A little left-field for a welding forum, but one which produced a tool which I can see being used again in future.
Went to get my caravan from the storage site we keep it in, only to find the bloody security wheel clamp wouldn't unlock. For those familiar with the type it's a Milenco Compact, which uses a screw-action pincer clamp to grip one wheel of the 'van, with a welded on tube locating in one of the wheelnut recesses to prevent removal. The T-shaped handle on the screw portion pushes in and clicks so it is flush with the body of the clamp portion, in theory making it hard to remove by nefarious means.
Now, the irony of a security wheelclamp which would not come off was not lost on me, but not when I want to move the bloody 'van to my house to prep it for holidays! So, prepared to go and hacksaw through the frame of the clamp I Googled stuck Milenco wheel clamp, went off at a tangent and found some guys who'd had problems with jammed locks and used slide hammers to remove them. Cursing teh fact that I'd slung my apprentice school-made slide hammer a few years back as I never used it I looked further and blagged an idea I found elsewhere, involving a pair of mole grips, a length of threaded bar, some suitable nuts and a cast iron weight from an old fire suppression system I came up with this;
The threaded bar goes in place of the usual adjusting screw, I'd guess the weight is around 3lb mass. Gripping the key of the wheel clamp in the mole grips and a couple of hefty slide smacks later, we had this;
Although I was happy to be able to uncrew and remove the clamp it did give me pause to realise how easy it was to remove this lock and how illusory it's 'security' actually was.
Feel free to copy the idea, I blagged it from elsewhere and can see it will come in handy again
Went to get my caravan from the storage site we keep it in, only to find the bloody security wheel clamp wouldn't unlock. For those familiar with the type it's a Milenco Compact, which uses a screw-action pincer clamp to grip one wheel of the 'van, with a welded on tube locating in one of the wheelnut recesses to prevent removal. The T-shaped handle on the screw portion pushes in and clicks so it is flush with the body of the clamp portion, in theory making it hard to remove by nefarious means.
Now, the irony of a security wheelclamp which would not come off was not lost on me, but not when I want to move the bloody 'van to my house to prep it for holidays! So, prepared to go and hacksaw through the frame of the clamp I Googled stuck Milenco wheel clamp, went off at a tangent and found some guys who'd had problems with jammed locks and used slide hammers to remove them. Cursing teh fact that I'd slung my apprentice school-made slide hammer a few years back as I never used it I looked further and blagged an idea I found elsewhere, involving a pair of mole grips, a length of threaded bar, some suitable nuts and a cast iron weight from an old fire suppression system I came up with this;
The threaded bar goes in place of the usual adjusting screw, I'd guess the weight is around 3lb mass. Gripping the key of the wheel clamp in the mole grips and a couple of hefty slide smacks later, we had this;
Although I was happy to be able to uncrew and remove the clamp it did give me pause to realise how easy it was to remove this lock and how illusory it's 'security' actually was.
Feel free to copy the idea, I blagged it from elsewhere and can see it will come in handy again
You have a spade handy I assume? 
