Firearm storage question(s)

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psyfly

New member
I’m preparing (a few months, a year, not sure) for retirement and moving back to my home. As a part of that preparation, I have been on the lookout for a good-sized cargo trailer to move me home and to also use for storage for the furniture overage I’ve accumulated from maintaining two homes.

Well, I found one.

Now my gun-related issue is; how safe is it for me to purchase another small gun safe and install it in the trailer for storage? The doors of the trailer would be secured by hardened padlocks.

I know the aluminum skin (with 3/8" plywood backing) on these trailers isn’t particularly burglar-proof, but the trailer will be parked in a pretty public lot while here and the gun safe will be removed from the trailer once I’m back home.

I’m not worried about furniture burglars, the trailer is to protect my goods from the elements.

Thanks,

Will
 
If the contents are not known (to neighbors or strangers), you are probably ok, depending on where you live.
 
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If you aren't already doing so, padlock the trailer hitch in some way. As mentioned above, anonymity is your best friend in this situation. I am in a singing group and we keep our meager sound equipment in a covered trailer. It's plain white, no markings, never gets washed, and sits behind a junky storage table in a member's garage so it doesn't draw much attention.
 
cc-hangfire said:
If you aren't already doing so, padlock the trailer hitch in some way.
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+1. I'm no expert, but I've generally heard that with cargo trailers, on-site break-ins aren't the main concern; the primary danger is that crooks will simply hook a truck up to the thing and tow it to a secure location where they can break into it at their leisure. :(

Another trick I've seen is to chain one or more wheels to a large immovable object such as a tree.
 
Thanks for the advice.

I have a decent hitch lock on it:

It already is painted white and has has some faded printing on the sides from the previous owner's business.

As for the chain, although there's nothing nearby to chain it to, I've seen some with a chain threaded through both wheels on one side, so I might adopt that one, as well.

Best,

Will
 
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There are also locking lugnuts you can get. Of course they can be defeated, but not unless the thief was planning for them. Get those and run a nice THICK chain through the wheels through the springs/frame of the trailer. If you just chain the wheels together they could just take those off and put some others on. Or even take one from the other side. There are not too many bolt patterns for trailers so it wouldn't be hard to steal wheels from another trailer and put them on yours.

Anyway, your most likely danger is one of opportunity and in this case you just want to deter them with locks all over the place.

My uncle moved from AZ to TX and bought a big cargo trailer for the move. Sure enough it got stolen in TX and turned up on the NW coast years later. Point being, yeah it sure enough happens.
 
Dig a pit at the new location, pour some concrete anchors, and back the trailer into it, then backfill with the material taken out of the pit up to the top of the axle. Chain it down to the anchors, first.

Don't leave it there very long.
 
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