Cage for propane and UPS packages

Ignoramus10092 fired this volley in news:x7GdnezQE5AcyzrTnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

And he will occasionally forget to or fail to properly lock it, and your propane will be gone.

If you do a lock, make it a 'double closing' affair. The door will be half-open AND locked when he gets to it. After putting your packages in, he closes the door, and regardless of whether he locks the padlock again, the door locks tight with a mortised key lock.

LLoyd

I think that I will simply separate the two halves with a divider (rebar or some such welded in), and keep one half closed, regardless of the UPS guy.

This is not a high crime area, I just do not want to invite thieves.

Ignoramus10092 fired this volley in news:VvWdnRNZK5os-jrTnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

That, too!

I've just gotten to the point in my business where I'm going to need a "drop box" for parcels (for deliveries, only). I'm intending on building it so it is unlocked until a "lock" button or lever is turned. Then it will require a key to unlock.

LLoyd

Let us know if you make something that works.

How complicated depends on how large the parcels are. For small stuff you can make something like a postal mail box. I have a simple weather tight box for most stuff.

I built a neat unit for a local place though. Used an couple air cylinder actuators and a sliding U shaped tray, Open the door, place package on tray, Close door, switch on door cycles the actuators timer. The actuator slides the tray over and hits a stop, that stop triggers a second actuator that clears the tray onto a large table. (I got the idea from watching a shotgun cycle a round out of the mag into the chamber.) When you open the door it looks like a simple hole 24" square.

One actuator slides the tray left-right. The tray rides on heavy duty drawer guides. The other one mounts over the top and pulls the stuff off the tray.

Or you could make it similar to a mail box where packages can be put in without a key, but a key is needed to get packages out.

Dan

Here's a service with a safe! (strange)

Cool. Who has ridden on it so far?

-- Learning to ignore things is one of the great paths to inner peace. -- Robert J. Sawyer

If you make anything with an "auto-lock", make sure that it's too small for someone to get into, or has an internal release.

-Brian

I've never worked with propane cylinders, so there may be safety concerns that escape me. Still, couldn't you just use a bicycle chain and padlock to secure the propane tank(s) to the cage?

Jes' a thought...

Frank McKenney