Thread: Ideas Securing Your Tombstones From Theft?

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I'm looking for some ideas, because my original thoughts arn't yet confirmed as my final plans. Basically, I'm going to be securing my new tombstones to the ground with screw hooks and 8' nails on each corner.

I'm concerned about theft though as we all should be. Why create tombstones for weeks on end if you risk the possibility of them getting stolen?

So my original thought was to put some other sort of screw hook in the center of the wood platform it sits on, then run a sorta thick chain or galvinized steal cable from that to my umbrella tree and wrap it around. I wanted to incorporate small pad locks with a key too.

I guess thats where I'm stuck. If I buy this steal line (which is cheap $7 for 100 feet) compared to by the linear foot at 55 cents...then how do I secure it to the tombstone, or even around the tree with the padlock? I scoured around lowes for some ideas on the hardware I may need but came up empty.

Here is my initial idea, but have to implement it still.


Any other ideas?

I built the fence shown in this tutorial.

Graveyard Fence

I also have motion lights mounted on a 2x4 painted black. Used a post hole digger and stuck it in the ground behind my setup. Thinking about connecting a buzzer to it.

And a decoy camera from wall mart.

Hopefully this will deter any theft.

Make friends with local law enforcement. The sheriff's office is happy to add patrols in my neighborhood this time of year.

USE i bolts or give the stones a wood spine & drill thru that to pass the cable .. they have eye loop kits to put at the end ot the steel wire to help secure that ...

All said & done if a kid wants it all he has to do is grab his dads bolt-cutters and come back ninja style...

but at least it wont be a lazy kid steeling our stuff LOL

edit--
or better yet, form your pic.. id say take pix of the kids as they come by & tell them to pick up photos next week with the props photoshoped in hehe

I can use an eye bolt or eye screw I guess, then feed the wire through it and tie it, but who's to say someone won't just like untie it? I was looking for a way to almost secure the wire to the stone somehow. Using this product for example:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_62931-37672-...vanized%2Bwire


Although maybe I'll just follow something similiar to this thread
Tombstone Anchoring

drill a holl, put the cable end in the hole and glue+greatstuff the hole so its secure. Then run the line to the tree or whatever.

All our tombstones have PVC pipe inside and we pound in a 3' piece of rebar and place the stone over the rebar. Then I drill 2 small holes next to each other through the back of the stone and into the pvc pipe. Then I screw in a drywall screw into each hole. The drywall screws jam themselves against the rebar and it is impossible to get the stone off without pulling the rebar out of the ground. I have had many tombstones stolen but I don't think I have ever lost one that was secured this way. The thieves are usually kids and they just want to "snatch and grab" - if it doesn't come off immediately they are going to go somewhere else.

Isn't it sad that we have to come up with all these idea's! I had multiple Items some large stolen from me last year, and like you said I spent weeks making them and in 10 seconds there gone. This year I am trying to get about 90% of my grave yard surronded with pvc fence, so If someone wants to rip me off agiain they have to come in a certain way. Which hopefully will have some motion lights and working cams focused on those area's. Last years stuff was caught on my house cctv system, but it was quick action.
Good luck with securing the stones. You could use little u clamps which are made for the steel cable to make loops, but fastening to the foam is the problem. I've been kicking it around in my heads as well.
Good luck

land mines.....

I anchored mine with wire fishing leaders and put a personal alarm on each.
Tombstone Anchoring

I also branded them to hopefully aid in their return if they are blown away or stolen
Brand your props for anti-theft easy ID recovery

I was wondering the same thing! There has been a lot of theft in my area for the first time (probably because of the economy...) and I was wondering what to do about it... One thing I was thinking about was using the rebar & PVC idea and just taking in the stones at night/during the day - they just slide off so its not that hard to take in/out..