Fork Becomes Portable Door Lock In Low-Tech Security ‘Fix’

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While it’s by no means a permanent solution, a man came up with an idea for a portable door lock in a pinch.

“I came up with a way to lock a door by modifying a dinner fork. Some folks may have seen my earlier video on my channel called ‘portable door lock,’ which I made from flat 1/8” steel. The Fork Lock, however, is way easier to make. This lock is very useful when wanting to add a little extra security to a motel room, public restrooms (which often have broken locks), or on any interior, or exterior door,” uploader Phil Crockett says.

The uploader uses vice grip and a hammer to bend the prongs of a fork. Then, he saws off the “head,” or prongs, of the fork with a hacksaw.

After that, he places the fork prongs in the latch of the door before placing the handle between the fork slots.

One user noted: “Just an fyi, you don’t need a hammer, a vice clamp, and hacksaw to do this. All you need is one pair of pliers lol, but great altogether though.”

Added another: “I just realized there’s no way to pick this lock. The plastic card trick won’t work here.”

“This is good when you are staying in hotels in countries like Vietnam or Mexico where you never know who has a key to your hotel room,” added a third.

Another video shows the same method, but this time, the user uses a pair of pliers to bend and cut the fork.

Hack to Get Unstuck

A trick that country folk have used for decades might not be known by everyone.

The person places a piece of wood over the tire and tied it to the wheel.

Then the driver is able to use the stick to gain more traction while traveling on the mud.

The YouTuber then recommends to “just keep a wooden plank in the back” of the bed.

However, the method may not work for every car, truck, or vehicle. Try it at your own risk.

Some people praised the user: “Because of this video I was not stuck in the woods all night while my husband was beaver trapping/hunting. It had rained and our trail washed out while we were in the woods. Instead of having to stay the night, I pulled this up and we were out in an hour.”

Added another, “This is fantastic. It worked like a charm. I used a piece of 2×4 and fastened it with a nylon strap with a plastic buckle. I figured the buckle would give way but it didn’t. THANK YOU!!!”

A third continued, “Thank you for this video. This is very helpful. Very simple and yet it works so well. Thank you again.”

Another issued a warning, saying, “First make sure there is plenty of clearance between tyre and things like suspension arms /brake lines in the inside. Example – my car has only 15mm and has to have OEM snow chains that are held in place by special tread plates. The setup shown would take out the brake lines AND yes, it’s a 4WD!! Otherwise not knocking this great get-you-home idea.”