowers even though some cost over $20,000 in 1992. I don't know if Toro still does this today, but I have a 2005 Toro commercial mower in my garage with the same generic key.

One construction manager told me his operators keep losing the keys. He had to buy many replacements. Maybe that's one reason. I suspect the other is cost. How they can cheap out on a key for a $50,000-$100,000 machine is beyond me too. This guy stopped the key loss when held they operator's drivers license hostage until the key was returned at the end of the day.

The Kubota sales info indicates a special security key system is available but the salesman said he never saw one and couldn't find out how to order one.

[Jim Koepke]

The Kubota sales info indicates a special security key system is available but the salesman said he never saw one and couldn't find out how to order one.

That sounds like a salesman who wasn't motivated to do his job.

jtk

[John K Jordan]

That sounds like a salesman who wasn't motivated to do his job.

jtk

Things are not always how they sound.

That salesman, a second salesman, the dealer manager, the parts department manager - none could find info on the security keys in their lists or on the Kubota web site. This got me wondering if it was an option available elsewhere in the world and not in the US. Or maybe it was a planned option that was not or was not yet offered.

A backup light kit is one other thing offered in the sales literature but apparently unavailable by those who searched. I have a Kubota rear light kit for a UTV I plan on modifying to mount on the excavator. That would really help to keep from backing into a tree when clearing in the woods late at night. Right now I shine a flashlight out the back window.

JKJ

[Tom M King]

I have enough LED lights, switches, fuses, wires and covers to go all the way from the battery, to turn night into day on the John Deere. I just need to get around to installing it all.

I rented a Bobcat once that you had to punch in a code every time you started it. I never went back to that rental place.

[John K Jordan]

I worked for an HVAC manufacturer that used lots of these big sheet metal rolls. One became unsecured and started rolling. Rolled right through the reinforced cement block wall and ended up in a cement culvert about 30 feet later. They put a new overhead door where the hole was.

Hey, that's one way to make an opening for a new door!

A guy who worked at a rock quarry told me of a pickup truck driver who overestimated how much gravel his truck could hold. He kept motioning the driver to add more and more and he obliged...

I was pleasantly surprised myself when I got some gravel a few days ago in my dump trailer, the first time I've hauled gravel for myself in 25 years. The trailer is rated at 7 tons but I didn't need that much and didn't want to haul that much up some steep hills with my truck! I told the clerk I wanted about 3 tons. The loader had a HUGE bucket and I worried for a moment about accidentally getting too much but after he dumped and I went back to the scale I had 3 tons and about 50 lbs!! I wonder if the loaders today have scales built in or if the driver was just really, really good.

JKJ

[Ronald Blue]

Tom I think this is where they lost the boulder.


https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/94487013_10157288207705493_3161917149077831680_n.j pg?_nc_cat=107&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=V8Q4gESD7GcAX_pmgfI&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-1.xx&oh=22261fcbfcdd68c98f19dfa2afa99f70&oe=5ED5B831

This fell on our tracks and caused a derailment a couple weeks ago.
As for the construction equipment keys such as Cat they are unique but also all the same. As far as I know that's an industry standard in most brands. If you had a unique key can you imagine how many jobs would be delayed because of the right key being in someones pocket who was not there or at the other side os a project? That being said our machines and probably most have a battery disconnect switch that can be locked with a unique lock.

Jim really all you are looking for is a rear light to see if something is behind you at night. A traditional backup light isn't practical since that would depend on always having the under carriage oriented correctly. I would suggest one of those LED light bars that throws a wide area of light mounted on the counter weight.

[John K Jordan]

This fell on our tracks and caused a derailment a couple weeks ago.
...
Jim really all you are looking for is a rear light to see if something is behind you at night. A traditional backup light isn't practical since that would depend on always having the under carriage oriented correctly. I would suggest one of those LED light bars that throws a wide area of light mounted on the counter weight.

Yikes, that looks like a mess. Hope nobody got hurt.

I plan to mount two rear lights high on the excavator cab so they turn with the body, but each angled out a little. That's how two cab lights are in the front, and along with the one mounted on the boom which is aimed at the bucket, I can see everything in the front even when the cab is rotated quite a bit. Backing up in the dark in the woods I always align the body with the undercarriage so I don't smack trees with the arm.
There is a rear light on the skid steer which is sufficient for backing up but I rarely use it at night.

JKJ

[Tom M King]

I bought Nilight led lights, switches, and wiring stuff off Amazon. It's cheap Chinese stuff, but just playing around with them, they look like they will be okay. They're Really bright.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XTZYJL3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[John K Jordan]

I bought Nilight led lights, switches, and wiring stuff off Amazon. It's cheap Chinese stuff, but just playing around with them, they look like they will be okay. They're Really bright.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XTZYJL3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I got some that look identical for my diesel mower. Incredibly bright. One of the smaller lights did fill up with water in the rain, some defect in the seal, I guess. I'll test the others in a bucket of water. The light bar came with a relay to avoid putting a lot of current through the switch, might be worth considering if you install enough to permanently blind the wildlife.

JKJ

[Ronald Blue]

No one was hurt fortunately. The first train was on the other main so it was a glancing blow. Still derailed of course. 5 cars went in the Mississippi but only partially. It happened mid morning so they were able to scrub most of their speed off before impact. If it happened at night I think it would have been significantly worse. Sorry about calling you Jim instead of John. Brain fart obviously.
https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/94073897_10157288207745493_7026750793302671360_n.j pg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=asv3742Z0RsAX80FF5W&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-1.xx&oh=c477822c5edbe8b51cfa71cd84c1cbe8&oe=5ED61079
https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/94136056_10157288207660493_4496239256015994880_n.j pg?_nc_cat=104&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=xg5mj_BD6WkAX_GW8tt&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-1.xx&oh=fc150bb56b8bf55c63d8a0703107ab00&oe=5ED44A6B

[John K Jordan]

No one was hurt fortunately. ...
https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/94136056_10157288207660493_4496239256015994880_n.j pg?_nc_cat=104&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=xg5mj_BD6WkAX_GW8tt&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-1.xx&oh=fc150bb56b8bf55c63d8a0703107ab00&oe=5ED44A6B

Wow!

Is that red thing on the bottom of the pile the engine (or whatever it's called these days) containing people? I never imagined a reason to wear a seat belt "driving" a train.

JKJ

[Ronald Blue]

Yes that's the locomotive.

[Mel Fulks]

Yes that's the locomotive.


We know it went LOCO...,what was the MOTIVE ?

[John K Jordan]

We know it went LOCO...,what was the MOTIVE ?

Movivated by getting between a rock and a hard place?

I'll bet that was one mega-expensive incident.

JKJ

[Bill Dufour]

I remember reading years ago about folks selling boulders to japan for rock gardens for office buildings etc. They would pay tens of thousands for particular boulders that they liked the look of. Had to be natural looking, no fresh breaks, etc.
Bill D

[Larry Edgerton]

I have had large boulders stolen twice, and caught them both times. It would have been much cheaper for them to have bought. One I gave the choice of buying the property for what I had in it and what I intended to profit when it was done, or going to jail. He said no, I had him arrested. The large boulders 8' in diameter were already landscaped into his concrete driveway, he ran across my septic, so I had no mercy. He capitulated and paid me what I wanted t avoid jail time, got all my profit without doing any work, win/win.

The other one they came all the way down my drive, 1/4 mile and stole rocks from around my house. They were not visible from the road. I followed the tracks and they were still putting them in place down the road a bit. They were landscapers. I pressed charges and put them out of business. After I won I had fliers with pictures made with all the facts from court and dropped them off at every house on the two large lakes here.No one would hire them. Never screw with a Russian!

[Kris Cook]

Newest equipment has no keys at all. Most of them will start with the last 4 or 5 digits of the serial number as a default code. Smart owners will change the code. Smart owners will also kill the "master" and lock that compartment. Hardly every happens...

[Ronald Blue]

Newest equipment has no keys at all. Most of them will start with the last 4 or 5 digits of the serial number as a default code. Smart owners will change the code. Smart owners will also kill the "master" and lock that compartment. Hardly every happens...

We buy new equipment every year and nothing has keyless start. What make are you referring to? No caterpillar equipment in our fleet of owned or leased has keyless ignition.

[Kris Cook]

We buy new equipment every year and nothing has keyless start. What make are you referring to? No caterpillar equipment in our fleet of owned or leased has keyless ignition.

Interesting - a buddy of mine just bought within the last year 2 CAT 323F excavators - both have keyless start. He also bought last year a 20 ton Bell artic that has keyless start (that was the first Bell I had seen and the first keyless piece of equipment I had seen besides skidsteers).

I was on a project this winter that had kind of a hodge-podge of 30 ton artics. Brand new John Deere 30 ton had keyless start as well as JD 772 motor grader. Not sure about the new CAT 30 tonner that was there.

Maybe its a JD thing and on smaller CAT machines, not sure. I carry a ring of keys with just about every brand of key I can think of with me when I am on a project just in case though :rolleyes:

[Bert Kemp]

that's funny. I've gone thru thousands of those rolls of steel and they would crush a small truck when rolled into the bed LOL

[Larry Edgerton]

Judging by the pic I would guess that is aluminum. We have the heaviest load limits here and can only haul two rolls of steel.

[Tom M King]

I bought 6 thousand pound rolls of copper once, and they weren't very big. That was in 1991, and copper was 90 cents a pound. The last I checked, it was 10 bucks a pound.

The story about my stolen rocks got partially solved, and ended up being stranger than it sounded to start with. The person who got the stones was someone from across the lake. He is new around here, and someone told him that he owned the land, to go get the rocks for a couple of hundred dollars, and told him how to get here.

This person had just bought a new dumptruck, and Bobcat. He didn't know what he was doing, but did manage to get some rocks.

He was not the person who used the other equipment, including the 320 excavator. Someone else had gotten stuck that same day, on our trails, got the truck, and skid loader stuck trying to get whatever he was stuck in, and went back to get the excavator. We still have no idea who this second person was, but I'm convinced by the story of the new guy who got the rocks that he wasn't the one using the big equipment.

The new guy tried to fix the road to the quarry with his stuff, but he was too new an operator to be able to do it. The guy who owns the other equipment told me he'd fix all the damage, just to stay on my good side. It won't be much trouble for him, and his stuff is still not far away.

[Rollie Meyers]

Sometimes....

A friend and I returned to the truck after cave diving at a spring in Fla to find someone had broken into his truck and taken money from his wallet. Carl had "hidden" his keys in the tailpipe and the guy who took the money put them back when he was done! Carl reported the theft to the local authorities.

Months later: he got money in the mail. The police caught a guy breaking into other vehicles in the same area. The guy confessed. And gave back the money.

BTW, with some recent exceptions, anyone can buy a set of keys that fit any construction equipment. Some get stolen that way. Some owners buy insurance. Some put GPS trackers on their equipment and use a service that sends a text message if the equipment is even moved. When leaving the property for more than a few hours I disable the starting circuit on my new excavator. (It's not a big one but I'm amazed at what it can lift - I used it last week to give a 3000 lb rock to a neighbor.)

JKJ

A local rental yard had a large generator stolen, the thieves stopped in a nearby Lowe's parking lot & removed the GPS then went on their way.:mad: