Not every project goes as well as planned. We would be happy to spend a few minutes answering your questions.
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As I pulled into my neighborhood, I noticed a neighbor furiously cutting off a lock with a hacksaw (or at least attempting to). It was on a side gate and he was breaking a sweat trying to remove it. So out of the goodness of my heart I stopped to offer some advice.
Trying to cut through a pad lock with a hacksaw is good aerobic exercise, but it won't do much for removing the lock. You have a couple of options here. You could go to a rental yard (or many home centers rent equipment) and rent bolt cutters. For a case hardened pad lock you will want to rent bolt cutters with 3 foot handles...this will cost under $10.00. Grab the shank of the pad lock with the cutting head wherever it is convenient, and squeeze the handles together (this isn't as easy as it sounds). The long handles provide plenty of leverage but it will leave you out of breath.
The other option is to grind it off. This Las Vegas handyman carries lots of tools and one of them is a grinder. What we ended up doing is using a grinder with a metal cutting blade in it. It makes quick work of a pad lock, and the shower of sparks really impresses the neighborhood kids.
