Baggage door locks

etep571190 · 05-26-2011, 02:22 PM

Has anyone replaced the baggage door locks/latches? Im looking for something better. Ive seen a bunch online but I don't know if they are any better than the ones the factory put in.

Lady Fitzgerald · 05-26-2011, 06:20 PM

While it would be more expensive than online, going to a locksmith would let you see that the replacement locks would be better than the originals. Just make sure the keys aren't the infamous CH-751 since everyone and their dog has one (really, the dogs hide them in their mouths and have been trained to use them).

All seriousness aside, I like the barrel locks (the ones that take a cylindrical key). There has been a lot of flack on the internet about using Bic pen barrels to open them but that applies to only to older, cheap versions like on bicycle locks. The good ones are still harder to pick than single bitted (or even double bitted) cylinder locks.

Most crooks won't bother to pick a lock anyway, preferring to just break in (especially since most crooks don't really have lock picking skills). A regular cylinder lock is easy to pop open by putting a large screwdriver in the keyhole and twisting it with a wrench or by using a screw in slide hammer puller in the keyhole. Cruder but just as effective (albeit noisier) is to just punch the lock with a large drift and hammer. Barrel locks are pretty much immune to all except punching (and even punching is harder and noisier) but they are only as good as the door they are locking.

The problem I've seen with most RV hatches is the doors aren't very sturdy. Larger ones have only one locking latch on one side and the other side have just an unlockable turn latch. Healthy crooks could probably just wrench open those doors with their bare hands. At the very least, both side of the doors should have locking latches. Reinforcing the door somehow and using heavier latch parts, including a steel strike plate, would also help.

The toolbox doors on the side of the shell on my pickup are steel and have a sturdy, T-handle latch in the middle of each door. The T-handle swings a heavy plate down to lock the door at the center and also extends a 5/16" steel rod on each side to further secure the door on each side. The lock itself only keeps the T-handle from rotating (I also replaced the original single bitted cylinder locks with barrel locks). A wrench on the T-handle would only twist it off. Even with a long crowbar, a crook (actually, I have better names than crook but Mama told me not to use them) would have one heck of a time prying the door open. Such a mechanism for a RV hatch would be expensive and a pain to install, but it is a thought.

Terry · 05-26-2011, 07:02 PM

I have been thinking of something like this -- http://www.amazon.com/Combi-Cam-7850...d=BEAPRF5SEOXR

Wonder if they are any good?

Lady Fitzgerald · 05-26-2011, 08:38 PM

Since you can set your own combination, you wouldn't have to worry about someone having a duplicate key. The tapered shoulder would make using a pipe wrench or pliers to twist the lock off difficult at best. However, I would be concerned about how well the lock wheels would hold up in weather. They would also be tough to use in low light.

etep571190 · 05-26-2011, 09:59 PM

The problem I have is that they just don't work well and are hard to unlock. Some days the wife cant even get them open. Security is not my biggest concern. I just want them to function well and be able to lock.

Terry · 05-26-2011, 10:15 PM

Honestly I am not that worried about security or someone taking a wrench to them - if someone wants in my key locks, a screwdriver will pop them off so I figure I am no better or worse. Not sure about the weather --- I know I have used combo locks before that had the same system and they worked fine outdoors.

I do see what you are saying about low light. Not sure if they stop at 0 so you could turn them and do them in the dark.

I just want something that is easy to use and works well. I hate when I am outside and need to get in and have to go hunt down they key - that is why these are so attractive.

What I really want is a mod a saw --- and I cant find it. Someone took off the locks all together and used locking solenoids. He just flipped a switch and they all unlocked at once.

Lady Fitzgerald · 05-27-2011, 12:49 AM

Try googling electric lock, electronic lock, or electric cam lock. Most of what I saw must have been pretty precious, going by the price.

Seann45 · 05-27-2011, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tafische

I have been thinking of something like this -- http://www.amazon.com/Combi-Cam-7850...d=BEAPRF5SEOXR

Wonder if they are any good?

I changed all my locks except the outside shower before the trailer left the dealership.. but really on an RV locks only keep honest people honest..

Those Cambi locks shown I would be concerned about road grit getting inside them and making it so you could not spin the lock...

SmokerBill · 05-27-2011, 01:17 PM

I just modified my locks. Took apart the original cam locks that came with the trailer, then reconfigured the order of the pins (same order on all the locks). Put them back together, and took one to a locksmith to make a pair of keys to match the new pin configuration.

So mine are unique, and it only cost me about $7.50 for the new keys.

The shower compartment lock is different, so I left it as 751.

David472 · 05-27-2011, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by etep571190

The problem I have is that they just don't work well and are hard to unlock. Some days the wife cant even get them open. Security is not my biggest concern. I just want them to function well and be able to lock.

The method I use when opening the locks, is to push on the door, then turn the key. By pushing on the door, you compress the rubber seal and relieve pressure on the latch, making it easier to turn.

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