Millions of service trucks are on the road today and each of them could use a good truck hasp and padlock. Modern service vans first appeared in the mid 1970s. Thieves quickly found that the vans were both easy to force open and filled with valuable tools and supplies. The security solution introduced by aftermarket lock companies was a hasp held on with carriage bolts plus a new version of padlocks which have gained the name "hockey Puck" padlocks because of their shape.
Until now, the installation of a hockey puck hasp required the drilling of a series of holes into the truck body. Many truck owners have been less than excited about having holes drilled into their truck door panels. The result has been that many service truck owners take a chance and forgo the extra protection. Even if a hockey puck hasp is installed, the combination of both steel hasp material and drilled holes into the steel truck panel can quickly result in unsightly rust spots. Finally, a combination of curved surfaces on truck panels and the necessity of removing inner trim panels to install a hasp, makes the hockey puck hasp installation problematical.
The Blade from Slick Locks was invented by a contractor who did not want to drill holes into his new service vehicle. He knew about the rust problems and did not want to see his either his vehicle or his expensive advertising signage ruined. The result was a new [product called The Blade.
Locksmith Ledger first saw The Blade installed on vans displayed in the Ford booth at the ISC convention in Las Vegas. The installation looked neat and secure. If Ford had enough confidence to show this new product on their show vehicles it was a good enough reason for Locksmith Ledger to find out more about this new product.
An interesting feature of The Blade by Slick Locks is that they require no drilled holes for installation. The parts mount directly into factory holes already located on the door and door jamb. Blade hasps are made of stainless steel for strength, durability and virtual rust resistance. The Blade is retained in a reinforced area of the door or jamb compared to regular hockey puck hasp products which are installed on the thin sheet metal body surface.
The Blade by Slick Locks is composed of two parts. The parts are specifically made for various truck models. Presently The Blade is available for Ford E-series vans 1992 to the present, GM Express/GMC Savana vans 1997 to the present and Ford Transit Connect vans 2010 to the present.
The Ford Transit Connect and GM van models listed above have a basic construction which uses screws to retaining the strike plate and lock latch unit. The Blade hasp parts use the same hole pattern as the strike or latch unit. The Blade is designed to fit into the gap between either the two doors or between the door and frame on a sliding door installation. Begin the installation by removing the two screws retaining the strike plate. Remove the strike plate and set the correct Slick Locks Blade part against the frame, then replace the strike plate and reinstall the original screws.
Lock latch units have three retaining screws. Only two screws must be removed in order to install The Blade. The third screw is left tightened in order to hold the latch unit in place. Slick Locks Blade hasps have an enlarged clearance hole to bypass the remaining retaining screw. Depending on the vehicle model, the weather stripping may have to be partially trimmed to allow clearance for The Blade during installation.
Slick Locks has a Blade hasp for Ford Transit Connect sliding doors which they believe is the only hasp available for these models at this time. The Blade is installed in the upper corner of the sliding door. No hole drilling is required. A secondary bracket slides behind the door track and The Blade is then bolted to the bracket. A second special Blade part for Ford Transit Connect fits around the sliding door edge and is held in place by the original strike plate screws.
To preclude vulnerability from a wrenching attack, Slick Locks has developed their Spinner 360. This sturdy ring fits around popular puck lock models and has a retainer on the back side to hold the Spinner 360 fastened in place around a puck lock. The Spinner 360 is free to rotate 360 degrees if any kind of forced twisting is applied. A keyhole cutout in the Spinner 360 allows the key to be easily inserted for normal unlocking of the padlock. Weatherproof puck lock covers are also available to prevent ice and dirt from forming in the keyway of puck lock padlocks.
The Blade by Slick Locks is made in U.S.A. The Slick Locks website, www.slicklocks.com, contains several videos showing the simple steps involved in installing The Blade on either double doors or sliding doors of the trucks mentioned in this article. For further information, contact Slick Locks at 888-430-1994 or [email protected].
