American Lock 5200

[le.nutzman]

I've been registered with this site for several months now and am just now starting to make posts. I've ran through just about every forum that i can get my eyes on and have learned so much by just reading.

A while back I saw a post regarding whether or not to buy an American Lock 5200 Series.

I can now tell from my own personal experience, SPPing one of these if you've never done it before, is going to take a combination of finese and technique.

I just picked the 5200 from scratch (not my repinned trainer 5200). I'm not sure if anyone else shares this view, but I found that if i'm able to place the shackle on something solid, like a book or a table top, and wrap my hand around it like a pistol grip and use only my index finger for the tension wrench, I can feel more feedback from the lock.

For those who haven't dealt with security pins, feedback with these locks is important, what i'm mostly seeing alot of is sponginess (if that's an accurate description for a serrated pin) and slight reverse tension for spool pins are two good signs that will help you in your SPP of these locks.

One down, several more to go.

[d_goldsmith]

Congrads and glad you're posting

[scorpiac]

Thanks for the tip. I have a 5200 on the way I got on Ebay

Phil.

[le.nutzman]

Something else that works for me on 5200s, HEAVY Tension = maximum locked plug movement. I find this works better as it creates a loud sounding and solid felt "crack" in my hand with each pin meets the shearline.

I have also found that once setting a pin, when I move to the next pin, if it won't budge at all, easing off the tension slowly while trying to push the pin up, I will see "positive feedback" on the tension wrench, meaning the wrench is starting to turn the plug back to the locked position, and then a brief "give" as the shearline is met, then the plug rotates further into the unlocked position.

Because of the security pins used in the 5200, you may have to experiement greatly to find the proper picking order. One security pin set correctly might cause another to fall, just means you're picking in the wrong order. Keep trying, stay persistent, it will come. Up until last week, the 5200 had kicked me around for almost 4 months.

[quickpicks]

hmm... I found light tension works well

The grungy locks are harder and thats what I use more tension on.

[Krypos]

aye, i havent played with the 5200 or any american brand locks. HOWEVER! i do have a master no. 532, and that is pretty darn hard as well. i dont know if the innards are anything near the same as the 5200, but even holding this sucker is hard. (its about the same size as the 5200)

le.nutzman- i dont know if you've seen this before, but this is a pic of a 5200 someone on the forum disassembled. (i cant remember who did it though, but i want to clarify that someone else gets the credit for this)

just a few spools and serrations eh?

[dmux]

up, that is what mine has exactly

but i do have another with no security pins and it is not too tough to pick

[Squelchtone]

d00dz,

Finally! =) I just picked my Series 5200 US. First time. man.. what the proper thickness wrench can do for you.

top of keyway wrench, Peterson hook, barely any tension, 20 seconds.

man that felt nice, and yeah, I was surprised.

=)

*grin*

Squelchtone

[bumpit]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPJjzv8at6k


If anyone is interested. Found it interesting.

[franko452000]

i have a series 5560 american padlock my brother just mailed to me, there's no key, there was even a lock-out tag with a dudes pic. attached to the shackle. ( my brother's in the demo. business ), hell, he has sent me 3 medeco locks. no keys..yet..lol, anyway the only key i had that fit this lock was a brinks , so i cut 1 of the brinks key down to a bump-key. not having a american lock or knowing the deepest depth ! luck played a hand when i decided to make all my cuts to what appeared to be the deepest cut in the brinks key. spacing was the next factor, but what the hell.. the lock opened in less then a minute of bumping, and now that it's open i can drop the plug out and make a proper bump-key.