Do you lock your box at work?

[joedodge]

Just curious if other techs lock there box and carts at work? I lock my box but my cart is usually left open. Basic tools in it the guys in my shop are pretty cool anyone else like this?

 

[atwageman]

I always lock up. My tools put food on my table, not the cool guys I work with.

 

[joedodge]

Lol ya I agree. Just curious if others lock there stuff up every night

 

[KinzeMech]

No.
I don't even lock it if I'm gone for an extended period (e.g. vacation). But, I live and work in rural America where a lot of people don't lock their doors, and some even leave the keys in the car.
I've had a few tools disappear in the last few years. Very few, but still a few. There is little doubt in my mind that they were misplaced by me, and not stolen by someone else.

 

[malibu101]

I know the title is about work, but, I lock my boxes at home.

My reasoning--- If theives were to break in they would have to try to take big, heavy, awkward to carry boxes.
Instead of just opening the drawers, grabbing chrome stuff, and running away.

 

[ev2mopar]

I lock my box and my cart...when I remember.
Often, I get a call from a work buddy that I either
A). Left the key in the lock, or
B). Left my toolbox or cart wide open.
I will be the 1st to admit I am slightly scatterbrained at times, so I have left a duplicare set of keys with 2 coworkers.
I do trust these guys, as we loan/share tools often anyhow.

 

[ken w.]

I lock my box at work. At home I don't,but I know I should.

 

[Ncognito]

Before my recent layoff, I worked in a textile mill. The only time my toolbox was unlocked was when I was getting something out of it.

 

[rlitman]

I work at a facility with some pretty tight security. There are cameras covering every doorway, and just about every square foot of floorspace inside too. My toolbox is always locked overnight, although I have left keys with a couple of co-workers.

 

[joedodge]

Our shop is like that magnetic key cards to get in locked doors and gate and such. A co worker I used to be good friends wi and car pooled with had a key to my box but when we switched shifts he was borrowing tools way to much I could tell soi had to get key back.

 

[dfreeman616]

yes, not because of the guys i work with but because there's the possibility of someone breaking in.

 

[pepi]

Yes, unless you have some kind of RFD tracking on the tools.

 

[Chadwilliam1]

I lock my box box and its full of tools I didn't pay for.

 

[redwrench60]

When I leave at night, yes. Box and cart. Even the home box stays locked, like mentioned above if thieves break in they're going to have to break into it or take the whole big heavy ******* with them.

I'm not worried about the guys I work with but we have a clean up crew that comes through after hours and when they're here the shops unlocked till they leave. No telling who could wonder in...... We've also had customers steal tools from us in the past.

 

[mercman86]

Boxes at work and at home are locked up tight. People don't steal, they just borrow and don't put back in the right spot, or it ends up laying on the floor. I hide a spare key in the shop, if someone really needs to borrow something, they can call and ill tell them where it is. That way I know who borrowed something and what tool they used.

 

[joedodge]

Thanks for all the great replys guys

 

[Jagmandave]

Before my recent layoff, I worked in a textile mill. The only time my toolbox was unlocked was when I was getting something out of it.

Yep, and mine was kept inside a locked cage area, but people still came and helped themselves so I started locking it anytime I wasn't actively using it. At first it was a PITA, but after a while I got used to it.

I wound up making a hand tool box for the management for when I wasn't there (company paid for it and the tools in it) with screwdrivers, allen keys, wrenches and such in it. Most of those tools were lost or grew legs within just a few months.

My boxes at home are unlocked, but I'm rethinking that - it's not that we have a theft problem in the 'hood, but I'm just more security conscious these days.

 

[durallymax]

I lock mine every night. I keep one deep narrow drawer empty so if I am running short on time or just lazy I can pile all the tools I have out into that drawer and lock up for the night then clean them and put them away the next day.

Our farm is in the middle of nowhere and we really dont have unwanted visitors but there are plenty of sticky fingers. Not so much people trying to steal just ones that do not know any better and help themselves then leave the tool wherever they finish. Generally in the dirt, manure or who knows where.

I do also hide a spare key both incase I forget mine or if somebody needs a tool. I have most of the special tools whereas the farm is limited because most tools are lost by the end of the year.

 

[cburnscrx]

I know the title is about work, but, I lock my boxes at home.

My reasoning--- If theives were to break in they would have to try to take big, heavy, awkward to carry boxes.
Instead of just opening the drawers, grabbing chrome stuff, and running away.

^Same here. I lock my boxes at home too. If you're going to break in and steal stuff, I am going to make it as difficult as possible for you to take it. You might destroy my box in the process, but insurance will cover that, and you've got less stuff to pawn/sell.

 

[Arne73]

My box stays locked at work when I'm off shift and when I step away from my work area for more than a few minutes. I hate loosing tools whether it be through theft or by accident.

 

[ianguilly]

Yes, every night all the techs do. We work in a ****** neighborhood.

 

[dsimatt]

I lock my main box when I go home but its mainly so the doors don't come open when 1st shift moves it, all the guys on my shift know where the spare key is and know they can borrow if needed.

 

[devoncoolman]

Last shop i worked at i locked my box every night and sometimes my cart. We had tow truck drivers in and out at all hours day and night. These guys typically didn't steal but would borrow and forget they borrowed it. I used to find my breaker bars in the tow trucks all the time. The manager even had the balls to come up to me and ask me if i took the breaker bar out of the one roll back. I said yes it was mine any more questions? Deuch. I dont lock my box now. Only when i leave for vacation. Nobody is in and out at night time here. And we have a security system. We tow for the local police and were literally right around the corner from the police department. So no real worries. I trust my fellow co-workers. We all borrow specialty tools from each other. So no worries.

 

[4x4gearhead]

Absolutely. Ive spent way too much to leave it up to anyone walking by. I leave a spare set of keys in my locker for my co-workers if they need something.

 

[bobcatdan]

Lock it about once a year to move it to clean under it

 

[joedodge]

Lol ya cob webs are crazy bad in our shop the daddy long legs try to anchor your box down. Strange since its open doors on each side with alot of air flow.

 

[nissan_crawler]

Yes, at home and work. Two guys at work have access to get in my box. The other 200 mechanics…tough.

 

[crewchief888]

boxes at home are unlocked, boxes and cart at the shop are unlocked.

i lock the doors on my service truck, but the boxes inside the body are unlocked, it's out of reach of the dog....

 

[jfcasey]

At work, always. We have a cleaning crew that comes through at night to clean the bathrooms/ break rooms, and they are some creepy shady bastards. Management will also randomly have a crew come through that cleans everything above 6ft from the ground, and they too seem like the kind of people I don't trust around my tools while I'm not there.

 

[crazytrain]

I lock my box at work everynight but box at home is unlocked. I work in a nice shop but it's a dealership and I can't be there every hour they are open. It would be to easy for someone to slip into the shop and take stuff with out anyone seeing. I have way to much money invested in tools to do my job. I can't have any walking out the door without my permission.

 

[Fastbird]

There's me and two other tech at my shop. None of us lock our boxes up. We all have items that one of the others don't so we're always using something from someone else. Coupled with a trust for each other (and that we all have differing tools, makes it easy to find things), being in a good part of town in a nice facility, we don't lock up our stuff. One guy is leaving in a couple weeks for basic training for the Army Reserves and he said to have at his stuff while he's gone even.

 

[mrjaw14]

I know the title is about work, but, I lock my boxes at home.

My reasoning--- If theives were to break in they would have to try to take big, heavy, awkward to carry boxes.
Instead of just opening the drawers, grabbing chrome stuff, and running away.

I too lock my boxes at home for the same reasons.

 

[joedodge]

It's interesting to hear the opinions. I wish we had a cleaning crew though lol

 

[Ncognito]

Yep, and mine was kept inside a locked cage area, but people still came and helped themselves so I started locking it anytime I wasn't actively using it. At first it was a PITA, but after a while I got used to it.

I wound up making a hand tool box for the management for when I wasn't there (company paid for it and the tools in it) with screwdrivers, allen keys, wrenches and such in it. Most of those tools were lost or grew legs within just a few months.

My boxes at home are unlocked, but I'm rethinking that - it's not that we have a theft problem in the 'hood, but I'm just more security conscious these days.

Yea' keeping my box locked all the time was a real PITA too, but not as big a pain as having the one tool you really needed to finish a job suddenly growing legs. I hate to lose stuff. I really hate having stuff stolen from me! We only had a couple of thieving bastards working there, but that was enough. We couldn't beat the **** out of 'em, and we couldn't watch them all the time; easier to just lock the box.

Boxes at home are all portable anyway so they remain unlocked for the time being. After I finish cleaning and applying fresh lube to the slides on my new-to-me Snap-On box, it will be locked.

 

[rbro7752]

box at home doesn't get looked but box at work is locked if im not within eye sight of it for more then a couple mins

 

[seth_man]

always, box locked, jump pack cable locked to box. many jump boxes have walked away overnight. at least they get the floor clean while they steal our stuff

 

[bob from indiana]

For years I left my box open we had a crew that had been working together for years. We have been hiring a lot of new folks and I decided to close the welfare office, to much borrowing was going on. I have a nice set of tools and plan to keep them.

I have been taking some of my top notch stuff home and putting some cheap but good enough tools in my work kit. The new guys need to spend some money if they plan to work in a shop.

 

[Rogue1987]

I didn't until all of my extendable magnets grew feet in a week. Jerks.

 

[turdferguson13]

I lock my box and cart every night. My key is on the same keyring as my house keys so I never forget. When I go on vacation I will also put some stuff in my box that normally sits out. My biggest pet peeve is when people borrow and don't bring it back. Not worried too much about theft especially when most other guys with bigger boxes in my shop leave them unlocked and wide open.

 

[e-tek]

ALWAYS LOCK YOUR BOX!