immobilizing a Water Buffalo

[pwrwagonfire]

Kind of a strange question for you guys. My fire district has to take a water buffalo out to a wildlife area, and leave it filled with water. It will be out there for the summer, but not permenantly.

What can we do to immobilize this thing? Of course we are going to chain it to a large millstone, however this place is REALLY out in the boonies...and a place where youths like to cause havoc.


Any ideas appreciated.

 

[davesgmc]

Take the wheels off it

 

[nkawtg]

Encase the valves/plumbing, ensure they can't disable or empty it.

Strange question back........is that enough water to make a big difference? I guess every bit helps.....but.....

 

[ABN173]

Take the wheels off it

That was my first thought, but I assume it's out there for a reason and might be required to be moved at short notice to react to fire or provide drinking water to workers? If so you could run heavy chain through the pintle ring and chain it up to tree with a heavy padlock.

Of course it could still be stolen or messed with, heck if kids found it they would probably just mess with valves and let all the water then what use would it be?

 

[bubba_got_you]

brake ite legs?.....wait wrong Water Buffalo lol

 

[armytruck63]

Hire some old coot to live next to it in a travel trailer. Make sure the coot has a shotgun and ammo.

 

[gunboy1656]

Take the lunette off.

 

[zout]

Mine the parimeter - clamore's come to mind - as you have no generator there on site electicution is not an option.

Booby traps and a pit with some very sharp stakes in the bottom so they cannot be heard screaming and can rest peacibly while they recolect they have done something VERY STUPID.

Other than that - I cannot think of anything postiive

 

[jimm1009]

Wrapping a chain through the lunette ring to make it inaffective for hooking to a pintle hook is good but they could always drag it a little ways or just damage it badly by hooking to the safety chains.
I would also wrap a chain through one wheel and go to the frame with it.
A full or partially full water tank and a wheel that will not rotate will make it impossible to move more than a few feet unless it were parked on ice or snow.
If you use matching locks (keyed a like) it can take about 30 to 60 seconds for an authorized member to unlock and make it towable.

Actually hooking it to the truck is always fun but that is not part of this thread.
Nothing can be made completely theft proof but that should sure discourage most people.

As suggested above, are the metal covers for the valves lockable?
If not they could be modified pretty easily and the two or three more matching locks can be applied. Combination locks are always good too as no one actually needs to find a key and there is no problem with making enough keys
for all involved.

jimm1009

 

[CatMan]

Trailer Immobilizer

Here is a fabricated item that installs into the lunette eye. It has a plate on top with a shaft welded in. There is a matching plate that slides up from the underside and a large padock secures it.

Cat Man

 

[BKubu]

Put a sign on it that says "this property belongs to the XXX (govt entity). It is a federal /state offense, punishable by a fine of $X,XXX and/or 2 years in jail, to willfully damage this property." I know for a fact that such signs have worked on my parents property in upstate NY. Sure, it won't deter every scumbag, but it will deter the guys on the edges. If you take the wheels off, what is stopping them from dumping the tank or damaging the valves? Heck, they could take a pick to the tank! Most people will be deterred by the threat of punishment. I recognize this won't work for all a-holes...but it will work for most.

 

[BKubu]

I should add that there is a tower on my parent's property that facilitates communications between first responders. My parent's were approached by the State of NY to rent an acre to them indefinitely to house a communications tower. As such, they have posted my parent's entire property since the thought is if they will mess with my parent's property, they will mess with the tower on it!

 

[whiskey yankee]

bzzt

Mine the parimeter - clamore's come to mind - as you have no generator there on site electicution is not an option.

Really big capacitors, trickle charged off solar. Or maybe charge the caps up in town and haul them out there charged?

Back to reality, you could build a loading-dock sized platform out of concrete and rebar, and the only way it would be mobile is if you backed a deuce up to your loading dock and dragged the unit into your bed. Now you have a deuce that wants to roll over, though. Maybe build another one 5 feet away with a ramp?

Do you have a picture? I googled "water buffalo" and I can't imagine you're talking about <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landing_Vehicle_Tracked#Variants>this</a>, are you?

WY

 

[pwrwagonfire]

Encase the valves/plumbing, ensure they can't disable or empty it.

Strange question back........is that enough water to make a big difference? I guess every bit helps.....but.....

We frequently do prescribed burns out in the area in question with a local professor (who is about 64). He comes back on his way home from work to triple check for smokes, and the poor guy has to travel about 5 miles to get to a hose to fill his Indian can from if he finds one....so in this case- yes.

This one is 600 gallons FYI...

 

[pwrwagonfire]

Many interesting suggestions! haha appreciate it guys.

The point is to keep it movable without much hassle, I was thinking of a chain (obviously), or a long iron bar through the wheels....thought that their may be some bolt to remove to make it difficult to move. I really like hiring an old guy with a trailer, there are actually several on them in the area!

The thing being drained isn't really a huge deal, we can always go an fill it up every time we are back to burn which was the idea...this is more of a convenience thing for him AND for the few students that help him out

Here is a picture by the way...

 

[KRaiskio]

Would it be possible to drop the safety chains through the lunette ring and lock them together. Be 1 lock to undo to tow and couldnt drag w the chains. That and as previously mentioned covers for the valves.

 

[KsM715]

I dont see good things in the future for that water tank. No matter how you imobile you make it, it will get vandalized.

 

[Ferroequinologist]

I'd put a few 55 gallon drums on stands out there and leave it at that. Drums is cheap. Or even a 275gallon tote.

 

[pwrwagonfire]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys! Appreciate it.

I tend to lean on the err of caution of most of you recommend...but it is really funny, our 546 was out there for 5 months last year in a very VERY accessible area, and nobody touched it!

Luck of the draw I guess!

 

[CARNAC]

Would it be possible to drop the safety chains through the lunette ring and lock them together. Be 1 lock to undo to tow and couldnt drag w the chains. That and as previously mentioned covers for the valves.

That's how we always did it.

My only hope is you don't have the idiot that practices firing commands out there with their bullet launcher

Gunner
sabot
tank
12 o'clock
100 meters
FIRE!

Some folks can be real idiots.