Drilling a Container Lock

[Mark 5]

I only have myself to blame for this.

More in an emergency I attached what I knew was a crap container lock to one of my container units.

I have not been back in over a year and of course went to open it and the lock has seized, the pins inside.

Lock is attached behind the containers lockbox so can't get to it with a grinder without cutting through lockbox and I don't want to do that.

I can keep trying with the key and lube but don't hold out much hope so need a plan B, drill the lock.

However will drilling the lock keyway release the lock pin/bolt??

What side of the keyway should I drill, I think a 1/4 inch drill would do it as lock is mainly all soft metal/not hardened?

Middle image is the attached position of an identical lock

 

[Monkey Harris]

Would heating it up free it.?

 

[Shedendman]

Cobalt drill bits i thing the M42's are the hardest

 

[jmp49]

Normally you drill down the shear line to drill out the pins that stop the barrel turning as without these restricting movement it should rotate freely, so the outermost part of the turning section of the lock barrel itself, opposite the edge the flat bit of the key fits in. Normally the drill bit nudges the pins out the way as it drills in, so sometimes you have to prod them a bit, or drill oversize and tap it so they dont jam the lock.
But your real problem is you dont know which bit of the mechanism is seized, I'm guessing youve tried flooding it with wd40 for quite a few sessions and jiggling it about, that usually gets all but the worst offenders so maybe there's hope yet. My usual problem is I dont even have a key so your one ahead there knowing your key is good, maybe drilling them out will unseize the stuck pin and it will open then with the key

If that fails the next stage could be to drill into the body to defeat the shackle plunger mechanism instead, or release the spring that keeps the tension on the plunger so it cant be bumped easily, normally there's hardened elements inside to stop this, but its a cheap lock as you say, they might have left these bits out. Sometimes you can get a shim down the shackle if the tolerances are bad, and use it to push the lock plungers back against the spring tension, and it just pops open, but I bet you dont have access to the shackle to try this because of the lock box...
Knowing how a container lock works will helps you plan a attack, so does this help?

 

[arther dailey]

easiest way surely is cut face out off lock box and cut lock , re weld lock box.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Or cut the door pin off to get it open...then attack it from behind maybe...but would need enough room for a reciprocating saw I guess.

 

[voipio]

Does the locking pin (clevis pin / shackle pin) turn? If so, the chances are that this pin is not stuck.

WD40 might not be the best thing for this istuation. Better would be to use a penetrating oil.

 

[Pete.]

Get a very lightweight sds combination hammer/drill and a blunt sds chisel. Put the chisel on the lock body and give it a bloody good rattle. Chances are it'll break up the corrosion and let you turn the key.

 

[Mark 5]

Thanks for the replies so far.

I can not get to the lock body as most of it is covered by the lock box.

As I see it my viable options are to continue with key and penetrating lube/graphite powder and hope I get lucky or drill the keyway.

The locking pin/shackle itself still turns freely, it's the pins inside the key cylinder that have seized.

@Pete., can't get to lock body but will rattle the key way thanks.

If I have to drill I will use a 10mm cobalt bit and hope the size will destroy/clear all the pins.

My 2 question are,

In doing the above what side of the keyway do I drill to get to/hit the keyway pins?

Once pins are drilled out, will the lock shackle/bolt then release/drop?

 

[Dozzer]

Go and have a look on the lockpicking lawyer on youtube, hes got lots of vids on how the locks work and their vulnerabilities. vid 192 has the original one and the cheap Chinese copy.
Few times i have drilled a lock out, use a small drill and dont go to deep, work out length of key engagement and drill the same depth, dont go to deep or you could remove the lock drive pin ask me how i now .
Found you have to drill it a few times and tap to get all the pins out, then you may get an awkward little bugger of a spring that will stop the barrel turning.
Just time and patience.

This might help.

 

[winchman]

In my limited lock drilling experience the issue I came across was the place I needed to drill have a few very hard pins inserted at 90 degrees to the place I needed to drill so this caused the drill to wander.
I would give it a rattle with the SDS and try lube again

 

[Divingdad]

Just ask the ‘caravan club members’ who removed our allotment container locks and removed 4k of kit

 

[brightspark]

heat it up give it a few bats then penetrating oil

 

[Erie Fred]

I wonder if the pin would burn with oxy ?
Might be stainless.

 

[Monkey Harris]

heat it up give it a few bats then penetrating oil

I would too

easiest option first..

 

[Danez]

get some plus gas up in there

 

[Mark 5]

I wonder if the pin would burn with oxy ?
Might be stainless.

The only thing " stainless " with the lock is the word etched on it, other then that it's all soft metal including the shackle/bolt.

The lock look impressive, other then that, cheap crap and the keyway pins have seized.

I'll give it some heat, a rattle and lube, keep trying with the key, if that fails, drill.

 

[jmp49]

If you have access to a decent pick (ie something a bit stronger than the traditional hair/paper clip...) , you might work the pins individually and see if you can free off the stuck one. Or if its stiff but you can manage to nudge it out the way and it jams in the unlocked position, same result.

 

[julianf]

If the key is turning, id have thought drilling it will make a grand total of "zero" difference.

It's not that area of the mechanism thats stuffed.

 

[Mark 5]

If the key is turning, id have thought drilling it will make a grand total of "zero" difference.

It's not that area of the mechanism thats stuffed.

The key isn't turning, if it did my thread wouldn't exist.

The keyway pins, some/all have seized, I can insert key but it won't turn.