We probably have at least two things in common. First, we don’t like people stealing our stuff. Second, we have entirely too many keys on our keychain — because we don’t like people stealing our stuff. I recently bumped into a counter and my massive keychain left a sizable bruise on my thigh. I figured it was time to do pairing down of my keys.
I am just old enough to remember when cars had two keys. One for the doors and one for ignition. That was dumb back then and honestly it’s still dumb today. So why then am I still carrying multiple keys? Well, as previously mentioned, I don’t like people taking my stuff. So when I start adding mods to my vehicle and trailer and what-not I end up grabbing a lock and key to keep it secure. Now, after a few years, I have five different padlock keys on my key-ring. Enter BOLT Lock.
The beauty of the BOLT Lock family of locks is that they don’t come with a key. Why? You already have the key: it’s your vehicle’s ignition key! These locks are self-learning and all you have to do when you get one is insert the key, turn it a few times, and that’s it. It learns your vehicle’s ignition key. On top of that BOLT Lock has a ton of options when it comes to securing things. They have padlocks, cable locks, trailer locks, and even specialty locks for things like off-road jacks.
Now, don’t for a second think BOLT Lock is just some gimmicky product made by a fly-by-night company. They are under the STRATTEC Security Corporation umbrella which produces locks for a lot of OEM companies out there. With over 100 years of industry experience their products adhere to the highest of quality control standards and will integrate with OEM keys without issue.
I replaced the basic recovery pin with one of the BOLT Lock recovery locks.
I also replaced the coupler pin with a locking one.
Kinda with the coupler pin had a dustcover as well.
First: A BOLT Lock padlock with my existing cable.
Second: A BOLT Lock cable-lock with an integrated lock
BOLT Lock has a lock that replaces one of the lug-nuts. Slick.
Like the recovery lock, the spare tire lock has a nice rubber duty cover on it.
Conclusion
There are lot of off-road products out there are a gimmicky or don’t live up to their claims. BOLT Lock is one of the few where I feel like they hit the target on the bullseye. Not only was I able to simplify my keyring by getting rid of a few extra keys, but I was also able to secure my spare tire which was previously not secure. I also now have one key that unlocks my Jeep, unlocks my padlocks (2 total), cable locks (2 total), trailer lock, hitch lock, and runs my ignition. I plan on using the extra cable lock for when I deploy my portable solar panel; and an extra padlock is never a bad idea.
There is one key remaining on my keychain that I am going to try and remove and that is the one for my trailer doors. Currently it uses it’s own key and tumbler system. BOLT Lock does offer Toolbox retrofit kits as well as standalone lock cylinders. I have three lock cylinders that I will try and install on my trailer when I do an overall later this winter. If you have a commercial topper on your truck, they may already have a kit for the more popular brands.
The nice thing about these locks is they are so easy to use. Simply turn your key to train the lock, and then it works like any other lock. You don’t need to reset internal pins. You don’t need to call a locksmith. Just remember, once they are trained to your key they are mated for life. You cannot retrain a lock. So if you do sell your vehicle it’s best to just toss the locks in there with the vehicle — then just make sure to get a new set of BOLT Locks for your next rig and make sure to check out their loyalty program for repeat customers.
