Padlocks often difficult to open

Mar 12, 2022 Last reply: 4 years ago 33 Replies

At our allotment we are now on our second Yale Combination padlock. Its the very common one, Model Number Y160. Their behaviour is the same: just jamming up and only opening with a huge effort.



3in1 oil does not work. Can anything be done with them ?

Claims to be waterproof but really sounds like it isn't. £13 is pretty cheap, I guess it will be Chinese and not likely to be the best materials. I've found the Squire 4 dial padlocks at about twice the price to be pretty reliable.

I use keyed alike padlocks at our stables and so usually have a spare or two. If one goes sticky, I put in a spare and flush out rust/dirt with WD40 or similar and then submerge the lock in ordinary engine or gear oil for a few days, that usually gives them a new lease of life.

I have a magnificent bronze Yale keyed padlock on my workshop. This looked pretty old when I bought the house 33 years ago, and it still looks much the same. I don't think I've ever needed to lubricate it. (It gets wet when the wind is in the wrong direction).

Graphite in one of the little squeeze bottles works fine.

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Much better than oil because it doesn't attract dirt.

I bought some of that but soon went back to wd40

don't waste your money

Never use oil on padlocks. Graphite powder is the only possible lubricant.

I never went back to WD40 and kept using the graphite and it worked fine every time.

you must have more money than sense....

I think he's talking about the shackle rather than the lock. I've never got graphite to work on those.

Mmm should I trust a pukkagen locksmith who is not trying to sell graphite powder or a random know-it-all from the internet, decisions decisions.

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Oh and for the benefit of some others in the thread WD-40 IS NOT A LUBRICANT

For the benefit of some others in the thread, WD-40 is not ONLY a lubricant.

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"The tumblers also became very stiff to turn after exposure to the first rain shower and a few weeks later the combination setting disc mechanism jammed solid."

The reviews do not speak highly of the item.

Maybe even oil can't save it.

Paul

easy decision....

don't care what it is it works and has made my fan belt last 120,000 miles so far

Yip...special blend of lubricants doesn't rot rubber either ...

perhaps some know alls know better than you ....

While graphite alone is always recommended by locksmiths for that (very good) reason, in my experience it is fine in completely dry environments, but it doesn't work for padlocks that can get rained on.

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