How a Shed Equipment Anchor will help you to secure the contents of your wooden shed

The main purpose of most garden or storage sheds is protect the contents against the weather and also to protect the contents from being taken by unwanted intruders.

1. Why do I need to lock my shed if the contents are insured?

Insurance companies have varying requirements. WMy home insurance policy for example, has a a clause that says 'All doors on domestic outbuildings must be secured with key operated security devices.' So having a lock on the door sounds a good idea.

But also that I am liable for the first £350 of any claim. And each bike is only insured up to £350.

So even though I am covered by insurance and comply with the requirements of the policy by keeping the shed locked I still have quite an incentive to keep the contents of my shed secure.

Shed Equipment Anchor Price: £11.95 (UK Only) Shed Equipment Anchor used with a D lock to secure a bike

Securing the contents of a wooden shed can be a bit tricky

The most secure method is to bolt some form of metal loop to a concrete base and then pass a length of chain through the loop and the equipment you don't want taken. This is fine if your shed is built on a concrete slab and you don't mind cutting a hole in your timber floor.

This article shows you how to secure items in a wooden shed that doesn't have a concrete base by using a piece of hardware called a Shed Equipment Anchor.

A Shed Equipment Anchor is secured to the sheds wooden frame

2. What exactly is a Shed Equipment Anchor?

The main component is a robust 5mm thick folded steel bracket that is fixed through the timber frame and cladding of the shed.

Instead of using bolts or screws which can be relatively easily undone the bracket is fixed with dome head bolts and shear nuts

The components of a Shed Equipment Anchor, comprising folded 5mm steel plate, dome head bolt and shear nuts

What are the advantages of using dome head bolts and shear nuts?

Using a dome head bolt means that a spanner can't be used to undo the anchorage point. Ever tried to undo a dome head bolt?

But what is a shear nut?

A shear nut is a type of nut developed for security applications. The shear nut comprises, a circular section which tapers to a narrow neck and a part that looks like a normal hexagon nut.

The shear nut is installed on the end of the bolt in the same way as any normal nut. It is then tightened up with a spanner until the narrow neck of material twists off in shear. That is why it is called a shear nut! ;-)

The nut has been designed to come off at a designed amount of force. This means that the nut will be tight and the remaining dome shaped nut is very difficult to take off.

So let's pull all these components together and see how the complete anchorage point works

3. How to install a Shed Equipment Anchor?

Your choices for where to install the anchor point are a bit limited, being the uprights of the shed frame. For an 8' long shed there may only be 3 possible locations. The height of the anchor point will be a decision and I would recommend making as low to the ground as possible.

Also decide what parts of your equipment you will be securing. For a bike it is best to pass the chain through the main part of the bike frame and also through the front wheel as these are easily removable. For a lawnmower passing the chain through an element of the equipment that is difficult to unbolt will make life more difficult for potential thieves than just through the handle.

How to install your shed anchor point

To get a quick overview of how to install an anchor point watch the following video

The anchor uses 10mm bolts so use a 10mm drill to create the holes. Mark the hole locations on the outside of the building using the anchor point itself to get the correct spacing. Check that your drill bit is long enough to drill through the cladding of the building and the frame member.

Hold the anchor point up to the outside of the shed and mark on the centreline of the two bolt holes

Insert the dome head bolts into the holes you drilled

Tap the bolts home so that the so that the square neck is in contact with the outside of the building

Close-up showing how far you can insert the bolts. As you tighten the bolt the square neck will pull into the wood, this will stop the bolt turning

View of bolts inside the shed, ready to place the anchor

Place the anchor point over the protruding lengths of bolt with washers on each bolt. The washers make it easier for you to turn the shear nut and break off the hex head

Thread the shear nuts on to the bolts finger tight

You will need a fair bit of force to snap off the head of the shear nut. Be careful, as you increase the force as the nut will snap suddenly, it is very easy to skin your knuckles

View of the dome head bolt from the outside after the nut has sheared off. You will hear some loudish creaking as you tighten the nut and the bolt head pulls into the cladding. Have confidence in the system and the bolt head will snap off correctly!

View of anchor points with the heads off the shear nuts

The anchor point in use with a D lock securing the bike frame to the shed wall

What else do you need to know about making the contents of your shed secure?

Now you have a good secure anchor inside the shed you will need to decide what to use to secure your belongings.

The main choice is whether to use a chain, cable or D lock

Chain, cable or D lock?

This type of anchorage is an appropriate level of security to the wooden shed surrounding it. So if you are considering a super-high security chain to secure a valuable item then an intruder might just choose another route to take your equipment. Such as cutting a huge hole in the side of the shed!

Most quality D locks and chains with links of 10mm diameter or more will be suitable as they are time consuming and difficult to cut. Thinner cable locks are less secure but if you have a cable of 7mm diameter that is generally pretty secure.

Is this a high security product

No. It is an appropriate strength product to the level of security of a wooden shed. It will add an extra level of inconvenience and difficulty to the casual or opportunist thief looking to take advantage of a situation.

The most secure sheds are made of metal or brick and if you have many high value bikes, chainsaws, garden equipment etc. that is likely to go missing then a shed of this type is recommended.

But if you have a standard British shed and live in a normal neighborhood the Shed Equipment Anchor will mean that most opportunist thieves will see the deterrent and move on to somewhere else.

How to get your Shed Equipment Anchor

I supply these brackets to help visitors to this site make their sheds more secure. You can get your Shed Equipment Bracket using the Add to Cart button below. And I will get your hardware in the post to you on the same day I receive your order.

Shed Equipment Anchor Price: £11.95 (UK Only) The components of a Shed Equipment Anchor