Deadbolt on front door?

lornaschinske · 07-19-2011, 07:26 PM

Are you wanting to lock from the inside, the outside, or both? We have pretty much decided to use a garage door handle but I'm not sure I want a locking one. I tried to get another key made for my daughters shed and it had a garage door handle/lock. It seems the keys are "different" and the hardware store I when to said they never had good luck making copies of keys for them. The key I had made simply wouldn't work. So our idea is to use the three-point garage door handle with a deadbolt of some sort. Still working on it. Locking from the inside isn't the difficulty. It's locking it from the outside.

Stuff · 07-19-2011, 07:30 PM

ive seen these used. just take the chain off the slider and bolt through the door.

Diesel Dan · 07-20-2011, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moshart

Quote:

Originally Posted by lornaschinske

Locking from the inside isn't the difficulty. It's locking it from the outside.

Yep, our issue too. We have to come up with something soon as we'll start putting stuff inside and don't want to chance anything coming up missing.

I don't know about y'all, but my bus door has an external release lever that allows people to open the door from the outside even if I have it completely closed. I use a spring clip to clamp the release to the lever on the inside so it cannot be opened. I also use a spring clip on the inside of my wheelchair door latch to keep it from moving. I suppose it would be within the realm of possibility to overcome the pressure of the spring, but they would have to be able to see how the lock was being restrained and then think of using an extension bar to apply enough leverage to exert that much pressure. In terms of external locking, I used a hasp with a built-in combination lock. So far, that has worked out pretty well. You can see it in my conversion thread on page 13.

lornaschinske · 07-20-2011, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel Dan

... I don't know about y'all, but my bus door has an external release lever that allows people to open the door from the outside even if I have it completely closed...

We turned our two piece door into a one piece door. There was no exterior lever on it. There were a couple of big eye bolts that you could slide a padlock thru. We rarely lock our door on the Class C while in campgrounds. We lock up at night when wallydocking. And we travel with the door locked. I do want to be able to lock the bus when we leave it.

One piece Door...

kc_4_jc · 07-20-2011, 05:58 PM

I think I got a pretty good setup, even thought The BOV is still a work in progress, it locks up pretty tight.

First I have a split door. I took the door loose from one side and flipped it over. This way the support bar is lower and gave me a place to put the lock:

I used a garage door lock for both the front and back door. I found matching serial numbers by going to a few Home Depots, so that the keys for the front and back would match. I then riveted in a piece of plate, that I will weld in soon.

Continue on next post...

kc_4_jc · 07-20-2011, 06:01 PM

On the inside the lock looks like this:

The back door was even easier:

Works great!

Hope this helps!

KC

Stuff · 07-20-2011, 06:28 PM

those deadbolts look great!!

lornaschinske · 07-20-2011, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moshart

... Its the exact same kind we have on our back door as well...

So there goes the back door lock!

lornaschinske · 08-01-2011, 10:04 AM

We have decided to go with this one for the rear emergency door
First Watch White Commercial/Residential Privacy Deadbolt

And we found some hardware made for storm doors that will work for the front door. David decided he didn't want to mortise a lock into a metal door so we are going with the surface mount one at Lowes... (Home Depot had a similar one... I had to do a search for "door latch" in order to find it online.

WRIGHT PRODUCTS Satin Nickel Brighton Latch

lornaschinske · 08-01-2011, 09:18 PM

They are in stock at the Los Lunas Lowes. Amazing since this Lowes (and the Home Depot next door) are both poorly stocked.

Diesel Dan · 08-02-2011, 10:56 AM

The rear door of my bus had a barrel slide bolt installed inside the bus already when I got it. That seems like a very simple and easy solution. I can't think of why I would need to lock or unlock the back door from the outside. The first lock Lorna shows is an elegant solution for the rear door that several skoolies have used; and if I needed access from the outside, I'd probably go that route as well.

TygerCub · 03-17-2012, 04:47 PM

I'm coming in late to this thread, but think it's important to keep information consistent for folks searching for specific subjects...

I'm happy to report that a deadbolt will work as a door lock on a bi-fold door.

It may take some struggling to get it to work, but the end results are well worth the fight.

TygerCub · 03-20-2012, 07:37 PM

I pretty much figure locks are merely deterrents for honest people. A real thief will find a way into the bus if they really wish to get inside. But this will slow them down enough to satisfy me. I may do something better later. Not sure what "better" may be... but something.

lornaschinske · 03-20-2012, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TygerCub

I pretty much figure locks are merely deterrents for honest people. A real thief will find a way into the bus if they really wish to get inside. But this will slow them down enough to satisfy me. I may do something better later. Not sure what "better" may be... but something.

Most thieves are looking for easy pickings. The more deterrents like visible locks, signs that say you have an alarm system (even if you don't), hiding your pricey/desirable toys, exterior lights and/or a motion light ( you can get solar powered motion lights) all go a long way to deterring thieves and lights are very handy when you walk up to your bus in the dark. I figure that we look "poor" enough that a thief will figure we have nothing. Another thing you need to remember... it's no ones business how much money you make or have on hand. You don't tell ANYONE if you carry a gun on board. You never know who you are talking to or who they are talking to. I know a lot of you are very proud of your conversions but you need to play it down to strangers. So don't discuss things like that in front of strangers. Also the big front windshield allows folks walking by a good view all the way to the back of your bus at night when the lights are on. I have noticed that many of the fancy RVs tend to have curtains left open with every light inside on. I say they are showing off their stuff (kinda like the fools who have the TV in the bay that they turn on and then go inside for hours while the TV blares away.). I have also seen some very embarrassing things walking around a campground in the evening (my dog used to require walks around the campground three times a day so she could keep up with any new dogs that may have snuck in). There's a lot of safety in privacy. Just use a little common sense. Look at your setup thru the eyes of an opportunistic thief. And lock your fuel tanks. Diesel fuel can be used in a home heating oil furnace. I want to place a sticker on my fuel tank hatch that says "Waste Vegetable Oil Only". Keep cash, etc in a "secret" place.. not under your mattress or in the freezer. Since we build our buses from scratch, it should be easy (or not so hard) to build a hidey hole into the bus someplace. A 4 hour fireproof/water proof safe can be hidden behind a fake panel to hold valuables and important personal papers. Some of those magnetic "kid proof" locks would make a panel that is securely locked from a casual search but still accessible for you (put the "keys" in a different location). Toe kicks have a few inches of available hiding space... use your imagination.

TygerCub · 03-21-2012, 04:56 PM

Ya know... I saw those solar motion-sensitive lights at HF the other day and thought that would be great to go INSIDE the bus. Never thought about outside. But that really is a good idea. Thanks.

And I know what you mean about windows being wide open! When I was a very young girl, I was getting ready for bed upstairs when I heard my grandmother start fussing at someone outside. I went downstairs to see what was going on and she was chasing some perv from the sidewalk. I had no idea he could see me standing in the middle of my room on the second floor from the sidewalk! It really scared me. I have NEVER left a window without a curtain or privacy film again!

I will figure out a second way to secure the front door before I travel. But for now I'm happy with the deadbolt.

Accordion · 03-21-2012, 08:01 PM

As far as security goes, I must say that I have never been concerned with intruders. I do not lock my doors. I have not locked them in thirty years, even when I lived in Los Angeles.

You may ask why am I not worried. I will tell you that I have always had big dogs. My dog, Abby, was a doberman. My present dogs are around 60 lbs each. They will NOT let a stranger into my vehicle when I am not in it. I have seen them double team a strange dog who got close to the bus door. It was a scary thing.

chev49 · 03-21-2012, 08:05 PM

always good to have one's dog and shotgun handy...

TygerCub · 03-21-2012, 08:25 PM

True. And Daphne will be with me this summer. But I don't want to leave her in the bus alone. I want her to come with me as I wander the tourist areas.
What do you do with your dogs when you can not take them with you? Do you have AC running from a generator?

Accordion · 03-22-2012, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TygerCub

True. And Daphne will be with me this summer. But I don't want to leave her in the bus alone. I want her to come with me as I wander the tourist areas.
What do you do with your dogs when you can not take them with you? Do you have AC running from a generator?

My bus is plugged into a 30 amp circuit in the barn that I am parked next to. I have air conditioning and heat. I use oil filled electric heaters and propane catalytic heaters.

There have been places that I have lived where it did not get too hot, so I just left the windows open. My present dogs do enjoy being in the bus.

lornaschinske · 03-22-2012, 10:30 AM

When we were fulltiming in Chattanooga, David sold home security systems in TN, GA, & AL. We learned a lot about home security. The wireless security system we have is similar to what he sold. One of the things folks always said was they had a gun and/or a dog. David always told them the security system (monitored) would protect when folks weren't home (gun doesn't do much good if your aren't there to use it) and as for the dogs... The local thieves liked to put poison in raw meat and feed it to the dogs. Then they would walk right past the dogs. The more remote locations meant they save the price of the meat and simply shot the dog. I could never figure out which was better for the dog. David had many call backs after the family pet was killed during a robbery. I think the worst was the junk yard owner who gave the gun & "trained" dogs excuses. He called David back and got a system. He told David the thieves waited until he left one day and shot all of his dogs in the head. He had three or four. This was in Alabama and his neighbours were a long ways off. They didn't think nothing of it because they thought it was him shooting snakes or rats.

My last dog could sleep right thru a home invasion unless they were trying to take the bed she was sleeping in. But I could unwrap a slice of cheese in a closed up house with the AC running and she could hear it 300 ft away (in the back yard) and want "her" slice. None of our dogs was what I would call a watch dog. Spoiled rotten lazy furkids but not a watch dog.

A good lock will deter a lot of thieves. Let them go steal from someone else.

We lock our doors. We've been robbed three times by folks in our neighbourhood (once in SC, twice in TN). But not in a campground. Although in Chattanooga, some folks who were camping behind us lost their tag over a weekend (rotten weekenders).

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