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Abus 74/40 Lockout tagout lock

PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 1:36 pm
by jwrm22
I've recently purchased a bunch of Abus 74/40 locks.
What I expected was a 6 pin lock, 5 spool or mushroom and one standard pin like most other Abus.
This loto lock does not. It turns out to be 6 standard pins... Or not so standard pins.
The driver pins are made of aluminum.

Master does it opposite, they have massive locks with standard pins and loto locks with spools.
The Lockpicking layer Called the 'master lock paradox'.

This 74/40 is the Abus paradox.
Or possibly I don't understand the whole lockout tagout.

Does anyone know the purpose of aluminum driver pins?
After picking it a while these will get damaged and likely ruin the lock.
Too much tension on the core will bind the driver pins too (more than brass do).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockout-tagout

Re: Abus 74/40 Lockout tagout lock

PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 2:12 pm
by insatiableOne
You purchased a safety lock,It is non conductive. Other manufacturers utilize plastic bodies. These locks are not made to prevent theft. These are for safety measures to insure that power from source does not go to (say a machine being worked on) preventing electricution, or possible death, etc.

edit: erase non facual info.

Re: Abus 74/40 Lockout tagout lock

PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 2:41 pm
by Patrick Star
Aluminium is certainly conductive - in fact, it's what's used for Huge Friggin' Wires since it's lighter than copper.

In any case, LOTO locks are not meant to be used for SECURITY purposes. They are meant to be used for SAFETY purposes.
Security against picking or force doesn't really matter - what matters is only that they don't open with the wrong key (which rules out a lot of Chinese padlocks I suppose... probably some from Master too). At most they are supposed to withstand the most trivial of bypasses.
You are supposed to follow the whole lock out/tag out ritual with them, and when you need to sidestep it (like if a guy forgot to unlock it before heading home with his key) it's supposed to be bleedingly obvious to everyone involved (bringing out the bolt-cutters, or pick sets in our case).

Re: Abus 74/40 Lockout tagout lock

PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 8:53 pm
by magician59
I just posted a picture of my 72/40 LOTO on Facebook. It does have six pins with spools. Got it from a local picker (Who used to be a member of this forum). It was spankin' new. I made the working key for it. It's one of my favorite locks to pick.

Re: Abus 74/40 Lockout tagout lock

PostPosted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 10:06 am
by jwrm22
Agreed loto locks are not for securing your bicycle. The question remains, why would you want aluminum driver pins?

Seems like Master and Abus disagree on the loto locks. Master makes them with higher pick resistance.
Abus makes them with standard (aluminum pins).

magician59 wrote:I just posted a picture of my 72/40 LOTO on Facebook. It does have six pins with spools. Got it from a local picker (Who used to be a member of this forum). It was spankin' new. I made the working key for it. It's one of my favorite locks to pick.


72/40 locks are great! Not sure if they are for lockout tagout. The removable core makes it easy to create challenge padlocks.

Re: Abus 74/40 Lockout tagout lock

PostPosted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 12:00 pm
by Patrick Star
If I'm not totally mistaken (which I very well might be), Master's line of LOTO locks originally came from American. That might explain it...?

Re: Abus 74/40 Lockout tagout lock

PostPosted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 12:13 pm
by supallama
jwrm22 wrote:Agreed loto locks are not for securing your bicycle. The question remains, why would you want aluminum driver pins?

Seems like Master and Abus disagree on the loto locks. Master makes them with higher pick resistance.
Abus makes them with standard (aluminum pins).

magician59 wrote:I just posted a picture of my 72/40 LOTO on Facebook. It does have six pins with spools. Got it from a local picker (Who used to be a member of this forum). It was spankin' new. I made the working key for it. It's one of my favorite locks to pick.


72/40 locks are great! Not sure if they are for lockout tagout. The removable core makes it easy to create challenge padlocks.



With questions like these i turn to manufacturing costs / life expectancy of the product.

Aluminum doesnt corrode that badly so that could be a point to the aluminum pins, or it could that ABUS found aluminum in the right diameter for those pins. machining aluminum is less "grabby" unlike brass so it may be to have less loss in pins during manufacturing. its possible that the aluminum VS brass key means you will have to get a new key long before needing to replace the pins...

Just my thoughts...

Re: Abus 74/40 Lockout tagout lock

PostPosted: Wed Oct 06, 2021 6:49 am
by AlbanBenson
I think an excellent way to think of it is as a safety device. A safety device puts a physical barrier between what you don't want and what you do want. The barrier is the lock in the safety device case, and the post is what you don't want. Safety devices are ubiquitous in the industry. They stop things from going wrong. But they don't always work. Sometimes, the door does not lock when you expect it to. You can use the lockouts from Lockout Tagout. They are making high-quality products that are very safe.