Theft-deterrence device for machinery and method of use

A method of deterring theft and misuse of machinery comprising controls that include a joystick located on a nonhorizontal surface and configured for operating the machinery, the method comprising:

• installing a theft-deterrence device on the machinery, the installing step comprising passing the joystick through an opening into an interior cavity of an enclosure of the theft-deterrence device so that the interior cavity encloses at least a portion of the joystick sufficient to prevent operation of the joystick;
• and then
• locking the theft-deterrence device to the machinery with a locking device that comprises a shackle that passes through a through-hole of the theft-deterrence device, the locking device preventing removal of the joystick from the enclosure;
• wherein the theft-deterrence device comprises an arm having at least first, second and third arm portions, the first arm portion is permanently attached to the enclosure, the third arm portion comprises the through-hole, and the second arm portion joins the first and third arm portions, and the third arm portion is closer to a second end of the enclosure than to a first end of the enclosure, the second arm portion is not parallel to a longitudinal axis of the enclosure so as to orient the longitudinal axis of the enclosure about normal to the nonhorizontal surface of the machinery.