I brought my 12' tilt bed trailer down to the dealer I bought it from to put a heavier axel on it. When he finished they put it in the back lot and was stolen that night. He won't turn it in to his insurance because is rates will go up. And is only offering me $1000 for my loss. It will cost me right at $2000 to replace it. I told him that wasn't right and he said he wasn't taking it all in the shorts and needed to cut his loss.
I haven't accepted anything yet, not sure what to do.

Apparently it's pretty easy to just go down to his lot at night and pick out the one you want.

A 2000 dollar trailer will make his rate go up? He probably has a higher deductible than that. Think I'd tell him I was going to bad mouth him to everyone I know if he doesn't make it right. He took your trailer and was responsible for it till you picked it up.

Might be a great scam for him report it to the police and get a report, did you have it insured if so claim the loss and let the insurance companies fight it out.

Suggest to him that you intend to file a police report saying you left it with him and now he won't return it therefore he must have stolen it. That should get things moving in the right direction.

Make sure a police report has been made even if you have to initiate it and send them to the dealer. Unless you signed something that lets him off the hook, he was responsible for your trailer when it was stolen. He is a dealer and he can replace it via insurance or out of his pocket...his choice. I would not accept less than replacement with a comparable value trailer. Replacing it out of pocket at his wholesale cost might be the best route for him.

And sounds like this is not the first time this has happened so he already knows his security lacking.

Perfect for Small Claims Court
OR
some TV stations have a "Wants to Know" or "Consumer Report" department where they try to get the "vendor" to do right on your behalf.

Meet the Sheriff down there to generate a report . You will need it for further action and the owner may not like the heat and hopefully will do the right thing

He called the police and reported it stolen. That's as far as it went. This has happened to him before so I think he knows how to play the game.

Also, he does not sell tilt beds any more. I did find one an hr north of me that's the same as what I had.

So he says. Can you get a copy of police report ? Can you prove the value ? Take him to court

I would ask politely but firmly for replacement of trailer of equal or greater value. If no satisfaction, small claims. Here it is twenty five bucks to file and one hundred for a subpoena. Very easy and no lawyer needed. If he had possession of the trailer when it was stolen it's on him. Go to your local library and ask a librarian to show you their law section. Look up a term called "Bailee". It describes the responsibility of a business or a person that takes possession of your personal property and then either loses it or it is stolen from them. A police report is essential. I am not a lawyer but
perhaps one of the members that is a lawyer will chime in. Hope your luck gets better.

You could sleep at night if you would have placed Insurance on that $2000 trailer you so lost. Period

I'd go to the police department and explain that the missing trailer is yours and he shop owner wont make good on it. Explain that you would like a copy of the police report to take to your insurance company. Then, I would take the guy to court and ask your insurance company what they would recommend that you do. If he is claiming it and not reimbursing you then its fraud and the insurance companies don't like fraud, whether its against them or another firm.

According to the OP he didn't loose it. He took it to the DEALER he bought it from. While it was in the possession of the DEALER it was stolen. If you took your personal vehicle to a dealership for repairs would you feel like you needed comprehensive auto insurance just in case the DEALER sold it or it was stolen or someone crashed another vehicle into it. Sounds to me like you believe the children's saying
Losers weepers Finders keepers. The grown-up world dose not work that way.

Im not sure if this fits here but in Illinois if something has its own title it has to be insured separately. Example. I was using a boat that my buddy had. We had a huge storm blow through and a limb ended up in the middle of his boat. My insurance would not pay for it since a boat and trailer have their own title and should carry their own insurance. Being this guy runs a business Im not sure how it plays out .

YOU make a police report, your property was stolen. Call your home owners insurance, if it is not covered under your homeowners policy ask for advice (does a business have to post or tell you who their insurance company is?) If you can find out who his insurance company is you can make it hot for him. Call your auto insurance and ask for advice. Call the local judges office and ask for advice, you'd be surprised how much a judges secretary knows. Call your states attorney generals office, they can point you towards any law covering this situation. Pull threads and make notes, follow the tracks and you'll find the perfect location for the set. Lastly, hire a lawyer, sue the crook and make sure to get compensation for all legal costs and your time in this.
Make notes, when you took it in, when you discovered it was stolen, when, where and who you spoke to, what was said. Be calm, clear and factual when talking to folks, always remember it's not personal to them, just business. Conduct it as such, just business. This guy is blowing smoke, handle this with intelligence and he'll quickly find you've lite the fire.

That is unfortunate that your trailer was stolen. Most dealerships have you sign a waiver saying they are not responsible for stolen items. Honestly having your own insurance is the only way to "insure" your own property from criminals. I'm betting that small claims will find for the business owner. I hate thieves.

The longer you wait to even file a report to your insurance or get one from the police, the harder it will be to get anything.

Just because you file in small claims court and win, does not mean they will pay, you will be responsible for bird dogging him at your expense. He can stall for years and your still out costs.

The best thing you can do is to advertise your situation in your local area and guilt him into settling for anything.

Insurance for trailers at a certain age is useless really the insurance prorates the life of the policy, you could possibly see less than he may be offering.

Now my funny/mean side has kicked in. Give us your name and the name of the owner of the dealership along with the phone number.
The year and model of the trailer. Cell phones are great, no long distance charges. Can you imagine a post 'Call this butt head, he ripped off one of our brothers'? "Hello, ABC trailer, how may I direct your call?" "Good morning, could you connect me with Mr.Doe please?" "This is John Doe, how can I help you?" "Morning Mr Doe, I was just calling to ask why you ripped off my buddy Ralph on that 2016 12 foot tilt trailer he brought in for repairs?" 12 calls later....... Mr Doe to secretary "don't put anymore calls thru unless I know them" 36 calls later..... Mr Doe, this is getting out of hand....... 3 days of us and $2000 is gonna look cheap. I've got 11 hours per days to ring their phone, anyone else feel mean enough to do it once a day? Just fun and games at a sleazoids expense.