Ravelco - Heavy Equipment Page

In 2011, only 19 percent of the heavy equipment stolen was recovered. That compares with a 57 percent recovery rate for all other motor vehicles. There were more Backhoes, Bobcats, Bulldozers, Cranes and Front End Loaders stolen in 2011 according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Heavy Equipment is being stolen and taken across the borders to other countries where our insurance companies will not even bother look for them . . . and who pays for this? You do when your insurance costs sky rocket!

Insurance companies are getting to the point that they don't even want to insure heavy equipment any longer because it is so easy to steal. Some national surveys have suggested that the total figure could be as much as $2 billion each year in losses and indirect costs, such as rentals, downtime, wasted management time and project overrun penalties. Perhaps the most worrying statistic for owners and insurers is that as little as 19 percent of stolen heavy equipment are ever recovered.

Why do thieves steal Heavy Equipment ?

The answer is simple. The reward for the thief far outweighs the risk taken. Heavy equipment often has little physical machine or site security, is valuable and is easy to sell. The low recovery rate is a clear indication of the low risk for a thief. If an item is recovered, an arrest may not be made. Where an arrest is made, a conviction may not be secured. Even where a conviction is secured, the penalty is likely to be light.

What makes it so easy to steal Heavy Equipment?

The first problem in equipment recovery is the time lapse from theft to theft discovery. A car theft will be discovered hours, if not minutes, after the crime. A Heavy Equipment theft on a Friday night might not be discovered until Monday morning. Equipment owners with larger fleets or multi-site operations may not discover the theft for days, weeks or, in some cases, months. This gives the thief a ‘window’ of opportunity when any investigation by law enforcement will not find a theft report. This is a particular problem because suspicious activity such as moving equipment at a strange time of day or on ill-suited transport is most likely to occur during this ‘window’. The gap between autos and equipment widens further when the availability of data is considered.

Some very interesting stories from our big rig and heavy equipment customers . . .

"THANK YOU RAVELCO, We had all our tractors, backhoes and grease trucks fitted with your Ravelco system. Returning to work this morning we notice our front entrance service gate knocked completely down. Upon further investigation, we sadly learned that almost our entire fleet was damaged in some way trying to start and steal our vehicles. Thank God we had your Ravelco systems in all of our newer vehicles. Great Product." - August 2011, David Lee, Baytown Texas

"A few days after Christmas 2010, we brought two dozers and a backhoe to our ranch in George West, Texas. For the last 26 years we have always spent New Year's there to do a little hunting and to cut some roads in the brush. This year was a little different though, while we were in the main house sleeping one of our dozers was loaded up on a flatbed and taken to Mexico. WHILE WE WERE THERE! Thankfully, we had a Ravelco system on the other dozer and back hoe because they were the newer. We did not think someone would want a 23 year old Caterpillar Track Dozer. They tried for the newer equipment first but the Ravelco saved it! We feel bad about the loss of our old work horse because my son grew up driving that at our ranch. I guess some one is enjoying it now in Mexico. Thank you Ravelco, and as you know you are already scheduled to come out and install the Ravelco in the rest of our fleet early in February 2011." - John Blocker, Sugar Land, Texas

"Thanks to the Ravelco, for saving our three Bobcats and two CASE 580L front end loaders (backhoes). Having a rental company for the last nine years we have had all kinds of equipment stolen. In can honestly say that in the past year (since we installed the Ravelco) not one vehicle has been stolen from a jobsite. I am sure your Ravelco system has stopped the thefts." - D. S. Starchy, Dallas, Texas

"Thank you Ravelco for the wonderful product you make. I have to be honest, when your salesman came to visit us I was very leery about purchasing anything to keep our front end loader/backhoes from getting ripped off. Since I have been in the rental business we have had at least 11 stolen. I have been in this business for nearly 30 years and every single anti theft item we purchased was compromised and beaten in one way or another. Last Friday at 4 AM in the morning I received a call from the police saying that my companies fence was torn down. Half dressed I rushed to my business. As I arrived I was happy to see that all 3 of our newly purchased 580 Loader Backhoe's were still there. Their instrument panels key sockets were ripped out but thanks to your Ravelco they were still in our yard and not stolen and on their way to Mexico! I will be your best salesman now! What's my commission? Ha Ha" - Raoul Espinosa - San Antonio, Texas