Preventing Tractor Theft

Anything that slows down a would-be thief is good. Unless the spot is out of the way & hidden, they'll want to get in & out fast. So your idea of securing it with a chain/bar is good.

When you figure out how to stop the criminals from plying their trade , let the world know. For locks keep honest people honest, that is about as far as it goes.

In addition to securing the tractor with a chain, you could also remove the rotor cap from the distributer. Most theives don't carry a rotor cap in their pocket, and the engine won't run without the rotor in place.

Had a man here in our area who owned a small store. Got burgularized quite often. He got tired of the break-ins and started staying in the store at night with his shotgun. Didn't take long before 2 burgulars broke in. One died in the store and the other one a short time later at the hospital. Problem solved. No more break-ins. Word gets around.

I have a pitbull.   she is the biggest lover dog, but people that don't know her take one look at her when she comes running at them, and you'd be suprised how many people dive back into their vehicles.  My buddy down the road has a sign  "Tresspassers will be violated, survivors will be shot!"   I like that one. 

Out of sight, out of mind is a good way to go.  If they don't know its there they wont come after it.

Even if you stick a pipe thru the wheels,  you may still come out to an engine stripped down to the block with all the expensive bits missing.  It just happened to me.

A high quality chain would work better than a pipe since it is easier to lock and harder to cut.  I use a short piece of chain on my lawn mower trailer.  Won't stop a thief but will slow them up.

I wonder if the 12V fence charger would interfere with the 'puters on newer vehicles? Might want to try that on my truck.

A friend lost a lot of tools from his shop, had them insured and bought new ones.  Has a real nice shop with cabinets and hangers for everything.  Painted "power tools" on one of the cabinets with a cheap padlock on it.  Inside was a microswitch hooked to a fire siren from an old firehouse.  It only was used once.  I heard it at 3 in the morning and I'm two miles away.  The sheriff also heard it, the guys who set it off spent some time at the cross bars ranch as this was the second time they had paid a visit to that shop and a few others in the area.   

coke...that win..284 shuold work real well in this situation.also 6 blasting caps all wired up to detonate at the same time,placed under the seat cushion can do some real damage,i know.most of all you just find someone holding his crotch and talking with a high pitched voice...

While it feels good to know that someone doing bad things gets what they really deserve, indiscriminate traps of a potentially lethal variety aren't a good idea.

What if the person who climbs aboard is your grandchild, or spouse, or sibling, or neighbor?  One of these days, we may not be around to care for our machines, and those left to sort our estates won't know.

Another unfortunate reality, is that having a fully enclosed shed doesn't necessarily always grant security as we expect.  A friend of mine had a restored Farmall Super-A and an H in his shed.  Thieves came in, stole the radiator, the magneto, carbeurator, and two rear tire/wheel assemblies and a few tools.  They would have been sooner detected if the shed wasn't closed, locked, and protected from the elements.  As it was, they were able to sneak up, break and enter, close the door, set up shop, and go to work, with nobody seeing most of the work.  They returned later with a pickup, loaded what they snagged, closed the door, and left.  His house was only a hundred yards away, but they observed well enough to know when he went to work, so they knew exactly when their opportunity windows were.

The lesson here, is that ANY 'hunter' knows that the greatest weakness of any quarry, is routine and habit.  If you have a regular routine, a thief will observe and learn your routine, and adapt his technique to fit within it.  It's when your routine is irregular... unpredictable, and uncertain that you'll send them looking elsewhere.

This is why the first and foremost suspect will be someone who knows you- someone who knows what you have, what you do for a living, where you live, what you drive, etc.  This is also why 'Irish Travellers' and the like, who come to offer services like driveway sealing and barn-painting are usually much more of a security threat than they appear.