Padlock Examples
I had a conversation a while ago about padlocks and the use of a set of Irons or the Saw to go about defeating them. It came down to me justifying the need to be able to defeat padlocks with a set of Irons or a Power Saw. Bolt cutters are great but cannot be used in all situations and on all locks. There are plenty of readily available locks on the market that will not be defeated by bolt cutters, not to mention put a nice half moon in the cutting tips. This also brings up issues of access to these types of locks and where they are found. They are not just found on the gates or rollup doors on our buildings, padlocks are a very common way that people add extra security to their homes and businesses. When a fire comes in we typically have our irons or possibly a power saw, the bolt cutters are more than likely going to be found back on the Truck, so unless our locks are found on the gated entrance of the fire ground, running back to grab the bolt cutters may not be the fastest, most efficient and professional way to defeat our locks.
This post was not intended to be about defeating these types of locks, but more as an example of numerous ways they can be used to lock up. Most of these pictures were taken within a block or two of walking around in our neighborhood, it is not hard to find. Are you prepared to handle all the types of padlocks that our on the market?
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Tags: padlocks
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IRONSandLADDERS.com 
11/17/2011 at 7:27 pm
Hey Ryan. Nice. I agree, I dont feel that bolt cutters are going to be there in your hand when you need them and my experience has shown that they dont really work that great anyway! …or maybe I should say that is limited to the ones we carry on my department. I actually burnt threw 3 separate pairs here in one week trying cut some VERY easy locks… I was surprised as much as anybody! The other thing youre right about that you touched on is that they may not fit where you need them to! Tight spots and odd shaped entry handles/hardware are not condusive to a set of two foot long(or longer) handles trying to move apart at close to a 120 degree angle. To me this falls into the same argument catergory as “just take hinges”, “use a saw” and “grab the framing square”… They all have a time and place, but most of the time I find myself standing right there and now with a set of irons…. Oh, and a radio…”Tell the probie to bring the bolt cutters, would’ya?”….
11/18/2011 at 9:47 am
Ryan-
Are you guys making use of the Duck Bill at all down there? I know they are quite effective, but not carried by many companies these days. In addition, they can easily fall into the same category with the bolt cutters of sitting on the rig. Just curious?
On a side note, when it comes to thru-the- lock on aluminum stile doors… many of these doors have the exterior door handle placed around the lock, not allowing room for the Rex tool to be placed on the lock. Do you have a preferred method for removing the handle to gain access to the lock?
11/19/2011 at 3:50 pm
Ben, we do carry a duckbill on T8, like you say however it is rarely carried and has to be thought of before you leave the truck to go to work. I could see it if we are going to those storage units and someone was thinking ahead. As far as the thru-the-lock question, I agree many of those aluminum stile doors have the handle around the lock. The great part of the rex tool is it’s ability to still pull those locks even with the handle around. However I know of handles and different kinds of guards out there that would block the Rex tool, in that case for me I would move to Plan B. Gap and cut the deadlatch. Some of those handles are hard enough to remove that it would be more time efficient to move on to Plan B anyways. Thanks for the interest Ben.
12/01/2011 at 3:46 am
Certain locks like the Sargent Greenleaf 831 and 833 models will not respond to any normal method of entry. They have shroud guards, 5/8″ shackles and are made to prevent cutting by power saws etc. Plan B would be more efficient. The 833 is also designed against torch and nitrogen attacks. It is a military grade lock but, it has found its way into the civilian market along with similar designs.