# Thiefs Cut 30 Rv Cords In Middle Of Night.



## jozway (Jan 28, 2008)

Last Wensday night just before the big weekend someone jumped the fence at the campground we belong to in Capitol Forest in Olympia and unplugged and cut 30 rv cords off and got away with them.







Lucky for me I had pulled my trailer out the weekend before for our multi family trip to mossyrock park.







It just amazes me how brazen people will get. Our worry is now that they will try to break into the trailers themselves and do much more damage.
Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions on ways to help stop this. We are looking into a camera system but not sure if that's the best solution or not.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

I always figure if I'm jsut a touch harder than the others, then I will be safer. It's really hard to do at a seasonal site though, so then I figure that the next best thing is insurance.


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

There's a lot of copper in one of those 25' 30 amp cords - more in a 50 amp. I'm sure that your local recycling center got a bunch of these cords, or soon will. They might be able to identify who turned them in for cash. I doubt that anyone was there for mischevious purposes - unless there is something of value that can be pawned or sold on the black market for cash.

In this economy, there will be a lot more of this going on. It started happening when the price of copper, aluminum, gold, etc started rising a few years ago, and tailed off when the markets started dropping, but with a lot of folks out of work, every penny counts.

Just my opinion, but I'd bet it is pretty accurate.

Mike


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Nathan said:


> I always figure if I'm jsut a touch harder than the others, then I will be safer. It's really hard to do at a seasonal site though, so then I figure that the next best thing is insurance.


Just be careful about filing a claim. You don't want a Red Flag in your file to allow an rate change upon renewal.

With 30 problems, I'd hope the facility would step up security or possible cameras.


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## jozway (Jan 28, 2008)

Scoutr2 said:


> There's a lot of copper in one of those 25' 30 amp cords - more in a 50 amp. I'm sure that your local recycling center got a bunch of these cords, or soon will. They might be able to identify who turned them in for cash. I doubt that anyone was there for mischevious purposes - unless there is something of value that can be pawned or sold on the black market for cash.
> 
> In this economy, there will be a lot more of this going on. It started happening when the price of copper, aluminum, gold, etc started rising a few years ago, and tailed off when the markets started dropping, but with a lot of folks out of work, every penny counts.
> 
> ...


Copper is definately on the rise again. Hopefully this was a one time oppurtunity for some tweakers and they have moved on. We did however file a police report and hopefully they will check the records of the local salvage yards.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Yeah, my parents lost an awning to aluminum thieves a few years back. They were ripping off aluminum wherever they could find it. No sense in insurance for a cord, but the claim covered the awning in that case.


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## Doxie-Doglover-Too (Jan 25, 2007)

so glad you had your trailer out...tell the facility to get a really mean night guard dog


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## jozway (Jan 28, 2008)

Doxie-Doglover-Too said:


> so glad you had your trailer out...tell the facility to get a really mean night guard dog


I offerd up Dozer but they just laughed.


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Damn junkies! I hate to admit it but when these jerks finally catch a live wire I can't help but smile. I feel for anyone that had a 50amp cord cut those badboys are expensive, not that the 30amps are not though. I would agree, not worth an insurance claim probably, at least on the Outback we had its pretty easy to install one.


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## DMG (Apr 28, 2009)

There's not much to getting into an RV. If you have to store yours, don't leave anything valuable inside or in storage compartments. We had our HTT broken into a few years back. They just pulled the rear door off the hinges. Had pleanty of time since it was the end facing the fence. We never reported it, but after we added up all they took it came to over $1500. Tools, TV, DVD, silverware, and bedding included. They even took the kids games and fishing poles. A few months later PD caught a couple who were systematically breaking into any kind of trailer they could find and more than likely they were the individuals who hit ours. Wish we could have added the value of our stuff to their arrest.

When we store ours, all the valuable stay home. It's a bit of a pain, but don't want to have to replace all that stuff again. At least they only got peoples cords. It could have been worse.

Another thing is check the contract for where your storing it. There's more than likely a leave at your own risk clause.


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## jozway (Jan 28, 2008)

Y-Guy said:


> Damn junkies! I hate to admit it but when these jerks finally catch a live wire I can't help but smile. I feel for anyone that had a 50amp cord cut those badboys are expensive, not that the 30amps are not though. I would agree, not worth an insurance claim probably, at least on the Outback we had its pretty easy to install one.


Oddly enough one of the three trailers they missed was a new Raptor with a 50amp cord. Unfortantely they knew what they were doing and unplugged them first. I dont think anyone made a claim on there insurance. 
All the cords were replaced by late friday night except for my in-laws (fridge not so fresh after 5 days







) nobody called them. We fixed his with 50 foot of 10/3 SO cord and a new plug.


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

Unbelieveable. Sorry that had to happen.


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## Calvin&Hobbes (May 24, 2006)

Y-Guy said:


> Damn junkies! I hate to admit it but when these jerks finally catch a live wire I can't help but smile. I feel for anyone that had a 50amp cord cut those badboys are expensive, not that the 30amps are not though. I would agree, not worth an insurance claim probably, at least on the Outback we had its pretty easy to install one.


 Happened up here in the NE... a scrap metal thief had broken into a razor wire fenced-in sub station, to grab some new coiled reels stored there. He grabbed one of the bazillion watt lines- and was OK until he grabbed the second one- without letting go of the first. Balance, you know. Well, most of him was still inside the fenced area when we got there. Some parts were outside. Witnesses heard the explosion a mile away.


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## proffsionl (Feb 19, 2005)

When we got the new fiver, I was amazed at the size/weight of the new 50 amp cord. All I could think was that it's a heck of a lot copper in there. Being paranoid, I ordered a 50-15 amp adapter and use a regular extension cord when in storage for charging the battery.

When our neighborhood was being built out a few years ago, we had a lot of outdoor A/C condensers being stolen for the copper tubing. They couldn't get much more than four a night though since they are rather large.

Copper is still a valuable metal, so I expect this will continue as long as times are tough.


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## johnp (Mar 15, 2004)

there really is not much scrap in one of those cords and its to hard to strip one for the copper. Now they left the 50 amp cord but took all the 30 amp cords my guess is someone is making up extenion cords check ebay for cords with a molded male end and a cord cap female.

John


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## Lmbevard (Mar 18, 2006)

Y-Guy said:


> Damn junkies! I hate to admit it but when these jerks finally catch a live wire I can't help but smile. I feel for anyone that had a 50amp cord cut those badboys are expensive, not that the 30amps are not though. I would agree, not worth an insurance claim probably, at least on the Outback we had its pretty easy to install one.


We had something like that happen a couple of years ago here in Keokuk. A couple of young men broke into an abandoned factory and started striping copper. One of them took the cutters and started cutting into the main buse. It happen to be live and soon he wasn't. the other kid took off without checking on his friend but later used his cell phone to report something happening at the factory and that there might be a body there. Obviously, it was easy to track down the guy that called and arrest him for a bunch of stuff.

I hate to admit it, but I also thought they got what they deserved.


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