Tips on breaking and entering?

[Seahorse]

I've got what looks to be a pretty decent shed on my new lottie but it's very well padlocked!

It looks like someone has attempted to lever the top one off but failed. Any thoughts on the least destructive way I could get rid of them?

Claire

[Peter]

Try a good hacksaw, not a diy chain brand as their teeth are like toffee.

If that does not cut the padlock hasp then hiring an angle grinder or cutting the woodwork are your two remaining options.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Any thoughts on the least destructive way I could get rid of them?

Local youth...?

[Hazel at the Hill]

Sorry, being daft there - we've a tame locksmith called Paul who'd sort you out in no time, but I think that Peter has the more practical idea for this.

[seasprout]

Problem with an anglegrinder is you need to plug them in... the petrol ones are huge.

See if you can hire bolt cutters, or just hacksaw those padlocks. They look quite cheap.

How about a cordless drill through the keyhole bit of the padlock, might need several 'drillbits'

[Snadger]

A couple of whacks with a sledge hammer should just about do it!

[Seahorse]

Thanks for so many quick replies! Ok, bit of a girlie question but how strong do you need to be for bolt cutters? Same goes for sledge hammer I guess! Would be there for days with a hacksaw? I'd need to buy or hire whatever weapon I pick, so I'm looking for a compromise on cost/likelihood I can manage it!

Claire

[The Reverend]

Seahorse, do you not know a friendly builder, roofer or scaffolder, they will all own a petrol angle grinder and would have the locks off in seconds.

[scared55]

That is a cheap looking open shackled padlock that would succomb to a hacksaw or even a well-placed crowbar. Certainly a brute force attack should easily overcome it, just like the one on my suitcase was by the Johannesburg airport baggage handlers!!!

KK

[carlseawolf]

Is the lock screwed to the shed or bolted ?
if it's screwed just get a crowbar behind the bracket that is attached to the shed and lever the whole lot off and replace it with new.
If bolted on then you have to get the lock off and the best way to do that is with a big hammer and hit the top of the black part in a downward stroke and that should make the paddlock undo. ( by your photo looks like someone has already tried this )
If both ideas fail then hacksaw through the hole the paddlock goes into as it looks softer than the paddlock steel.
when you finally get into your new shed check to see if the locking mecanisium is screw to the wood or bolted as that door is made of OSB wood and is not very strong .
when you get in / or go to replace lock it should be bolted to door and frame and have a backing plate inside to stop bolts been pulled through the wood and a good quality lock .

[Snadger]

Thanks for so many quick replies! Ok, bit of a girlie question but how strong do you need to be for bolt cutters? Same goes for sledge hammer I guess! Would be there for days with a hacksaw? I'd need to buy or hire whatever weapon I pick, so I'm looking for a compromise on cost/likelihood I can manage it!

Claire

Find one of the old codgers on the site, one of the officials if you can, explain the problem and I'm sure someone will 'do the business' for you in a couple of seconds! If I lived a bit closer I'd pop round and do a bit of breaking and entering! Knocking things down or to bits, I can do! Putting them back together again....now that's a different matter!

[Peter]

Sods law as applied to sledgehammers.

You will miss what you want to hit and smash something you wanted to avoid.

Not an accurate method, the crowbar option sounds good, but will wreck the wood where the gubbins the padlock is on was mounted. Most padlocks have anti drill bits, any decent one will have a hardened hasp, really big bolt cutters are on reflection the best method.

[Nicos]

If someone failed to lever it open, then it's a darn sturdy lock and you really don't want to try levering it off. Small hacksaw should do the tric with the padlock, but it'll probably take a while!!
I know it may sound a bit simple but....does anyone on your site know where the previous owner lived, or has their contact details ( someone may well have them if they needed contacting about muck deliveries etc).
You never know- they may still have the key!!

Other idea......
Does the shed have a window you can take out, climb through and unscrew the whole thing from the inside????

[Madasafish]

I use electrical disk grinder for these jobs (if you have power). Would take at least 1 minute per lock.

[Seahorse]

Thanks for so much detailed advice Overall, it sounds like a hacksaw will be my best/cheapest first option. Great point Carl about sawing through the bit the padlock fits into, rather than the padlock itself! I was looking again today and wondered about unscrewing the hinges on the other side of the door and then seeing if I could remove the locks from the other side. There might be a really obvious reason why that wouldn't work though

I don't really like being a weedy girlie but I think probably one of the chaps onsite could get it open with brute force if I really can't do it myself.

Claire