After very narrowly missing being broken into when 5 of my neighbours were, if someone offers you a silver CCM motocrosser or a blinged up black Mitsibushi Shogun or miscellaneous tools and clothing please just remove them from the gene pool.
Modus operandi by thiefs was bolt croppers though hasp staples, most doors are double wooden standard garage doors.
Discovered the security range from toolfix is laughably poor, the hasp from toolstation has about 20mm of slop in it even with large padlock.
Blacksmith has welded angle over the hasps to make entry by bolt cutter more difficult, with a top piece the staple is almost enclosed, which is a help.
Some of the doors are lined and have had deadlocks fitted between the doors, one side bolted.
Hinges have anti lift pins internally.
Thinking reinforcing hinges and timber side frame into surrounding brick with angle and rawlbolts.
SCO suggested one of best deterrents was simple shed alarm , things that make noises are apparently very thief unfriendly.
We have some shipping containers used for external storage. On these the padlock is enclosed in a steel box which is only open at the bottom. It's possible to get hands and a key into the box to undo the padlock, impossible to get bolt cutters onto the padlock.
Hasps and padlocks are easily cut through. When I've replaced them with flush locks I've had no problem. They do need to be flush - the ones that stick out from the door can be smashed off with a sledgehammer. Best is a cycling radio transmitter and a motor operated door (or whatever it's called).
I agree with fixing the frame into the brickwork but would spread the load using frame fixings every 9" instead of rawlbolts. eg:
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coach bolts right through the frame for the hinges and if you feel the frame could do with reinforcement then continuous 2mm steel strip inside and out (under the hinges), and bolted thorough resists it splintering our under force. You could get away with screwing the steel strip with 3" screws from either side but mash the screwdriver cross and def coach bolt the hinges.
You could back up the hinges by fixing a few links 8mm of chain between the frame and the inside of the door, just long enough to allow the door to open, again, bolt the fixings through. If the hinges are attacked then the chain will retain the door for a while. If you have followed the alarm route then a mag contact on the hinge side of the door will detect this and sound the alarm whilst the door is still secure.
I'm not a fan of deadlocks for large doors as I don't think the throw is enough to resist levering attack or simply pushing them in with a vehicle. Padlocks and hasps are tricky because anything decent is pricey and will still succumb to a sustained attack but would be my preferred option.
I have a heavy duty padbar with a 12mm staple:
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has bolt through fixings but needs a steel plate on the inside to spread the load and that isn't supplied.
Padlock is a proper close one with a 12mm bolt:
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1616.html It's a good lock but overpriced now, today I'd probably choose one like this:
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I'd probably use two, one at knee height, one at shoulder height.
A welded box surrounding the padlock is a good idea but it needs to be designed right, watch for it being used as a pry point to rip the whole lock out.
Then start reinforcing the door with steel strip or thin plate, or both.
Finally, I would def alarm the garage, with contacts by the hinges and in the middle and with a couple of solid state shock sensors on the frame to detect the beginning of an attack.
Have mig, just, and blacksmith on site who also just missed getting turned over, steel shop getting visit asap after holiday.
Chain again available from other occupants, fantastic idea thanks. Have basic alarm which may have put them off a bit, shock sensors sounds good.
Reasonably close to workshop from home , in extremis can probably get a sub 90 second reponse time.
CCTV also was of basic form, though got enough to be of help , will be somewhat different within next few days, found PIR triggering cameras much more reliable than video motion detection, handily even sub100quid DVR has alarm inputs make putting PIR in differntlocation from camera easy, pile of CAT5 baluns only the world cup will be better covered.
3.5K of PIR floodlights seemes to only help them see better with the boltcutters :-(
Its no a first line defence , but adds another jam especialy not advertsing the keyholes.
Nothing will sustain attack by angle grinder, point shown couple of times when keys have been lost or at one point somone got theri locks superglued, very darn oisy though, location in this case seems to mean thieves want to keep it quiet.
That looks more realsitic than the pathetic ` heavy duty` haps got from toolstation, took some of slop out by welding nut inside of staple.
Have couple of MOD surplus HD Squires, surplus offers so much better value.
As has been ground into me last couple of days if you think security is expensive, think of the alternative...
Up to three shielded hasps on door at mo, frame now looks like needs upgrading to match
Very good point.
One of the other units has full steel doors with container like lock hasps, thiefs didn`t even try.
Determined attacker will get through anything, thiefs playing `open the box` with lockups are looking for simple.
Alarm and CCTV now linked back to house and in line for somewhat of an upgrade.
Couple of years ago, few weeks before Xmas, I got an emergency call from a hairdressers supplies company on a local ind est.
Slime balls had prised the fire door at the rear open & nicked all the expensive hair straighteners & hair dryers. I reinforced the door with lots of building band fixed into the wall & bolted through the door.
A week later they came back - couldn't get the door open - so they took down a section of the rear wall.
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