I have an aluminum ladder stand that I bought some time ago that I want to secure in the woods with a hardened steel government surplus security chain. 1/4" or 3/8". I had one stolen from me before as I thought if I left it out only one night in the boondocks it would be alright. I left the tree when it was dark and came back in the morning when it was dark! Needless to say I learned something especially not to be a moron again.
What lock would be hardest to break. Someone recommended a hidden shackle padlock but I don't know if it would be compatible with a 1/4" or 3/8" chain.
Try to consider vandalism also. We frequently had issue with someone taking a small sharpened stick, forcing it into the keyhole, and breaking it off.
On a cable around a tree, to hold a gate, we loosened 2 bolts and could take it to the shop to work on it.
10 feet up, not able to take it apart, a jammed lock would be a problem.
Went to a cheap Master Lock padlock. No issues in over 10 years. And it still works! Every few years it gets a couple drops of oil from a dipstick, But it's been fine out there.
Parents who say they have good kids..Usually don't!
By locking the thing you are really only deterring casual thieves. Someone who happens by it and just takes that opportunity to grab a stand. For that, virtually any chain and lock that can’t be twisted apart by hand or broken with a rock will work.
People who are setting out to steal stands will more likely be carrying lock picks/rakes/shims than bolt cutters. The latter are lighter, easier to conceal, just as quick if not quicker, and a lot less conspicuous to use. Trying to find a lock that can resist an attack like that is a waste of resources.
A guy can spend $10 on a rake and 15 minutes practicing while watching a YouTube video, and be able to open a literally bulletproof Abloy padlock in 10 seconds.
I left the tree when it was dark and came back in the morning when it was dark! Needless to say I learned something especially not to be a moron again.
That's just sorry. I hate thieves, litterbugs and poachers.
By locking the thing you are really only deterring casual thieves. Someone who happens by it and just takes that opportunity to grab a stand. For that, virtually any chain and lock that can’t be twisted apart by hand or broken with a rock will work.
I agree. Years ago we had a barn/outbuilding broken into by someone who broke the lock by beating on it. My Dad was a welder and his solution was to fab a heavy metal box over the lock to protect it from future attacks and weld it to the metal door. The box was so small that it was hard to get the dang thing open with a key.......and wasps loved to nest inside the box. But, no one got in for years until an enterprising and patient thief got a small enough bolt cutter or whatever up in it to cut the lock. I really don't know exactly how he made it happen.
Afterwards I was all pissed off and thinking like the OP about getting the mostest baddest assed lock around. Then I realized that the little barn was made of sheet metal and a guy with a cordless drill/impact or heck a socket wrench if he wanted to be quiet could just unscrew the fastners, take a sheet off, walk in and get all the small items he wanted.
I went back to the same kind of lock the thieves cut. Locks are only gonna stop crack and meth heads looking for a quick score......a lot better than nothing but its mighty hard to stop a determined thief.
"Men must be governed by God or they will be ruled by tyrants". --- William Penn
Some of the bicycle locks and chains are pretty good supposedly. Bicycle theft is huge in the cities what with a high end bike going for multiple thousands of dollars. So there is a lot of "field testing" done.
I have an aluminum ladder stand that I bought some time ago that I want to secure in the woods with a hardened steel government surplus security chain. 1/4" or 3/8". I had one stolen from me before as I thought if I left it out only one night in the boondocks it would be alright. I left the tree when it was dark and came back in the morning when it was dark! Needless to say I learned something especially not to be a moron again.
What lock would be hardest to break. Someone recommended a hidden shackle padlock but I don't know if it would be compatible with a 1/4" or 3/8" chain.
Any advice much appreciated...Thanks, Tree
This guy knows a thing or two about locks
You didn't use logic or reason to get into this opinion, I cannot use logic or reason to get you out of it.
You cannot over estimate the unimportance of nearly everything. John Maxwell
