so i was thinking when i was grabbing my set of equipment keys. I wonder where the other operators of Heavy Equipment forum got their Equipment keys from so post here on how you got your equipment keys. such as you saw one in a machine at the dealer and grabbed it, talked to the parts department or it came with your machine.
I get replacement keys and master key set from Depco parts. All key prices are for a set of 2 keys. http://www.depcoparts.com/index.php
eBay
My boss gave me my first Cat Key. I have scrounged many over the years, and now I am the boss. It seems I have bought enough keys to equip my crew 10 times over. Found some cheap keys on Ebay, that is where I get them now. http://stores.ebay.com/Equipment-Ke...55990011&_sid=105197241&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322 is a good source. I used to get keys from all the rental machines, but then found out they charge way more than it costs to buy a key when the machine comes back without one.
Bought most of mine from Romco the rest off rental equipment
They stole them from the lowboy driver!
I got them when I bought each piece of equipment?
I scrounged mine from other operators coming and going over the years. I have quite a collection of HE keys from all sorts of equipment.
accumulated over years, some i got from other operators, some from the boss, some from the dealer. the best way is probly to go the the dealer, ask a parts guy for a key for the equipment your running. all cat keys are the same, john deer has one for excavstor and one for loader/dozer/grader/backhoe, hitachi excavator key (north amercian models) is the same as john deere excavator, komatsu is all one key, case loader is the same as ingersol rand and bobcat, etc.... Someone told me the other day that a local locksmith refered him to a particular dealer in town, saying that dealer offered a set of keys that included all ( i assume most of local commonly used ) equipment keys. Maybe inqure about that when talking to your dealer(s) ...... beware of an operator thst doesnt know what all his keys are for, he probly just stole them from a lowbed driver to pretend he ran lots of different equipment. ?.
Got mine several different places also.Some from customers(fleet equipment managers, mechanics, dealers), some from co-workers.
I got a huge packet of keys from http://www.ebay.com/itm/Heavy-Equip...=BI_Heavy_Equipment_Parts&hash=item518d9ac793
I got mine from midnight requisitions to the local dealers.
Yair . . . Yooster be able to get Cat and Komatsu keys from a nearby fence. Cut off about four inches of number eight wire, bend it in an ell shape and bang the long end flatish with a four pound hammer. They take a bit of fine adjusting but you soon got the hang of it. I suppose these days they've all gone Hi-tech LOL. Cheers,
Get a key or two with each ignition switch. For the machines with crappy ignition switches, I have *lots* of keys.
I purchased a master set from a dealer 40 or so different keys. Not to many let downs.
I posted this a while ago
As an owner of a heavy equipment rental business,that question boils my blood,I know where many 'operators' find mine and keep them.
Enjoy your keys while you can … physical keys are going out with the electronic controls coming in. BobCat has two codes to operate their machines. A master code that over rides and sets the operator code. Dealer set my operator code for the rental duration. It was a time waster to enter the code every time to start it vs twisting a key.