Keys Walked Away...

[soultrek]

…yes - totally on their own from their appointed spot in the drawer. So, any ideas on how to get replacements for all external compartments (I do have an entrance door duplicate)

[cpaharley2008]

One key, universal fits your compartments, any one with a rv has a key that fits, your door is anther issue, there is a manufacturer code on the lock, perhaps ETI can help?

[techfan]

We got duplicates of everything to start and everything we have added. Wife has a complete set and so do I. Increases our odds of not losing everything. Ditto with the car keys when traveling.

[padlin]

What Jim says, any RV supply or dealer should have them. Or ask your neighbor.

[cpaharley2008]

When traveling we always take 2 sets of tow vehicle keys and one set of trailer keys. There is another set of kets inside the trailer, by the rear compartment with keys. This compartment can easily be opened by anyone in the campground, if needed with the stock door key. I leave the keys to the hitches inside the tow vehicle in a separate place.

[soultrek]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

One key, universal fits your compartments, perhaps ETI can help?

Seems like that should be the case - but, only my external shower and water-fill doors used the same key. And the front access panel and rear access panel were different keys.

[soultrek]

Originally Posted by techfan

We got duplicates of everything to start and everything we have added. Wife has a complete set and so do I. Increases our odds of not losing everything. Ditto with the car keys when traveling.

That's a no-brainer. However, I assumed that the extra ring of keys I got from the previous owner included all spare keys - without ever checking. WRONG!

[cpaharley2008]

The main door can easily be removed with the square head driver, you can then remove the lock and contact the manufacturer or take it to a locksmith. Your compartment keys, if standard should both be the same like #CHP51 or similar and easily found.

[rbryan4]

CH751 keys are universal, and available in lots of places.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[cpaharley2008]

My bad, my eyes are tired, that is what I meant....

[gbaglo]

Six more posts and cpaharley hits 10,000.
Gets coupon for two pair of glasses for the price of one.

[cpaharley2008]

Five more now, thanks for the lead Glenn.....

[dfandrews]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Six more posts and cpaharley hits 10,000.
Gets coupon for two pair of glasses for the price of one.

Glenn,
Is he of an age that he has to use both pair simultaneously to see?

edit: replaced "laugh" emoticon with "sad", when I realized I could be next.

[cpaharley2008]

Don,
Did you know that Pennsylvania has more active train tracks than any other place in USA?

[Brian B-P]

My motorhome has seven different keys. One of them fits nothing on the motorhome; it's a CH751 - I think the RV manufacturer put one in every set assuming it will be needed.

I assume that any reasonable person would have thought of keeping two complete sets of keys separately after losing a sole key the first time, so more useful at this point would be to suggest sources of replacements.

For my RV set, I recorded the codes from all keys so I can get duplicates. In some cases those codes describe the type of key blank, which is helpful but still not complete without an original to copy; in other cases a code on the key specifies the pattern cut into it, so you can buy a working replacement even with nothing to copy. The "CH751" code is an example of the second case. Some other locks come with only a few dozen different key patterns, so if you have the code RV parts stores or locksmiths (or online sources) might stock every pattern. Glenn (soultrek), did you record the compartment door code, or is it stamped on the compartment locks?

For basic cam locks (such as those using the infamous CH751 key, but even some others for which working keys are not readily purchased), I agree that complete replacement is a reasonable solution. Even with more expensive latches, in some cases you can get replacement cylinders complete with their own (new, not matching your original) keys.

[soultrek]

PROBLEM SOLVED - thanks guys! Turns out my keys crawled from their corner spot into the pages of a catalog in the drawer. But I learned something: there are 3 keys on the ring, one of them marked "access hatch", in an order that led me to assume that one was for the front hatch, one for the rear hatch, and the other for the water and shower doors. Only one is marked CH751, but they all are indeed interchangeable - though I never tried that before. The spare ring I mentioned had only an entrance door key; the other keys were apparently for something other than the trailer. My spare ring will now include a spare access door key. Thanks - live and learn…Glenn.

[dfandrews]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Don,
Did you know that Pennsylvania has more active train tracks than any other place in USA?

Jim,
I did not know that; thanks. I would have presumed that many of the right-of-ways became rails-to-trails paths, with the rails pulled up for salvage.
I do know that my hometown, Williamsport, once had Pennsy and Reading RR's, but now it's Conrail-such that it is, and the Lycoming Valley RR.

You've got the Ma and Pa through your town. May have to visit!

The FRA map does show a lot:
FRA

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by dfandrews

Jim,
I did not know that; thanks. I would have presumed that many of the right-of-ways became rails-to-trails paths, with the rails pulled up for salvage.
I do know that my hometown, Williamsport, once had Pennsy and Reading RR's, but now it's Conrail-such that it is, and the Lycoming Valley RR.

You've got the Ma and Pa through your town. May have to visit!

The FRA map does show a lot:
FRA

Neat map, the Ma & Pa went under in 1972 when Agnes came thru and dumped 20+ rain over 3 days, now a rail trail in Maryland and parts of Pennsylvania. Seems like each little town has an old RR station. My uncle was a PRR conductor and we grew up either on one side or the other side of the tracks, so to speak.

[skiman]

I recently purchased Bolt locks for my stinger, latch, and cable lock for bikes. They use your ignition key from your tow. They are pricy and if you change tow vehicles, they must be replaced. It does not help on the trailer, but eliminates extra keys for some things. Finding he right key when setting up always drives me nuts.

BOLT Trailer Hitch Receiver Lock for 2" and 2-1/2" Hitches - Codes to Late Model GM Key Bolt Locks BL7018446

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by skiman

I recently purchased Bolt locks for my stinger, latch, and cable lock for bikes. They use your ignition key from your tow. They are pricy and if you change tow vehicles, they must be replaced. It does not help on the trailer, but eliminates extra keys for some things. Finding he right key when setting up always drives me nuts.

BOLT Trailer Hitch Receiver Lock for 2" and 2-1/2" Hitches - Codes to Late Model GM Key Bolt Locks BL7018446

That's all good Carl, but most new vehicles don't have a traditional key. Most seem to just use the push of a button now.