Do any of you use locking lug nuts on your trailer wheels and/or spare to prevent theft? If so have you ever had any issues removing them when needed? I park my truck and trailer at some remote places and I’m getting paranoid that I’ll come off the water one day and find my wheels missing.

I use them. Some of the areas I go to are also kind of remote and people will steal anything they can get their hands on that might be worth a buck. I only had to remove one once for a flat tire and it came off just as easy as the rest. I think some people may try to steal them in a busy lot, since most people just mind their own business and question nothing. Looks like just a guy changing a tire.

1 hour ago, Elkins45 said:

Do any of you use locking lug nuts on your trailer wheels and/or spare to prevent theft?

 

No.

• I lock my spare with a cable and lock.  I've never really thought about my trailer tires.  

I do not. Although I should. It’s left unattended for 5 days 2 states away while I work.

I use them on the truck because it came with them.  On the trailer it is a cable and pad lock for the spare.

I got locks for my truck and trailer, got some fairly nice rims for the trailer and would hate to see them gone. I keep my spare for the trailer in the bed of the truck, it has a hard cover.

I thought that was only a thing for expensive wheels or common car wheels that have a market demand, but boat trailer wheels?  Is this a thing? 

On 1/1/2026 at 11:17 AM, Junk Fisherman said:

• I lock my spare with a cable and lock.  I've never really thought about my trailer tires.  

Same.

 

Never really heard of trailer tires getting stolen.

 

I have heard of the trailer itself being stolen though and that thought is the stuff of nightmares. Coming back to the access without a trailer to put the boat on sounds like a logistical hellscape. I use locks on my coupler and hitch, but if someone really wanted to take my trailer and they had the right tools, they could do it. My hope is that they simply take someone else’s trailer instead that isn’t locked.

 

You don’t have to out run the bear. Just out run the other guy.

Lug nut locks won’t keep your tires/rims from being stolen. They are easily defeated. If a thief wants your tires, they’ll get them. I’ve taken them off for a couple of friends who lost the “key”. It takes less than 5 minutes to take one off. 

I got a flat, had the keyed lugged wheel nuts, no key for the lug nuts.  I was able to air it up, with my jumper pack/ compressor.  Drive a little while and re-air.  Pulled into a tire shop, explained my problem, he ask if I wanted to saved the keyed lug nut. I said “no”, he yelled to a kid. In a few minutes the kid handed me the keyed lugs nut. He used a hammer and chisel, I was amazed how fast he had them off.

I realized I had a false sense of security 

17 hours ago, looking45 said:

Lug nut locks won’t keep your tires/rims from being stolen. They are easily defeated. If a thief wants your tires, they’ll get them. I’ve taken them off for a couple of friends who lost the “key”. It takes less than 5 minutes to take one off. 

This is true, but most criminals look for the easiest target. If you have locks, they may just go to the next one who does not have locks. Criminals like fast and easy with minimal tools. You can never truly prevent someone if they are determined, but if you make it more difficult, you may just save your gear. I believe it is worth it in the right setting.

I know I guy with a nice ranger who was out on Lake Erie fishing that came back to the ramp at dark & some sob's stole his trailer. I never thought about that but it is fairly common in some areas. 

a 15/16th socket from harbor freight hammered on a tacoma wheel lock takes zero time.  a second wrench with a socket for the rest and I am done.

 

I had to rescue a friend that lost her key.    now I have huge sockets made for stripped nuts in lug nuts sizing..it would be cake.  

1 hour ago, rboat said:

This is true, but most criminals look for the easiest target. If you have locks, they may just go to the next one who does not have locks. Criminals like fast and easy with minimal tools. You can never truly prevent someone if they are determined, but if you make it more difficult, you may just save your gear. I believe it is worth it in the right setting.

I respectfully disagree. The guy who wants your tires isn’t going to pass because you have lug nut locks. They’re just as easy to remove as the plain lug nuts. 

I have a cheap lock on my mount system for my kayak spare but one good whack would break it I'm sure. It's all to keep honest people honest and even then, the spare isn't a brand new tire or anything, I couldn't imagine someone wanting to steal it. 

On 1/3/2026 at 11:54 AM, looking45 said:

I respectfully disagree. The guy who wants your tires isn’t going to pass because you have lug nut locks. They’re just as easy to remove as the plain lug nuts. 

 

I don't think he was specifically referring to the tires.  I think he may have been referencing theft in general, or the trailer itself.

 

I posted a comment about trailer theft even though the specific question at hand was about stolen trailer tires.

Got rid of my locking lug-nuts on truck. Took my truck in for service...service manager calls, asking where the key was...turns out it was in my garage...that was over an hour of drive time to solve that blunder. 

 

Do not use them on my trailer or spare. 

 

Had a trailer hitch locking pin set....lost the key...wacked it two times with a hammer and it easily broke. Ugh. 

It’s way easier and take less time to steal the whole trailer, and remove what they want at their leisure.

 If you really think about it, with all the cordless tools they have out now, thieves could strip you trailer in no time at all.

I have spent a lot of time in extremely remote places, to include reservations, etc... out West where meth and such were just everywhere and I mean, everywhere. Many of these sorts of locations have zero cell signal, etc... so if you ever had all your wheels stolen for example, you would be screwed, might even wind up murdered, it's sketchy... There is no such thing as law enforcement in much of these places, tweakers know this and act much much bolder... They happen to also be some of the most wild and scenic places you will find...

 

Fortunately, never had my stuff messed with "knock on wood", but there was a guy I used to fish the same waters as that had the best theft deterrent system I ever seen out there. He had a sleeper cap on the bed of his truck, couldn't see inside at all, but he seemingly would leave a porno on some sort of device inside the cap and left it on pretty loud, so all you would hear is people screwin if you were within 50' of the truck. Obviously the intent was to make thieves have no idea if someone was really in there, or not. I never saw the man in person, but I saw his rig probably 30 times one Summer as we would park at the same access points on rivers and was the only other human I ever encountered that Summer fishing these places. Took me a few times myself before I figured out what was actually going on LOL Always thought it was pretty genius, obviously if you parked somewhere less rural, may want to swap out the porn for something like a movie so kids didn't hear or whatever, but these places were as far away from civilization as one can be in the lower 48 so he must have figured the porn was a better option... 

 

Truly sad what that drug does to people...

Virtually every locking mechanism can be defeated as previously mentioned. The idea is to make it more inconvenient and require thieves to spend more time. I have a chain connected to the trailer frame which is anchored to the ground which is cemented in. One tire has a tire clamp lock and the coupler has 2 locks on it. I also have 2 cameras surveilling it. Again, it all can be defeated but I made in a PITA for any potential thieves. I should get wheel locks just to be sure.