replacing keys

[Jebby14]

Hey everyone. My new to me TT is with my local shade tree mechanic getting a once over. It appears the keys (which I have not been able to make another set of since I got it) have gone missing. What is the best way to go about getting keys for it (its a 24 year old prowler) so this could be a pita. Lucky the deadbolt is unlocked but the other lock is locked as is the storage cabinets. Would a dealer have keys or am I looking at a locksmith molding keys or drilling our the locks?

[mike_mck]

Jebby14 wrote:
Hey everyone. My new to me TT is with my local shade tree mechanic getting a once over. It appears the keys (which I have not been able to make another set of since I got it) have gone missing. What is the best way to go about getting keys for it (its a 24 year old prowler) so this could be a pita. Lucky the deadbolt is unlocked but the other lock is locked as is the storage cabinets. Would a dealer have keys or am I looking at a locksmith molding keys or drilling our the locks?

Key is probably a CH751 I believe.
Stop in any RV store. They can make them for a couple bucks apiece.

Don't ask me how I know :{)

[Bumpyroad]

ralphnjoann wrote:
I carry spare keys in this.

neat but $50 and not much value for a TT.
just crawl under with some electricians tape and extra key. tape it to a wire, pipe, etc. I taped a key under the hood of a car once, you could open the hood from the outside, by taping it in with a bunch of wiring where it was not noticable. years later, I had sold this car to my boss and he locked the key in it ( with car running) all day at work. when he discovered his error I remembered that key and sure enough it was still where I had put it years earlier.
bumpy

[ralphnjoann]

I carry spare keys in this.

[Wishbone51]

I keep my TT keys on my regular daily driver keychain. 😉

[Jebby14]

will deffinitly have a few spares made. the only reason I havnt is I just bought the trailer and was having my mechanic get it road worthy for me.

[Jim_Shoe]

A little late for your problem, but I carry spare keys for my MH in the Toad, and spare keys for the Toad in the MH.
A good locksmith can open it, but it takes time and money. While you're paying him, have him make spares for the above sets.

[Bumpyroad]

toss one of those two extras you had made into your TV someplace. will always be available when needed.
bumpy

[Jebby14]

got um. apparently someone at the shop was being helpful and put them in the wheel chocks but didn't bother to tell me. copies being made today

[Harvey51]

I lost my MH keys they day after we got home. Checked all pants and jacket pockets, looked everywhere I went around the house and yard. Found them a few days later, after I made new keys. They were in the pocket of my bathrobe. You know how it happens, needed something from the MH early in the morning.

[Jebby14]

not so worried about the access doors. im sure they can be had at a dealer. its the entry door key that concerns me. gunna be an issue for sure when I take my trailer to a locksmith on their dime. I am withholding payment until the keys are returned or replaced and u can bet if I have to deal with it im adding my time to the charge

[Wishbone51]

AJR wrote:
Good local locksmith picked a water fill door lock in less than two minutes. Had keys made in three more minutes. Charged me $20

If it was the standard 751 key that most water fill doors are, you can get a couple of replacements at any RV or trailer shop for $5.

[RSD559]

It's amazing how fast any sense of security we have disappears when you go to a locksmith for replacement keys. He picked the lock to our Ruckus in about 10 seconds, and had all he needed to make the new key in about 5 minutes. While I was waiting for him to get to the Ruckus, several folks came in asking for common keys for file cabinets and such, by number. He had them on his peg board, already cut. Yes, that same number that is on the face of the lock. Yep. So much for security.

[DrewE]

Jebby14 wrote:
anyone know the process for making a key for a lock without one to copy?

If you have free access to the lock cylinder, a traditional method is to disassemble it (typically from the back). Some locks have a slider over the pins and springs that can be removed, and the lock cylinder disengaged and taken out. Otherwise, the cylinder generally can be removed by bumping or picking the pins to open it somewhat, and then pushing it out with a similarly-sized dowel (which keeps the tops of the pins and springs from spraying out all over the place once the cylinder is removed).

Anyhow, once the cylinder and lower parts of the pins are out and free, it's a process of inserting a key blank, marking where the pins land, and filing down the valleys until the pins will all sit flush with the cylinder when in their respective holes. It is, of course, quite important to avoid leaving any vertical cliffs in the key teeth so that the key can be inserted and removed from the lock.

I successfully did this for my garage door lock, which did not have a key supplied by the previous homeowner when I bought the house. The result wasn't quite as smooth and reliably working as a factory key, but perfectly adequate and I thought pretty decent for a first attempt by a decided amateur.

[bsinmich]

In storage my keys got misplaced one time. I went to the Fleetwood dealer and got a new key from their drawer. They were all the same for the compartments.