From: John De Armond
Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.rv-travel
Subject: Re: Rental of Electric Generator question
Date: Sat, 16 Sep 2000 22:59:46 -0400

Nick Simicich wrote:

> On Tue, 12 Sep 2000 11:40:57 -0400, Neon John <johngd@bellsouth.net>
> wrote:
>
> >One last comment.  If you get a small generator, get a length of the
> >largest case hardened chain you can find and a high security, bolt
> >cutter resistant lock you can find.  I lost one generator to the
> >bolt cutters and learned my lesson.  Nothing's foolproof, of course,
> >but if you get a chain with links too large to fit in the jaws of
> >any sort of bolt cutter some scumbag could conceal on his person,
> >you're far ahead of the game.  Get enough chain to reach around your
> >axle or frame or a decent sized tree (for future events and not
> >Indy, of course).
>
> Consider that many years ago I used to own a pair of #5 boltcutters
> that would cut a 1/2" hardened shank or link.  I "lost" those at a
> welding job a very long time ago, and just recently replaced them with
> a slightly smaller set of Greenlees that cuts 7/16" hardened and 5/8"
> soft.  For grins, I stuck the #5's in my pants leg once and noted that
> I walked a little like Festus from Gunsmoke but they could be
> concealed.

Gee, Nick, I have a hand-carried acetylene torch that will cut an
inch of steel and will fit under my jacket.  Not the point at all.
I doubt that one would find someone toting around either tool in the
infield of Indy for long before someone noticed.  The point is to
lock up the generator using big enough chain and lock that your
average "booster" won't be able to cut it.  I know that if someone
wants my genny badly enough, the genny is history.  I simply stack
the deck in my favor.

> These are large boltcutters, waist high.  But these people are
> stealing your generator which may be even bigger, so having a big set
> of boltcutters may not matter to them.  If boltcutters are your worry,
> I'd suggest 5/8" hardened for the chain and lock shank.  Then all you
> have to worry about is the freon/hammer trick (which I've never
> actually seen) or, if they have come by in a car or van anyway, that
> they have brought a cutting torch.

The freon/hammer trick does not work - unless the steel has
previously received oh, 10E20 RAD of neutron irradiation so that its
nil ductility point is raised into the range of what freon can
achieve.  Something we worry about in a nuke plant's reactor vessel
(cold cooling water, not freon); I don't think it's much of a
concern for a chain and lock.

During PE magazine's days, the question came up regarding "The Club"
that we set up a test to see what it would take to make The Club's
lock brittle.  Freon doesn't even come close.  Liquid nitrogen does
a fine job, however, but only on some of them.  Apparently they had
a bad batch of heat treating.  With proper heat treating, even LN2
had no effect.

So if you see a guy walking around the campground with a dewar of
LN2 in his hand, perhaps you ought to call the police.

John