Let's look at a couple Moslers...
Last fall I picked up a Mosler screw door safe to partner with my Victor cannonball. Some like to lump these in the cannonball group but with the square body I prefer to keep them separate and labeled as Mosler intended; a screw door bank safe.
This Mosler turned up after I ran a wanted ad on Craigslist. After a phone call I decided to pass on it as the price was to high and the time lock was missing. About a year later I ran across the phone number and called again but the story was still the same. Over another year passed and I happened to be passing through the town where is was and recalled the owners name so I tracked him down. The timing was right as he now wanted the safe out of his way and a deal was made.
While watching Ebay a while back for a time lock, I spotted another Mosler not far from home. It also turned up on Craigslist but the price was ridiculously high. It was an odd one so I had to inquire.
A double screw door safe! I had never seen such a beast. Even though it too was missing the time locks I was interested. The seller had bought an old bank building and had moved it out and over to his business shop. He had a number of inquires and soon learned the value was diminished without the time locks and those who did want to buy it had no way to haul it. Soon he was calling me with a 80% discount just to get it out of his way. It was time for a road trip with the equipment trailer. This safe is heavy! I am used to safes that run 1500 to 2000 lbs but this one is around 3000 lbs and takes a good sized machine to move it. The seller had a large New Holland skid steer with counter weights and it just barely could keep the rear wheels on the ground. I usually use my Bobcat 773G with forks to unload safes but there was no way it was going to handle this bad boy. Luckily, my neighbor's son was home with a new Cat 299 track loader and was kind enough to run over an take it off the trailer. Even the large Cat was light in the rear so maybe it weighs more than I think. I had to update to better lifting in order to run this through the shop. Craigslist to the rescue again.
There are a number of differences in the two Moslers. Although they share similar construction, the double door is wider, deeper, and the doors are larger. They both have "trap" doors that mount the combination day locks. The small Mosler's door has the dial offset as there is not enough room to center it.
The lock fits in two cast supports on the door, four mounting screws, and a nut under the dial. Both locks seem to be different versions of the same model. Hopefully some of the experts can tell us more about them.
The double door has a larger "trap" door which allows the dial to be centered. It is mounted through a screwed on support that has the lock bolt passing through it. There is also a nut under the dial and that is it, not the most secure mount. The combinations were just day locks, the real security was provided by the time locks inside.
I'm not sure what model these locks are? There is an older thread that mentions a 502 model? Both have the lever mounted on a pivot bolt along with gear that is driven by another gear on the drive wheel. While all combination lock are entertaining, this one has a little more action to please the eye. It is interesting that all three wheels are set to the same number on both locks. Someone was lazy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azJLKceW ... e=youtu.be
At some point this safe had been decommissioned. The time locks had been removed and the combinations disabled. I knew something was up when the seller said he could spin the dials but still open the doors. My heart sank when I inspected the safe to find that both bolts that hold the lever and gear in the combination case were missing. Thankfully, both lever/gear assemblies were still in the lock case. A search inside the safe found one of the bolts under the door jamb in the top section along with a rusty paper clip and an old penny. Once I got it home, the elusive jamb under the bottom door insert coughed up three rubber time lock cushions, couple more screws for the time lock linkage covers, more paper clips, and a 1899 silver dollar. That made my day! If any one has one of these bolts for the lever please let me know. It's a long shot as the bolt is specific to this style case. Otherwise one will have to be made.
Like a cannonball, a crank is used to spin the door. These doors are very heavy and take quite an arm swing to rotate them. Mosler came up with this really cool ratcheting crank. The knob on the hub lifts and rotates to reverse the ratcheting action. This crank will be quite an item once it has new nickel plating. Even the "plain" Victor cannonball crank is a work of art with new plating.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPfpQ2BT2LM
Some how I couldn't get the videos into the post. There are a few more details but I better get this posted. After losing it once. I don't want to push my luck. If anyone has information on these Mosler safes or the locks, please add to this thread.