2011 Gator XUV 825i & trailer stolen in Tucson, AZ

[Old Corps]

Folks, someone stole my Gator on its PJ tailer from a hotel parking lot in Tucson, AZ sometime the early a.m. on Tuesday, May 24. It was the olive/black color, CV protectors, power bed, had Warn RT40 winch, Warn trail lights under the ROPS, and hand driving controls (I'm a disabled vet). Trailer was locked with two coupler locks, appears to me that the thieves either used freon and hammer, or pneumatic shears, since no one (?) saw or heard anything.

Made the usual report to local law enforcement, but the Pima County Sheriff's Dept. deputy who came out acted like this was below his mien, and was bored to death. Called their auto theft detail, never got a courtesy call back. Most folks think it was a gang rip, the Gator will end up hauling dope from Mexico through AZ.

You can imagine my thoughts on it....:evil:

[825joe]

Cowardly pieces of garbage can't work for their own things so they have to steal the hard earned possessions from working members of society. Im with you brother. I hope everything turns out well for you . It amazes me how some law enforcement could not be bothered with their job now a days. Even when I was Security Police in the Air Force I took theft very serious. No pride with these guys. Keep us posted bud.

[Zephyr74]

So sorry to hear that! I have a 825i and I am currently waiting for my PJ trailer which is on order. Any chance the style of coupling that PJ uses is easier for thieves to break? If so, I still have a chance to have PJ change the style. For those that aren't familiar with PJ, they use a ball coupler that is an "older style-clamping mechanism" if I'm not mistaken? Also, was it locked in your trailer (was your trailer a car hauler or utility trailer)? I'm just trying to make sure the rest of us won't fall victim to this horrible crime.

[Deputy347k9]

"Old Corps", so very sorry for your loss, we only wish we could catch the cowards, those that strike in darkness and dare not show thier faces. As a career Marine and LEO I have met many of them and took great pride in putting a lot of them away. Like you I have a new 825i with a new custom built enclosed trailer. I have spent good money for security but that only slows them down for a few minutes. Wish you had an interior alarm that would have warned you of trailer movement. Then you could have come face to face with them. As the sniper for our swat team I for ever say, "you can run but your only going to die tired"!
Please keep us updated and again I am very sorry for you great loss and the way you were treated by local police. Little shit should have his butt warmed.

Semper fi
Larry

[msutherlund]

Cowardly pieces of garbage can't work for their own things so they have to steal the hard earned possessions from working members of society. Im with you brother. I hope everything turns out well for you . It amazes me how some law enforcement could not be bothered with their job now a days. Even when I was Security Police in the Air Force I took theft very serious. No pride with these guys. Keep us posted bud.

825joe

I've been a Sheriff's Deputy for 18 years and have arrested hundreds of thieves in my career. Please don't lump all law enforcement as "No pride with these guys". Remember that all careers have exellent employees and $?/$&&$ employees. It isn't the job it is the individual that should be judged.

P.s. to poster. I sure hope they find your Gator and lock the $)&&$/@'s up.

[WOEII]

Aww Man! :cuss: ... :sad:

[Deputy347k9]

Old Corps, when you have a free moment please keep us updated. Maybe a few of us can learn something from your loss. What type of trailer did you have, open or an enclosed? Since I read your post I have been looking for some sort of "trailer alarm system". Maybe one that activates with motion. All of us have spent a good deal of money when we purchased the 825i then I add on antoher $7K for a custom enclosed trailer. I also purchased a wheel boot hoping to slow someone down long enough for me to catch them.

Anyone know of any reliable alarm system for an enclosed trailer?

[825joe]

825joe

I've been a Sheriff's Deputy for 18 years and have arrested hundreds of thieves in my career. Please don't lump all law enforcement as "No pride with these guys". Remember that all careers have exellent employees and $?/$&&$ employees. It isn't the job it is the individual that should be judged.

P.s. to poster. I sure hope they find your Gator and lock the $)&&$/@'s up.

Read my post again. I said SOME. I now work for the DOJ Federal law enforcement. So I have seen a lot of good cops and a lot of s#$t bags in my time. I would never "lump" them all together. It is the LEO's that keep the streets safer for our kids to play and go to school. Now back on topic.....

Any news Old Corps???

[Deputy347k9]

825joe, having been in uniform for about 40 years I too have seen both good and bad, however, the majority were the best who would give their life for one another. Yet it only took one slacker to give an entire agency a bad name. Over the years I have seen several officers loose their jobs because they would fail to take a report, just didn't like the paperwork. I once had a stolen Harley out of Standish, Maine that I took a very good report on, filed everything with NCIC and checked out all the local thugs. After about 7 or 8 years, with nothing and honestly having forgot all about the stolen HD, I received a telephone call from a small agency in OR, seems an individual took his machine to the local HD dealership for needed repairs. The VIN number popped up as a stolen bike out of Standish, Maine. Current owner had all the correct documents and we were able to track his purchase to the original theif who was charged and convicted. Of course the new owner was out some serious cash because the insurance company initially wanted possesion of the machine. It ended with the insurance company allowing the new owner to keep the machine for a fraction of the vaue, still had to pay more. The real problem was with the their, he was found guilty and if my memory serves me correctly he was sentenced to 3 years in prison, all suspended but six months! The problem is with the courts who allow the thugs to get off with little time due to over crowding.

I am going to look for some sort of alarm system as Holly and I will be traveling with the trailer and machine inside. I am thinking "Old Corps" may have had an open trailer? One reason I went with enclosed is if the mahcine is out of site just maybe the idiot will move on!

It is so important that we keep all documents in a safe location just in case the machine is stolen. Have the title, list of modifications, unique identification marks and keep it registered, For an item to be registered in NCIC the victim must have the year, make, model, vin number, color and unique identification marks. Any Officer in the US might just stop a vehicle towing a trailer with a new 825i onboard. If he is suspecious of the operator or arresting him for something then there is a great chance he will run the VIN number on the machine, he would receive an NCIC hit for stolen vehicle!

[trainman]

Sorry to hear about your loss, I to worry about my bikes when I stop at motels for the night. I try to find a motel that will either let me park up front by the desk entrance, or if I have the bikes on the trailer I try to find a parking spot where I can back the trailer up to a wall, or tight against the curb, this way they would have to move the vehicle to get the trailer out. I have not taken my new Gator off the property yet and may never, but if I do I will be very protective of it. Hope all works out for you.

John

[GATOR4HUNTING]

Sorry to hear about your Gator, I hope it is found with little or no damage.

[Deputy347k9]

"Old Corps", any word as of yet? You have everyone thinking of security now1 God bless and hope you are able to catch the little ^&*%$#@

[Old Corps]

Guys: Sorry it took me so long to get back here, and see all the comments. Thanks for your thoughts - many of them are mine, as you'd guess....:cuss:

FYI, some answers:

1. No recovery so far; Tucson has an epidemic of auto thefts. Gangs, mostly Hispanic, are in the biz. They are sophisticated. I had my Gator stored on a PJ Model U7712 flatbed with sides. The Gator was cable-locked with Master and Triax cable locks onto the steel sides. The trailer had a Bulldog-style coupler, the clam-shell type with the slider lock. I had a Reese coupler lock, the kind that has a ball that fits up into the coupler and a bar that locks over it. I also had a bar lock that fits through the safety-pin hole behind the slider. I did not have a boot lock on the wheel, which I strongly recommend. There was no noise; the cuts on the hasps and bar appear to either be a freon freeze & hammer break, or a pneumatic shear, like a mini-jaws-of-life but with no motor, just hydraulic pressure. Tools of pros.

Now, I had an inexpensive IR motion detector transmitter hidden just inside the nose cowl, oriented to catch any movement around the front, but not where it would pick up a lot of false hits. I forgot to remove it when I went in the field, and it rattled off somewhere out there. I was too damned cheap to replace the $20 thing, and got caught napping. It's a Driveway Patrol, with a c-cell battery-powered eyeball and a receiver with audible and LED alarms. It worked fine. From there, you can go nut$ with alarms, but I suggest getting something.

Might have come close to the trailer - a buddy was looking around a bunch of wrecking yards on a hunch, and spotted an identical one, but with a shiny new red paint job. It was in a sandblast and paint joint, so there was a "close" fit. By the time I got over there, it was gone - no habeas corpus. I've been keeping close to a detective, but he's swamped, and this is a needle in a haystack. I expect the Gator will end up shuttling dope in the desert for the cartels. They nearly own parts of Tucson, with eyes and ears everywhere.

Anyhow, I hope I updated or answered the questions. BTW, I recently retired from a career as a federal investigator, so know that the vast majority of LEO's are ethical and dedicated people who put it on the line every day. :Thmup: There will always be a few bad apples, especially where the easy money is just around the corner like down here.

I'll let you know any developments. Thanks.

[Deputy347k9]

Old Corps, thanks for the update as I am sure many will learn from your loss. I for one have ordered a heavy duty wheel boot, again it will at least slow them down. Hopefully the motion alarm will also activat sending a signal directly to my remote, this will allow me time to catch them in the act. I have an enclosed trailer that had to be custom built due to the height of the 825i, trailer will really stand out due to the uncommon height.

I wish you the very best, keep your eyes open and ear to the ground, just maybe you will get very lucky. Like you stated I believe the machine is making local boarder runs, trailer painted and resold.

Semper fi
Larry

[Zephyr74]

Old Corps--

Thanks for the info on the trailer and locks, once again I'm so sorry to hear about this incident. Can you tell me how well the RT 40 winch fit in the front (if thats where you installed it)? I am wanting to get a bigger winch than the one JD sells, which is the RT30 and I see that you had the RT40 on yours? Did you install that yourself? And where did you get the mounting plate? I want to stick with a Warn and want to get something bigger than the RT30! Thanks for your input!

Hope they find your trailer and gator soon!!!!!!!!!!

[CaptDan]

Made the usual report to local law enforcement, but the Pima County Sheriff's Dept. deputy who came out acted like this was below his mien, and was bored to death. Called their auto theft detail, never got a courtesy call back. Most folks think it was a gang rip, the Gator will end up hauling dope from Mexico through AZ.

You can imagine my thoughts on it....:evil:

First, sorry to hear about your gator being stolen. If it?s not recovered I hope the person who stole it crashes it into a tree and dies in a fireball !

That having been said, I have a hard time dealing with the comments about the Officer who took the report. Having spent 36 years in a City Police Department I have seen many, many excellent police officers risk their lives for complete strangers. I will refuse to join in or accept any negative comments about the officer?s lack of enthusiasm about a stolen vehicle. I fully realize that this was a traumatic event in your life, YOUR vehicle was stolen. It was the officer?s job to respond and secure the facts; I have not seen anything saying he didn?t do that. If you were/are unsatisfied with the service that you received there are appropriate avenues for you to pursue. Bashing the officer and his agency on a public forum without providing either of them the opportunity to respond is a form of bullying as far as I am concerned.

Being in Law Enforcement is not the same as being a cop. The officer has not been given a chance to explain his side of this story. Maybe he was less enthusiastic than he could or should have been, maybe not. We will never know as we have one side of the story. He was there to get the facts and submit a report, as far as the information that was posted he did that. If he was less responsive than he could have been maybe there was a reason, maybe he was just cleared from a horrific scene ?..maybe ?.maybe?..so many maybes but without the facts from both sides it?s unfair to publicly bash the officer or his agency. I?d be willing to bet that no one here would like to be publicly bashed without the opportunity to respond to the accusations.

[825joe]

I don't think anyone bashed him or his agency bud. Don't take it personal, I think it was more generalities then anything. :Brrs:

[purplewg]

Old Corps, did ya have insurance on it? I sure hope so............

[Deputy347k9]

As we live and learn I have viewed the post by "Old Corps" as a lesson to be learnt. Having over 21K invested in my 825i and the new V nose enclosed trailer I wanted to take all precautions to protect my investment. I have now installed, locking lugs on all 4 whells, 3 massive locks for the barn door and side door, coupler lock when trailer is off vehicle, locks for the trailer receiver when on the vehicle and last but not least a Denver Boot that I install on the rear passenger wheel. I fully realize nothing if 100% theft proof, however, maybe this will slow them down until I can get out there and catch them in the act! If caught they will not attempt the same twice. Old Corps, thanks for a lesson.

[825joe]

Can't be to careful or secure now a days!

[trainman]

If thieves want your stuff they will get it, it doesn't matter what you do. All I can say is have it properly insured, that is make sure all your accessories are covered under your policy, you will probably have to pay extra if your accessories go over a certain dollar amount, find out what it is, take plenty of pictures of everything and keep the receipts if you have them. On my motorcycles it is only $1000 of accessories that are covered in the base policy, if I want to add more accessories and have them covered I will have to pay for them extra, same on my Gator. Remember the insurance company is charging you a premium at your base price Gator, $11,199.00, not at what you might have in it. I know most of us have added a lot to your Gators, please check with you insurance agent and make sure that you have it properly insured, a lot of agents are good old boys, but maybe not asking all the correct questions for insuring the vehicle correctly. I only bring this up because I was in business for 33 years and have personally seen too many people improperly insured and very unhappy when claims are fully paid.

John

[Deputy347k9]

John, I agree 100%, my security items will only slow down the determined their. Insurance is a must and as you have stated, "properly insured". Even though the insurance company will pay for the lost items I don't want to start all over. Another point you had, which I have done, is to take pictures and document all we have done with our machines. I have every receipt filed by date, pictures of all items installed for both the trailer and Gator. The only way of stopping the determined thief is with some form of security that is activated once they are quite a distance away with your trailer and Gator. Hidden away the thiefs now break off all the locks and with their ONE KEY FITS ALL they set in their new Gator and start her up, she goes "BOOM", I mean a BIG BOOM! End of story. Should be able to locate them then.

[825joe]

I like the BIG BOOM plan!! lol