# do they make a lo-jack type device for equiptment?



## treeminator (Mar 22, 2006)

what's the best way to make sure you're equiptment doesn't get stolen from the jobsite or stolen by an employee who leaves town with it?

do they make something that you can place inside it to track it's whereabouts?


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## Tree Frog (Mar 22, 2006)

Paint the equipment that you want to keep pink, florencent green, purple. Any color that some lazy :censored: bag would not take the time to repaint, thus requireing work on their part. Plus when they do steal it and take it to the local pawn shop for drug money, it can be easily identifed due to the paint.


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## TreeLady (Mar 23, 2006)

> do they make something that you can place inside it to track it's whereabouts?



You can get GPS installed in your trucks. I know of one company that does it around here. I'm not sure if it is cost effective just to prevent theft, but you can also track speed, where the trucks are, and for how long with that kind of system. Maybe just posting something, or telling the guys you had GPS installed would be enough to make them think twice.

I like the idea of painting them, but hey, I'm a girl and it wouldn't bother me a bit to drive a hot pink truck.


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## ASD (Mar 23, 2006)

lo jack can be installed in any thing with a battery. and they do also make a small unit the size of a pager that is self contained


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## Nickrosis (Mar 23, 2006)

TreeLady said:


> I'm not sure if it is cost effective just to prevent theft, but you can also track speed, where the trucks are, and for how long with that kind of system.


You're exactly right. A company gave me tour of their products a week and a half ago, and the installation cost is about $650 per unit and $25 per month. They had an option to add on a screen inside the vehicles so you could use it for navigation, otherwise it's out of sight under the dash. One other feature is the integration with the vehicle's computer to tell you if the engine is reporting a problem (oxygen sensor, etc, etc), what your fuel economy is, and how many miles until the next oil change or service stop.

Cost effective? You tell me. At this point, for us, definitely not. In an age of information, so what if you can tell me more about the crews. I need to be able to _use_ the information without working harder before it becomes a way of saving money. It would have to be integrated with our systems to verify the job start and stop times based on when the vehicles left the jobsite before I would see the time tracking benefit. Otherwise, you have to hire someone or reassign someone to go over the handed-in paperwork and compare with the GPS times. T-e-d-i-o-u-s.

Very cool to be able to see where all the crews are at one time. Great to be able to track it if it were stolen, but does that add value to the bottom line after subtracting the cost?


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## Tree Frog (Mar 23, 2006)

oops, thinking about small items. Disregard, along with the rest of my gibberish.


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## clearance (Mar 23, 2006)

Nickrosis said:


> You're exactly right. A company gave me tour of their products a week and a half ago, and the installation cost is about $650 per unit and $25 per month. They had an option to add on a screen inside the vehicles so you could use it for navigation, otherwise it's out of sight under the dash. One other feature is the integration with the vehicle's computer to tell you if the engine is reporting a problem (oxygen sensor, etc, etc), what your fuel economy is, and how many miles until the next oil change or service stop.
> 
> Cost effective? You tell me. At this point, for us, definitely not. In an age of information, so what if you can tell me more about the crews. I need to be able to _use_ the information without working harder before it becomes a way of saving money. It would have to be integrated with our systems to verify the job start and stop times based on when the vehicles left the jobsite before I would see the time tracking benefit. Otherwise, you have to hire someone or reassign someone to go over the handed-in paperwork and compare with the GPS times. T-e-d-i-o-u-s.
> 
> Very cool to be able to see where all the crews are at one time. Great to be able to track it if it were stolen, but does that add value to the bottom line after subtracting the cost?


Perfect, hear this Treeco, ya rat, owners could see where thier guys are at all times. Hey Nick, how about a chip implanted in employees to track how fast they moved branches to the chipper? Good to track stolen quipment, if you need to watch your employees that bad you are an idiot at hiring people.


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## Nickrosis (Mar 23, 2006)

clearance said:


> Perfect, hear this Treeco, ya rat, owners could see where thier guys are at all times. Hey Nick, how about a chip implanted in employees to track how fast they moved branches to the chipper? Good to track stolen quipment, if you need to watch your employees that bad you are an idiot at hiring people.


:whistles:

A chip in the brain would be good. Okay clown, how about you read the _whole_ thing before commenting. Mmmmkay?


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## TreeLady (Mar 24, 2006)

> how about a chip implanted in employees to track how fast they moved branches to the chipper?



Sorry, this is totally off topic, but clearence is on to something...
Why couldn't chipper manufacturers put a chip in a set of gloves, or visibility vest so that if that chip ever got close enough to the blades, the computer would cut the engine? I don't know, could that work? I don't want to hijack the thread...just wondering.


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## Nickrosis (Mar 24, 2006)

Maybe someday, but we've got a ways to go with technology first. Say for 20 cents you put an RFID tag in a glove, the technology would have to be developed to triangulate its position - three dimensionally - to determine whether your hand was merely next to the chipper or about to go into the blades. 

Say you could do that, overcoming the challenge of getting a radio frequency through thick steel with any kind of accuracy, you'd be halfway to something great! It could stop the feed wheels or reverse them, but I still think most would rather be killed by a chipper than severely maimed.

For all intents and purposes, a safe person can use a chipper every day, all their lives, and not get hurt. Somehow, unsafe -stoopid - people will take their gloves off before they reach in or find some way around the system and injuries will continue to occur with the same group of people! Is the multi-million (billion?) dollar investment into developing a system like that worth it? Maybe if it could be borrowed from another industry in the future, but I think the money would be better spent with grapples or other equipment that saves safe people's backs instead of stoopid people's fingers!


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## ASD (Mar 24, 2006)

TreeLady said:


> ..
> Why couldn't chipper manufacturers put a chip in a set of gloves, or visibility vest so that if that chip ever got close enough to the blades, the computer would cut the engine? I don't know, could that work? I don't want to hijack the thread...just wondering.



their are devices that will do that now but the manufacturers will not put them on because if the device failed they would be liable


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## CaseyForrest (Mar 24, 2006)

clearance said:


> Perfect, hear this Treeco, ya rat, owners could see where thier guys are at all times. Hey Nick, how about a chip implanted in employees to track how fast they moved branches to the chipper? Good to track stolen quipment, if you need to watch your employees that bad you are an idiot at hiring people.



Seems like this guy ALWAYS has something negative to say, about whatever.

I didnt even see TreeCo post a reply to this thread. Or are you just stirring the pot for some asinine reason? 

Back on track....I know CAT has what amounts to GPS built into their new equipment. However it is meant for equipment monitoring, engine, hydraulics, etc. If you live in an area where crime is a concern, paint you company name, including phone number on every piece of the machine, and hide it in a few spots as well. You can even go as far as to etch your driver license number in a few inconspicuous spots to make identification easier.


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## TreeLady (Mar 25, 2006)

Nick, I agree about the grapples being a better use of time and money. We just got a new chipper, much safer but it still scares the :censored: out of me. 
Back on track



> If you live in an area where crime is a concern, paint you company name, including phone number on every piece of the machine, and hide it in a few spots as well. You can even go as far as to etch your driver license number in a few inconspicuous spots to make identification easier.



Smart, effective, inexpensive. And the paint doesn't have to be hot pink
We don't live in a high crime area, but I think that is worth the time anyway.
Thanks Casey


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## tophopper (Mar 26, 2006)

treeminator said:


> what's the best way to make sure you're equiptment doesn't get stolen from the jobsite or stolen by an employee who leaves town with it?
> 
> do they make something that you can place inside it to track it's whereabouts?






Yep!!

If i had made the investment into a half dozen craftsman chainsaws, I too would want lo-jack installed on them all.


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## treeminator (Mar 26, 2006)

tophopper said:


> Yep!!
> 
> If i had made the investment into a half dozen craftsman chainsaws, I too would want lo-jack installed on them all.



it's for my stumpgrinder


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## clearance (Mar 26, 2006)

treeminator said:


> it's for my stumpgrinder


A stumpgrinder!, way to expensive, I just get my $8 hr guy to use an axe, shovel and pick, I yell at him so it gets done faster. And the cheapest axe, shovel and pick I can get, that True Temper construction grade pick and shovel, and Arvika axes are no better than what I get at Wall Mart.


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## treeminator (Mar 26, 2006)

clearance said:


> A stumpgrinder!, way to expensive, I just get my $8 hr guy to use an axe, shovel and pick, I yell at him so it gets done faster. And the cheapest axe, shovel and pick I can get, that True Temper construction grade pick and shovel, and Arvika axes are no better than what I get at Wall Mart.



i agree, a SG is way too expensive and i would rather go your route (employee, pick, and shovel), but i tend to win alot of jobs around here because of it. owning the SG gives the homeowner's give my business credibility.


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## clearance (Mar 26, 2006)

treeminator said:


> i agree, a SG is way too expensive and i would rather go your route (employee, pick, and shovel), but i tend to win alot of jobs around here because of it. owning the SG gives the homeowner's give my business credibility.


Just joking about hand digging you are a tard


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## BlueRidgeMark (Mar 27, 2006)

TreeLady said:


> Sorry, this is totally off topic, but clearence is on to something...
> Why couldn't chipper manufacturers put a chip in a set of gloves, or visibility vest so that if that chip ever got close enough to the blades, the computer would cut the engine? I don't know, could that work? I don't want to hijack the thread...just wondering.




That was discussed at length on another thread. Some good points, pro and con, were mentioned.


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## BlueRidgeMark (Mar 27, 2006)

Nickrosis said:


> A chip in the brain would be good.



It could only help, in this case.


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