Removing fuse to prevent theft when parked

[marjoa]

So now that we're FTing and leaving our MH parked sometimes all day unattended, I want to take some precautions from having it stolen. I've read many posts concerning kill switches, battery disconnects, ignition wiring tricks and the like. I'd like to do something less complicated if possible, so I'm NOT asking for security options here.

What I am asking, is I'd like to simply pull the "Fuel pump motor, Fuel injectors 20Amp fuse" which is located in the engine compartment fuse box. But, I read in my 2012 Chassis Owners Guide the following:
- WARNING: Always disconnect the battery before servicing high current fuses.
- WARNING: To reduce risk of electrical shock, always replace the cover to the power distribution box before reconnecting the battery or refilling fluid reservoirs.

Are they asking me to disconnect the battery for my own personal safety in case I was to touch both terminals and get shocked while handling these fuses OR is this warning because of possible damage to the PCM, items hooked up to this circuit like the Fuel Pump Motor & Injectors or other electronic components?

The reason I'm asking this is I've never heard of disconnecting the battery first when you just want to pull a fuse or put one in. Now maybe if you don't disconnect the battery, when you reinsert the fuse maybe it would send a jolt of power to the Fuel pump motor and Fuel injectors and cause damage there. I don't know. I'm a little weak when it comes to electrical things that's why I'd like some feedback on this.

But I DON'T like disconnecting the battery for many reasons that I won't go into in this post.

So my question is:
What are your thoughts on pulling this 20A fuse as a security step WITHOUT disconnecting the battery? Yes, No, Risky or possibly XYZ could happen and so on.

[chuckftboy]

As long as the ignition is off, pulling the fuse will not cause an issue.

[schrist]

You hit the nail on the head with a jolt of power could possibly do damage although its not very common. But wiring in a kill switch is not very hard. It would cost about 20 dollars from O'Reilly auto parts. And if you splice it into the feed wire to you distributor you could hide the switch any place.

[Old-Biscuit]

JUST curious WHERE in the heck are you parking that thief of MH is that HIGH RISK???

[SuperGewl]

Yeah if you that worried about it being stole then just wire in a kill switch thru the ignition and place the switch on the dash someplace and put a label on it as something else that has to be set prior to the engine firing up.
Personally I would just add a cell phone transmitter that would send you a signal if the engine is started and it would also send GPS data so it could be tracked. But that's just me

[thedjjack]

I think the manual is talking about 120Volt fuses?

12volt DC 20amp fuse ain't going to kill you or even shock ya...

Pull fuel pump fuse or injector fuse should shut it down....

[marjoa]

Quote:
You hit the nail on the head with a jolt of power could possibly do damage although its not very common. But wiring in a kill switch is not very hard. It would cost about 20 dollars from O'Reilly auto parts. And if you splice it into the feed wire to you distributor you could hide the switch any place.

My MH doesn’t have a distributor

Quote:
Personally I would just add a cell phone transmitter that would send you a signal if the engine is started and it would also send GPS data so it could be tracked. But that's just me.

That doesn’t prevent theft. That just allows me to find it after it’s been destroyed.

Quote:
I think the manual is talking about 120Volt fuses?
12volt DC 20amp fuse ain't going to kill you or even shock ya...
Pull fuel pump fuse or injector fuse should shut it down....

No, this warning was right in the beginning of the section in the manual where it talks about all the locations and functions of the 12V fuses in the engine compartment

Quote:
JUST curious WHERE in the heck are you parking that thief of MH is that HIGH RISK???

Well for starters, I guess it could be any of these “HIGH RISK AREAS”
http://www.9news.com/news/crime/3-rv...-lot/329431908
https://lebanonusa.com/2017/03/17/th...rv-was-stolen/
http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/ind...?topic=68433.0
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1122637644444172/
http://www.live5news.com/story/31868...-stolen-camper

[Waiter21]

You can buy those fuse bypass switches for your toad, buy one for your MH, Pull the IGN or Fuel pump fuse and wire the switch in place.

Something like this:

https://accessories.lazydays.com/blu...saAqP5EALw_wcB

..

[Murf2u]

Originally Posted by marjoa

So now that we're FTing and leaving our MH parked sometimes all day unattended, I want to take some precautions from having it stolen. I've read many posts concerning kill switches, battery disconnects, ignition wiring tricks and the like. I'd like to do something less complicated if possible, so I'm NOT asking for security options here.

A cousin of mine is a CHP officer, he tells me that the vast majority of motorhome thefts are committed with a heavy tow truck.

If anyone asks, including LEO's, they just say they're towing it in for repair.

An experienced pair of guys have it gone in minutes......

[hohenwald48]

I gotta believe this whole thread is a solution looking for a problem. I've been doing this for over 15 years. I just lock the door and go on. I doubt I've locked my compartments more than twice in that time. I've never talked to anyone who has had a problem with anything being stolen. Much less the whole motorhome.

Only theft I've ever heard about was at a beach front site. My neighbor had a Yeti and an Igloo cooler sitting outside. Someone stole his Igloo in the middle of the night. It had the beer in it. They didn't touch the Yeti. Probably kids prowling the beach late at night.

[TexasTom]

Originally Posted by hohenwald48

I gotta believe this whole thread is a solution looking for a problem. I've been doing this for over 15 years. I just lock the door and go on. I doubt I've locked my compartments more than twice in that time. I've never talked to anyone who has had a problem with anything being stolen. Much less the whole motorhome.

Only theft I've ever heard about was at a beach front site. My neighbor had a Yeti and an Igloo cooler sitting outside. Someone stole his Igloo in the middle of the night. It had the beer in it. They didn't touch the Yeti. Probably kids prowling the beach late at night.

Consider yourself lucky. There are others that have had dissimilar experiences that wish they had been a part of this conversation.

[Sunny1]

Maybe a simple and less complicated option would be to attach a boot to a rear tire. That would prevent someone from driving it off, and a crew with a tow truck would have to try and remove it so possibly look for an easier target (I'm guessing here). A google search revealed several boot products for trucks and rvs.

[Oldkarphart]

Originally Posted by TexasTom

Consider yourself lucky. There are others that have had dissimilar experiences that wish they had been a part of this conversation.

Your Right, They'll Never steal it until they Do!!

[Craig36]

If having both locks shut is not enough security, why not install a cheap motion detecting alarm. They make these stand alone units for houses, most with key fobs to arm and disarm. If a screaming alarm does not scare them off, it will alert your neighbors.

Total investment less than $100