Safe Motels To Stay At When Towing A Trailer ?
 

I am on the road over 300 days a year.
I spend at least 200 nights at motels.
I have been transporting vehicles
since 2006 without incident.

Where do you recommend staying
on the road when towing a trailer ?

100 miles west of Chicago along I-80

Sandman Motel
3190 N US Hwy 251
LaSalle, IL 91301
825-223-8400

2.2 miles north of I-80
$50 a night single includes tax

Clean room - cell service - cable tv
Fridge & microwave*


Jim

In the next six months I have to make many trips from NY to TN towing an open trailers with lots of stuff on them, mowers, tractor implements, motorcycles etc.

Has me pretty nervous ... so far I've been chaining and locking everything up like someone in a dungeon. Trying to park where it would be hard to steal the whole trailer, trying to park where I can see the truck, trying to find motels a bit away from any major city or town.

Get Off The Road Early
 

The best thing you can do is get off
the road at least an hour before sunset.

That gives you time to find a motel
during daylight and figure out parking.

This is my truck & trailer parked in front
of my room at the Sandman Motel
last Thursday afternoon.

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1698137404


Jim

About 40 miles west of Des Moines, Iowa on I-80
 

$45 for a single with senior discount.
Large parking lot for tow vehicle
and trailer parking.

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1698137898


http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1698137741



Jim

I don't do any towing but I''m curious - do you have some sort of alarm system on the truck and trailer? I assume there's a padlock or something on the hitch itself.

Disable tow vehicle
 

I disable my tow vehicle electrically
so it cannot start when I go shopping
or when stay at a motel.

I have a receiver hitch lock.

My weight distribution bars
are installed under pressure
so to disconnect the trailer
there is a procedure that is
specific and quite a pain in
the @ss that needs to be done
in order to disconnect the trailer
tongue from my receiver hitch
stinger.

When I park my trailer for any
period of time - I back my trailer
up against a wall
or a light pole or another vehicle.

If I can - I jackknife my trailer
at an angle so the ramp door
cannot be opened.


Jim

I've been looking for old school motels like that where you can park right in front of the room ... getting hard to find these days.

Do you use a hitch pin lock? I have one that you slide through like a normal pin and then lock a cylinder on the other side ... I just don't trust it while towing ... and of course it's a pain and potentially dangerous to install with a full trailer as if there is any pull or push on the hitch when you pull the pin things can go wrong.

If I didn't have my shop mostly packed up I'd mill out the hole in a standard pin so it could take a pad lock.

Yes
 

I have a hitch pin lock.
But my weight distribution
and equalizer bar set locks
the coupler to the ball.


Jim

Back on subject
 

Back on subject ….

Scotland Park Motel
99 Central East Freeway
Wichita Falls, Texas 76306

Phone: 940-322-5441

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1698827714

Never, ever count on any lock to keep your trailer attached to your towing rig or the doors closed on an enclosed trailer. Almost all locks can be defeated by an amateur in under a minute - most in seconds) (See youtube videos by lock picking lawyer for reference https://www.youtube.com/@lockpickinglawyer). Use loud trailer and vehicle alarms (with paging systems, if possible), other tow vehicle disabling systems, like tire locking systems for the trailer (that jam dual wheels, and keep them from moving). Park as mentioned by others to make it difficult to access the trailer or gain access to the trailer tongue to pull it away. Always finding Lodging in a "better" part of town can help. Motel security guards (who also watch the parking lot) and video systems help, but are no guarantee. The more redundant systems and procedures you incorporate to secure your tow vehicle, trailer and towed vehicle, the less likely it is that the crew targeting your classic vehicle and the tow rig used to haul it will persist in their plan to steal your property, If you make it difficult enough, they will pass it by and move on to the next option, or it will take too long and they will get interrupted.

Baby monitors work awesome

Back on subject
 

Back on subject ..,


http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1698863472


Jim