GPS tracking for JCBs and construction machines: stop theft, bill real working hours
Machines on site sit idle every night, and a backhoe can be loaded onto a trailer in minutes. Here’s how a hidden tracker protects them and tells you exactly how many hours each one worked.
Why construction machines go missing, or work for someone else
Backhoe loaders, cranes and excavators spend every night parked on open sites. They don’t have to be driven away to be stolen: a machine can be loaded onto a trailer and moved with the engine off.
The other common loss is quieter. A machine is used for a private job after hours, or its hours are reported higher or lower than they really were. Without a record, it’s your word against someone else’s.
Step 1: fit the tracker out of sight
LYRA Site is a small wired tracker. Any auto electrician fits it inside the cab, behind a panel, and connects it to the machine’s battery. It works on both 12 V and 24 V machines and never needs charging.
If you want to stop a machine from your phone (step 4), add the engine-cut relay to your order and have it fitted at the same time. Choose 12 V or 24 V to match the machine’s battery.
Tip: Check the battery label before ordering the relay: most heavy machines run on 24 V, but not all.
Step 2: know the moment a parked machine moves
Draw your site or yard on the map once. You get a “zone out” alert the moment a machine leaves it. When work stops for the day, tap Safe Parking: if the machine moves, the app raises the alarm straight away.
Because the tracker is wired in, it also alerts you when the machine moves with the ignition off, which is what happens when it’s loaded onto a trailer, and when someone cuts the tracker’s power.
- Site geofence: zone in and zone out alerts
- Safe Parking: alarm if a parked machine moves
- Towing detection: moving with the ignition off
- Power-cut tamper alert
- Ignition ON / OFF alerts, so you know who starts work when
Step 3: bill and plan by real working hours
Every machine’s ignition-on time is recorded day by day. Open Working Hours on the LYRA web dashboard to see each machine side by side for any date range, so you can bill hire hours accurately and plan service at the right time.
Spot the machines doing all the work, and the ones standing idle that could be moved to another site.
Step 4: stop misuse from your phone
If a machine is being used without permission, send Engine Cut from the LYRA app. The engine won’t start on its next ignition attempt. This needs the relay fitted during installation. Use it only when it’s safe to do so.
See how much ground was covered
For levelling and grading work, Area Worked on the web dashboard turns each machine’s GPS track and its working width into square feet covered that day. Set the machine’s working width once for an accurate figure, or ask us to set it for you.
Quick checklist
- Order LYRA Site (add the 12 V or 24 V relay if you want engine cut)
- Have it fitted inside the cab, wired to the battery
- Draw your site and yard as geofences
- Turn on Safe Parking when work stops
- Check Working Hours on the web dashboard before billing
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