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Snap on KRA-555b jammed...

Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 5:51 pm
by agabriel
Hello,
So I finally have the space for a roller chest and found a solid '83 KRA-555b on Craigslist for home use. I needed to put it on its back for the ride home and now it needs to be adjusted. The lock jammed and the key ended up breaking off. A locksmith is coming out for other reasons and they are going to try to extract the remains of the key. Now I have two primary questions:

1) Why did the lock jam? It worked great a before being placed on its back.

2) How do I fix the jam and how do you tell it is cleared? I'm concerned that fixing the lock isn't going to fix the bigger problem.

Also, does anyone have a pictures showing the locking mechanism?

Thanks,
Anthony

Re: Snap on KRA-555b jammed...

Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 3:52 am
by snapy64
there is a sliding bar at the back of the box that catches on a tab at the back of each drawer to lock it, sometimes by laying it on its back some small leftover piece of something falls out and jams that. At the back on the bottom you will see a small plate held in by two rivets, you can drill out the rivets and then can push up on the locking bar to get the box open, the is also a small spring attached to the plate and to the bottom of the bar that keeps tension on the bar when locked. From the key lock the is a rod that goes to the back that lifts and lowers the locking bar. Once you get the drawers open it is best to remove them and clean out anything that is left inside - I have seen paper, gasket material and other misc. junk get to the back and jam things up.

Re: Snap on KRA-555b jammed...

Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 11:56 am
by agabriel
This is very helpful - thank you. I will go looking for the small plate on the back, underneath.

Assuming the two rivets need to be drilled, do you know what size they typically are?

Thanks,
Anthony

Re: Snap on KRA-555b jammed...

Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 1:38 pm
by agabriel
I just took a look underneath the box and I did not see anything riveted in... Any more thoughts?

Anthony

Re: Snap on KRA-555b jammed...

Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 3:28 pm
by snapy64
then what I used to do on that style was use a hole saw and make a hole below the bar

Re: Snap on KRA-555b jammed...

Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 7:07 pm
by macother
Not an expert here, but I've watched while the Snap~On man turned the chest onto it's side, or upside down, gravity being the force that does the magic. This method has also worked for me on a few of those finicky side bar locking systems.

Re: Snap on KRA-555b jammed...

Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2015 5:32 pm
by agabriel
I flipped it the other day and when the locksmith came out today to remove the key, it worked like a champ!

Re: Snap on KRA-555b jammed...

Posted: Fri May 31, 2024 11:19 am
by Gregorygoard