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 | kbotaman
Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 7 Hanson, KY 
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2007-11-29 148833
On Halloween night we had three new Kubota ZD300 series zero turns stolen, seems to be a theft ring operating in our area (Wesrern Kentucky), a nearby JD dealer lost two copacts wth loaders over the Thanksgiving holidays. There also has been several thefts in the southern Illinois area.
Should any of you come across a deal thats seems to good to be true on new Kubota mowers I would appreciate a heads up. Below are the models and s/n on the units that were taken.
ZD326S S/N 10599
ZD326P S/N 13538
ZD331LP S/N 12300
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 | Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada 
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2007-11-29 148834
Unfortunately it's not just in your area.
The high prices of this kind of equipment means that there is always someone willing to knowingly buy a piece of stolen equipment. It is not like a car that is out in the public view so they feel the risk is minimal.
Besides, in most cases (I know because I've been approached scores of times) both the thieves and the buyers feel the only person who really lost was the insurance company who paid the claim after it was stolen.
Best of luck. ....
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| kbotaman
Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 7 Hanson, KY
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2007-11-29 148835
We have been very fortunate in 30 plus years in business this is the first new equipment that has been taken, previously lost a used riding mower and have had parts taken off of used Ford trade-ins. We have never had to remove the drawbar or toplinks off of equipment on the lot, but times they are a changing. ....
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| Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2007-11-29 148837
A local municipality we contract to here lost 6 trailers loaded with turf care equipment from their yard last summer.
They have a good security system, but it is only activated when staff is not present and they have a fleet washing service that works nights. They told us it looked like the thieves were watching and when the cleaning staff were busy they drove in, hooked up to 3 (wait for it) trailers and drove off with trailers and all on them.
To add insult to injury, when the nearly new equipment was replaced by the municipalities insurance, they came back, hooked up to the 3 NEW trailers full of stuff and drove off with them too!!
Best of luck. ....
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| kbotaman
Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 7 Hanson, KY
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2007-11-29 148838
I was told about an incident at a JD dealer where a customer comes in and the mechanics are in the break room eating lunch and he asks why their truck & trailer is three or four miles down the rosd with the ramps down and no one around it, they tell him it's not their's, theirs is out back, when they go check not only is the delivery truck missing so are two zero turns.
Either crooks are getting bolder or I'm becoming a bigger coward in my old age ! ....
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| Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2007-11-29 148839
I don't know about bolder, but they certainly are getting a bunch more creative!!!
A friend of mine is on the local police in the big city just south of here. He tells me the latest thing is something the police are calling "bulk theft". The thieves rent a semi-tractor from a big rental house (Ryder, Penske, etc.) then drive it out into an industrial area in the middle of night. In another vehicle (usually a mini-van with tinted windows) are some accomplices who are both scouts and helpers. The minivan drives up to a loading dock and starts checking for loaded trailers, when they find one they radio the guy in the tractor to come in for the pickup while they watch out for anybody.
The really scary part is even security guards don't stop them, they just pull up, open the door, point a gun and tell him to get in.
It seems the thieves really don't care what's in the trailer, a full tractor trailer load of whatever it is has to be worth something. Besides, they know the police are not going to go around looking for a load of stolen dish soap or toilet paper. They have no end of discount stores, etc., who are willing to buy if the price is right.
Sad but true.
Best of luck. ....
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| randywatson
Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 109 texas
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2007-11-29 148841
:( Sorry about the theft,
make sure you file a police report and provide all information on the equipment including s/n so they can be entered as stolen onto the national computer sytem for stolen property that Law Enforcement accesses any time they are inquiring about ownership/checking for stolen. NCIC
Additionally I recommend if not using the National Equipment Register Site at www.nerusa.com begin doing so.
another new site looks promising is www.trace.com
Unfortunately most equipment goes unrecovered, but things are improving. :)
additioanlly consider Lojack on hi end equipment.
If equipment was registered via states/license plates it would be easier for Law Enforcement, and as a LEO I could be behind the concept, but as a citizen who already has to spend around 400 a year to keep my vehicles and trailers registered I do not want to add additional expense of registering tractors etc. That is why I use NER for my personal equipment,
If it ever gets stolen, and a LEO happens across it he can quickly call NER and they can access their database and tell him if it is in the hand of the owner and if necessary contact me via cell phone to find out if the eqpiment in not where it is supposed to be.
best of luck ....
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 | kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2007-11-29 148846
This fall I was talking to a gentleman who deals in used equipment in a large port city. On this topic he said in that area most of it is shipped overseas. I would guess sealed trailers? ....
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| kbotaman
Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 7 Hanson, KY
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2007-11-29 148848
From the volume of equipment that is being stolen just our area I would think alot of was being sent out of the country. ....
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| randywatson
Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 109 texas
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2007-11-29 148849
quite a bit probably is shipped out, however in my opinion a lot of it is kept local, I have recovered items stolen locally in surrounding jurisdictions.
Think this,- guy gets tired of working for a landscape maintainance company, making money for the boss. So he decides to become a lawn care company and make money for himself, equip needed to start up, trailer- easy to find and in some states easy to obtain title or license as untitled.
one or two zero turn mowers, a couple edgers, trimmers, blowers, hand mowers, etc...all easily located and stolen,
start up cost low, look at income, vs likelyhood of any officer ever running a serial number on a mower from a guy earning his living doing landscape mowing. - plus when his equipment dies from lack of maintence, who cares he just goes and steals more,
same to be said for construction cleanup with bobcat or skidstear and dump trailer,
or any other use for equipment you can think of,
But then in my line of work I have a suspicious mind.
....
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| kbotaman
Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 7 Hanson, KY
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2007-11-30 148869
Randy thanks for the heads up on the two websites to list the items we had stolen. T had been searching for a place like those to list the items but had not had any success.
We are located in a small rural community were we know most of the local landscapers, so a couple of new mowers on a landscrapers trailer that we don't recognize will wave a big red flag. Due to the reported thefts in our area more than likely they are being moved to other areas of he country.
Again thanks for the help, I appreciate it very much ! ....
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| Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2007-11-30 148871
Based on our experience up here, don't spend much time looking around the local area, those machines are in a wealthy area around a big city like Nashville, Louisville, St. Louis, Indy, maybe even as far as Atlanta or Charleston, but not likely to be seen running around on the back of a landscapers truck.
Of the machines recovered up here, by far the largest number of them were in someones barn or shed behind a really expensive house. It's the (newfound money) homeowner who wants expensive toys that is most likely to buy this stuff rather than pay the big bucks for a new one.
Best of luck.
....
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| randywatson
Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 109 texas
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2007-11-30 148874
Murf,
I was not speaking to specific theft, and in relative terms when I said locally I meant anywhere within several counties, Theives are highly mobile these days, and creative in how the make the bucks, I am finding items on e-bay, pawn shops across state and or county lines, additioanlly more and more items are being stolen to "fill a specific order" As in new ones behind a big house in a shed.
the only hope of ever recovering any property is through documentation of make, model, serial or VIN or PIN, or self applied numbers.
You would be amazed at how much equipment from electronics to farm to construction, to guns to anything else is reported stolen with no verifiable way to identify.
Most reported goes unrecovered because no police agency can locate an owener when they do have a s/n to run through the system for stolen check.
Jus saying, record serial nos some way be it in a spiral notebook or a several digital photos, to be able to prove owenrship should the item be stolen.
regards. ....
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| kleinchris
Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 269 Westminster, Texas
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2007-11-30 148883
I have been hearing scuttlebut from friends in federal law enforcement about a new program that has just been launched which is supposed to combat this type of theft. Currently, there is a nation wide data base which works very well with tracking down stolen cars right? Well this data base will include everything with a seriel number. From lawn mowers to medical equipment.
Of course, car thieves invented the chop shop to beat this system... but maybe this will help the problem. ....
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