Attempted Tractor Theft

Hello,
It's been an interesting day! I was scheduled to be gone today but ended up having to stay home and fix fence so the Llama stops getting out. The Lord must have known I needed to be staying home, and used that goofy little Llama to make sure I did! Just before lunch, a truck and trailer came up our drive. Before I could get out there the guy had dropped the ramp on the trailer and was sitting on our Ford tractor. Needless to say, he was VERY surprised to see me. After telling him in no uncertain terms what I would do if he came back around, I took down his plate # and kicked him off the place.

I think this happened because I had listed our Farmall on eBay. We han't had any issues before then. A couple of bidders wanted directions to come out and see the tractor. I gave them my cell number and when they called, set up a time to come out. One of them was all eyes when he came out. I mean it looked like he looked like he was at a farm sale - eyes everywhere at once. He wasn't the one that showed up today but I wonder if he was working with the guy that did show up today. I received a phone call (on the same cell #) early asking if the caller could come out and see the tractor I had for sale. I told him that Saturday or Sunday afternoon would work. He wanted to know if I wasn't going to be available today and like a dummy, I told him I was going to be gone! Next thing I know (thanks to the Lord and the Llama I'm starting to be fond of) I get to watch a stranger calmly drive up our long steep driveway, stop and drop his trailer ramp and jump up on our tractor! I can't prove that it was related to eBay, but it's something to consider if you're thinking about selling a larger, vulnerable item on an auction site.

I personaly have used the beware of dog signs, I add a very large orange flag beside it. I have no dog, so they can not see where he might be comming from.

I did have alot of stuff stolen (toy tractors) from a old barn while we were remodeling our house. They were not real bright. They had no idea we discovered them stolen, so I placed a large, make that a very large glass from a picture window in front of the door. I cleaned the glass very clean and set it offset a little so it did not appear to be directly infront. They did not come back, so left no finger prints. I also took a rake and stired the dry dirt infront where they had backed the pickups (probably three) to load the toys. This was all usless as they did not return.

I was very upset that the police did not find the guys, but that is small town USA.

Approx six months later the cops called, I was to meet with the DCI, so I was very excited that they had maybe found the toys as I had very little insurance on them. Probably the second question was --HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD THESE TOYS INSURED?---I guess they are only doing their job, but as I look back they sure could have improved their investigation.

Dishonest people should just ask me if they need something as I will probably give it to them, but now I dare them to come near my remote farmstead. Please do not lecture me on where I will spend the rest of my life if they do try to steal from me---sorry I do not care--The way I see it is if they can accidently steal something from me, (and a stupid judge will buy into that crap) why can't he buy my story? It was a accident they got hurt.

Sorry guys I'm waiting on a return phone call so I will keep at this. Any way while doing a small construction job in the heart of my small town, a guy that had a history of stealing kept driving buy each day a little slower each time. I decided that if he actualy did stop,-- I would play a trick on him--, as I knew him fairly well. I tossed the 12 guage pump on the front seat with a hot one in the chamber, sure enough Monday morning he came to a complete stop and got out to see how things were going on the project. After he had looked all the tools over very well etc. I told him to excuse me while I got a new carpender pencil from the glove box. He followed me as we made small talk, and observed the shotgun. I told him it is a 870, and to be careful as I handed it to him because she had one in the chamber. What the heck! he said, man that is dangerous and all, also he asked me why. I stared at him as I gave my simple reply that since Nam I have been hearing voices that said I should kill someone and a big line of bull, and asked if didn't most people feel that way untill they actualy find a reason to kill some one?

The combination of that statment and perhaps a little growing up seem to make him extra friendly to me, and I do not feel uncomfortable when around him anymore, I'm not sure he feels as comfortable around me.

Unrelated (still no return phone call yet) My sons have stolen my show when a persistant salesperson that thinks they can make a sale if they high pressure the indavidual. So after rescheduling the second appointment the sales person comes to the door, The one brother (who is supposidly not to stable) hides in the closet with a shot gun. After a short time and a whole lot of stimulation the drinking buddies that accidently happen to be in the house at the same time, find my unstable son that has been missing (for a hour or so) in the closed and he has a gun. The unstable son with the gun finaly is coaxed out of the closet by his half drunk buddies and sits next to the salesperson with the shotgun and a blank stare. Every now and then as the normal son explains not to upset his unstable brother with the gun. The unstable brother pumps the shotgun and looks at the sales person without cracking so much as a grin. He then looks away agin, pumps the shot gun, shouts out some jiberish, etc. etc. They have more fun doing that, and seems to be a very effective way to get rid of pesky salespeople. I did try to do that one time, but I just could not keep from laughing part way through.

In your case doing the right thing at the spare of the moment is not realistic, but having them hauled off to jail would have been great.

NE IA Dave

Anyway, that little motion sensor has probably saved me quite a few times. Another time a guy pulls in, gets out of his truck, checks the pole barn (which was locked), then goes towards a storage shed before I holler at him.....then he asks if I will do some tractor work for him??? Then he wants to borrow my tractor and run it himself.....as I'm thinking why would I let you use my equipment after it appears you are a little too snoopy??

I think a "Beware of Dog" sign is a good thing to have too even if you don't have a dog.

Now if you don't have a dog it might be worth something.

I would have call the police, then waited until he had the tractor on his trailer. Then I would have showed up well armed. Police on the way, he would have laid face down in the snow until they arrived.

- Start any kind of home based business where people show up at my house

- Have EBay buyers pick up stuff at my house

- Have a garage sale

- Have an auction

You just never know who's going to show up. The person might not even plan to rob you, but then they mention what you have to one of thier low-life friends, and all of a sudden word gets around about what you have out at your place.

The fewer people that come up my driveway, the better.

The price of wirless digital surveillance cameras is dropping and I am considering getting one.

A few miles down the road the guy probably had a good laugh then stole something from your neighbors so he didn't waste a trip.

You really can't take chances with guys like that. Had an old boy by Salina that caught a some poachers on his property a year ago. He was very nonconfrontatial, and "politely" asked the guys to leave. One of the three men took offense to be asked to leave and stabbed the farmer in the face, his two buddies where shocked by what he'd done but jumped inthe truck with him and left the farmer laying in the field, his wife came looking for him or else he probably would have died there. They caught he guys, and the two said they couldn't beleive what the third guy had done, especially after being "let off" by the owner.

That had to be someone they knew, that knew they would not be there for awhile.

This isn't as dramatic, but it's the same principle. I recently let some guy cut some timber on my farm. He shorted me on the first week's timber a little bit. I didn't confront him but I decided to terminate our relationship by the end of the second week. He shorted me a bunch the second week. He owes me $452.00 for the second week's lumber. I doubt I'll ever see it, but my real concern is that he'll come back here sometime when I'm gone and clean the place out.

I hope not, but I think there's a good chance.

Tom in TN

BUT, he later called in our state forest rangers who matched up the stump's growth rings with growth rings on walnut logs brought to a sawmill in a bordering state. I don't recall if an arrest was made but made for interesting detective work.

It is incidences like this that make me think I should cancel my ebay membership.