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We have a gas thief

SCOUT5
Hadn't dealt with stuff like this for quite awhile.

A few days ago I moved my truck and noticed the gas gauge read empty, below the empty mark actually. The thought of someone stealing the gas crossed my mind, I thought I had fuel in it. But I had let my 13 year old son drive it around on the property and thought maybe he had ran it dry and maybe it hadn't had as much fuel in it as I thought. I haven't been driving much lately and probably haven't had it on the road in a couple of months, so we could have just ran it out.

I got home about 4 this afternoon and noticed the fuel door was open. When I walked up I seen the gas cap was hanging out. Okay, I have a gas thief. I know the fuel feed has an anti-theft barrier, so they must have used an awful small line to get to it. I'm not for sure when they did it, I didn't notice it this morning when I left, but I may have just not noticed and it was after dark last night when I got home.

I've called the neighbors that live right around me to let them know to be on the look out. I asked if they knew of any one that had moved in close to us with teenage or or young adult kids (the usual age for gas thieves). Told them we needed to let folks know that we know so maybe it would stop before they get around to stealing other things.

I could mount a motion camera in a lock box. Or maybe put something nasty and smelly on the cap. What about a spring loaded notice hid behind the fuel door?
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Comments

18 comments

Date Votes
  • Old-Colts
    If you have floodlights and depending on their proximity to your vehicles, you might consider something like a Ring Floodlight Camera (wired) to replace a nearby floodlight! They interface with your Wi-Fi and are activated by motion and record activity (video) and alert you through an app on your cellphone or your PC.
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  • bustedknee
    I used my backhoe to dig a new grave beside where I parked my Jeep.
    The fuel loss stopped.

    I finally filled it in....with just dirt.

    And my missing tow chains came home.
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  • wpageabc
    Get a blink security system. Wireless and effective...
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  • montanajoe
    • Community moderator
    Damm thief. :x :x :x
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  • tomh.
    Timing or patience would have to be perfect, but....
    Nothing says "don't do that" quite like a shot gun being racked.
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  • Marc1301
    Run a nice long length of fuse from a hidden location heading to your source of fuel loss. Catch the perp in action, light 'er up and watch the fun!
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  • DEEREHART
    When my little brother had his first house it was not in the best neighbor hood.... He had a ford courier with dual tanks.
    Locking gas cap on the front standard cap on the rear with the fuel water sugar mix.
    Fuel theft stopped in the neighbor hood. :D
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  • Mobuck
    We had a serious gas theft problem until the hoodlums up the road from our north farm switched to diesel pickups. Then they started stealing diesel fuel. They had quite a system rigged up, too. An electric fuel pump with a suction line they just stuck in a tractor's fuel tank and sit playing on their phones for 15-20 minutes while the fuel was transferred. Then one dark night they didn't double check (SOME gas farm tractors are still in use)and pumped 20-30 gallon of gasoline into their pickup's fuel tank.They didn't even make it home before the injector pump seized leaving the vehicle sitting along the road. When the farmer discovered the theft, he called the Sheriff who drove past the stalled pickup on his was to the location. Tire track evidence at the field entrance matched tires on the stranded pickup and the connection was made. BUSTED!!! Unfortunately, not enough was stolen to make it more than a misdemeanor but one of the hoodlums was on parole and he went back to the slammer for another year.
    Buy a cheap trail camera an set it in a spot where the thieves will get caught on candid camera.
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  • grdad45
    Styrofoam will dissolve in gasoline, just saying. :D We had a gas thief at our hunting camp who would take the 5 gallon cans. We put a can with Styrofoam out where it could be easily seen, and sure enough, it disappeared. The camp is right on a lake, so we figured the gas was used in a boat. No more thefts lately. I hope they had a LONG way to paddle!! An outboard mechanic said the motor would probably run, but when it cooled off, would likely lock up.
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  • Ditch-Runner
    flip side and not especially proud of of "friends back then as a very young fellow, I met some local kids who used the rubber credit card ( 4 foot section of garden hose ) to keep there cars running .
    local bowling ally's ( there was two in town ) or the skate ring was there choice shopping area lots of cars , and the people were normally busy and not likely to come out soon . that was 45+ years ago .
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  • SCOUT5
    I wonder what they are using. A few years ago I was bush hogging on a friend's farm and needed a couple of gallons of gas to finish up. Not wanting to drive to town right then I decided to siphon a couple of gallons out of my truck. I found a coil of fuel line in the barn, about 3/8-1/2" outside diameter. I cut a length and tried. I couldn't get the line into the tank. Looked like to much work to disconnect the feed tube, so I ended up running to town for some fuel.

    My gas thief must know something I don't.
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  • gearheaddad
    Lay a sheet of plywood next to the truck by the fuel cap.
    After another theft, add a dozen or so 6 penny nails. pointy/ouchy end up! ;) :x :x
    A drop or 3 of fox urine on the cap is also never a bad thought......
    Good luck!
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  • asphalt cowboy
    DEEREHART wrote:
    When my little brother had his first house it was not in the best neighbor hood.... He had a ford courier with dual tanks.
    Locking gas cap on the front standard cap on the rear with the fuel water sugar mix.
    Fuel theft stopped in the neighbor hood. :D

    Had the same situation once. Knew it was punk in the next apartment, but couldn't catch him at it.
    Scrounged up an old jerry can, patched the leaks, and filled it with gas and two pounds of sugar. Secured it in the back of the pickup with 1/4" chain and a cheap padlock. Didn't take long :D , and about three days after that he's askin' me if I knew how to clean sugar outa' his fuel system. He just Knew someone had put sugar in his tank.
    The look on his face was priceless when I told him "You must think I'm stupid".
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  • spasmcreek
    i ran 6 irrigation engines with diesel fuel tanks.... one spring i thot i was short in one tank so after that i had a tank rigged on pickup that could push and pull so i emptied tanks after the last run....one neighbor serviced his irrigation engine in the spring and fired the engine up and it ran for 5 minutes...he was short 1000 gallons....1/2 mile from his house
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  • 11b6r
    Sugar does not mess up an engine as much as Clorox in gasoline.
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  • KenK/84Bravo
    11b6r wrote:
    Sugar does not mess up an engine as much as Clorox in gasoline.


    Good to know. (Mental notes made.)
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  • SCOUT5
    11b6r wrote:
    Sugar does not mess up an engine as much as Clorox in gasoline.

    How much clorox?
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  • US Military Guy
    SCOUT5 wrote:
    11b6r wrote:
    Sugar does not mess up an engine as much as Clorox in gasoline.

    How much clorox?

    Clorox might be less expensive than gas.

    Just add a little gasoline into your Clorox.

    You know, just enough to give it that "gas" smell.
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