Allotment locks

[John Ashby]

First up my apologies for jumping straight into a newsgroup without following Emily Postnews's recommendation to lurk for six weeks, then start gently.(And if you think six weeks is too long, lurk for twelve weeks.)

A few years ago my allotment association switched from a keyed padlock on the main gate to a combination one. These seem to last approximately

9 monthsbefore failing. Usually the bottom button release falls out and is lost in the long grass but the latest one decided that its shackle didn't need to be attached to the lock at either side.

We are a small site, about 30 plots, 50 plot holders so while a lock gets a significant amount of use I wouldn't think it's excessive.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a robust make of lock for this environment? Many Thanks

john

[The Natural Philosopher]

I dont. but a wider knowledge base on matters mechanical is now a cross post target

[Brian Gaff]

Locks only deter the vandal or casual person. Somebody really intent in getting in will come equipped, even though such short lives of locks sounds like they were crappy in the first place. Some of the Chubb padlocks are extremely sturdy, but its not of much use if undoing a few screws can bypass the lock. Brian

[Tricky Dicky]

I have used these on two side gates and have not been disappointed. They will require each member has a key

Richard

[RustyHinge]

Chub is quality. If a security device is made by Chubb, the lock component will be excellent and IME the rest well thought-out and sturdy.

The problem will then be what it's attached to, and how.

BTW, don't worry about 'jumping in', sometimes there are days in this group (uk.reg.gardening) with no post. It used to be very well populated.

[alan_m]

Isn't the problem with combination locks keeping the water out. Less of a problem in SE Essex where there is no rain for months on end :)

One solution is a chain of conventional padlocks. Instead of needing 40 identical keys you can, say, have 10 padlocks each with 4 identical keys. You have a chain around a gate and then a chain of padlocks where the shackles are interlinked to form a chain. Undo any one of the padlocks and the chain is undone.

A video explaining..

I've seen this system work well on an (unmanned) English Heritage site where the local community hold various events and there are multiple trusted key holders plus allowing access to EH maintenance crews etc. The main gates for any vehicle access have chains with around a dozen padlocks.

This allows for some more robust pad locks rather than the general run of micky mouse combination padlocks.

[Mike Humphrey]

The problem with that is someone re-locking the chain incorrectly can lock out the other keyholders. You can get bolts with multiple padlock slots, where removing any one of the padlocks allows access - here's a random example

Mike

[Andrew]

Badgers broke into our local allotments.

They just dug a tunnel under the fence.

Andrew

[Andrew]

Does Chubb still exist ?. I have a Chubb 5-lever mortice lock on my front door and that style of lock is no longer made because Union who own Chubb used to have an agreement with a ?US company which has lapsed.

I don't think any of the other rival 5-lever locks are an an exact fit into the hole for the Chubb lock.

[RustyHinge]

Evidently the fencers didn't know to bury a couple of feet of mesh on the outside of the fence

[The Natural Philosopher]

The great escape!

[The Natural Philosopher]

I think there is an exact copy made by Union

[The Natural Philosopher]

Evidently you don't know how deep badgers can dig

[RustyHinge]

Evidently you don't know I have been a gamekeeper.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Evidently you don't realise that that doesn't make you an expert in badger sett depths

Or badgers *entrances* are lower down the bank than that

[RustyHinge]

Since I've been acquainted with badgers since the 1950s I think I have a pretty good idea how to thwart them.

They don't have a lot of imagination. Gamekeepers have a bit more.

[Nick Maclaren]

Yes. They may have been taken over by Union, but I replaced my

30 year old mortice deadlock just this year, and it just slotted in.

Regards, Nick Maclaren.

[The Natural Philosopher]

That was the case for me a few years back . I need another one too.

[Vir Campestris]

I don't know about Badgers, but I do know about rabbits.

Although they can dig quite deep they are so thick that if you bury some netting _horizontally_ out from the fence they can't cope. They go up to the fence, dig down, then find the netting and give up.

If you dig a trench and put a couple of feet of wire _vertically_ they keep digging down until they get to the bottom.

Badgers probably aren't as thick but the same trick may well work.

Andy

[The Natural Philosopher]

Yes. We had a pet rabbit as children. It did exactly as you describe. It was always escaping, and one day it didn't come back. It was f****ng boring anyway.

But it did net me my first tetanus injection when it gouged a chunk out of my finger.

Olde Englishe Atacce Rabbitte