By Kent · Lock Depot Staff Writer

The padlock on the gate is the one that fails first

Doors indoors live easy lives. The padlock on the gate, the utility enclosure, the fuel cage and the equipment box lives in rain, grit and road salt. It gets opened with a cold hand and a wet key. It is the first lock on the property to seize, and it is often on a different key from everything else, so nobody remembers who has it. The ABUS 83WP-IC/53 is built for that spot and takes the building's interchangeable core, so it can open with the same key as the doors. Here is how to choose the right one for a gate or an enclosure.

What weather protected means on this padlock

The WP in 83WP stands for weather protected. On the listing, that is a hardened steel body under a weather cover with drainage. The cover sits over the lock, and the drainage is there so water can leave rather than sit. The listing describes the body as built for rain, grit and salt, and says a standard padlock is the one that seizes in wet locations.

We are not quoting a weather rating for this padlock, because the documents we work from do not carry one. What you can rely on is the design: a cover over the lock, and a way for water to leave. If your site has a specific weather standard it must meet, check that standard against ABUS's documents before you order.

Gates and enclosures: pick the shackle first

For a gate latch or a hasp, the shackle decides whether the padlock goes on at all. Two shackle options exist across the two listings:

• 83WP-IC/53HB63: the tall 63 mm (2-1/2 inch) shackle. Built for thick hasps, chain and gate latches. Small format core prep.
• 83WP-IC/53 LFIC-SCHLG: 5/16 inch shackle with about 1-1/16 inch vertical clearance. Schlage large format core prep.

Measure the opening the shackle has to pass through. A shackle that barely clears a new hasp will not clear it after a coat of paint or a swollen wooden gate post. Leave room. A utility enclosure with a tight hasp wants the shorter clearance; a gate with a heavy latch bar or a length of chain wants the tall shackle.

If you run chain across the gate instead, the chain link has to pass the shackle too.

Keying it into the building system

The point of buying this padlock less core is that it joins your key system. The padlock does not come with a core. You fit a core from your own building system, and the gate opens with the same key as the doors that share it. That solves the other half of the gate problem: nobody carries a separate key for the gate, and when a key is lost, you swap the cores and move on.

Match the prep to the core format your doors already run. Small format goes with the HB63. Schlage large format goes with the LFIC-SCHLG. The two do not cross over.

Mounting and placement tips from the field

• Hang it so water runs away from the keyway. The drainage helps, but gravity helps more. Keyway pointing down is better than keyway pointing up.
• Do not let it rest on a ground-level hasp in a puddle. A weather cover is not a boat.
• Test it from the outside, in the dark, with the key you will actually carry. The lock that opens at the workbench and sticks at 5 a.m. is the one that gets cut off.
• Keep a spare core and the control key off the site. A core swap is a two minute job only if the right key is within reach.

Keeping an outdoor padlock working

A weather protected body still needs a look now and then. Twice a year, walk the gates and enclosures and work every padlock with its key. Look for debris packed into the weather cover where drainage is supposed to happen, and clear it. A padlock that has stopped draining is a padlock holding water, which defeats the design. If a lock feels stiff, replace the core from your spare stock before it fails on a bad day; that is the advantage of an interchangeable core, and you should use it.

Write down which padlocks sit on which core. When a key is lost, you want to know which gates are affected before you start swapping.

When this is not the right padlock

If the gate gets opened by one person who owns the only key and nobody else needs access, a factory-keyed padlock is simpler. For a plain keyed padlock on an outdoor gate, see the Master Lock 6230 outdoor gate guide. The 83WP-IC/53 earns its place where a building's own key system has to reach the outside. Browse the rest on the ABUS page.

Common questions

What does the WP in 83WP-IC/53 mean?

Weather protected. The listing describes a hardened steel body with a weather cover and drainage, made for outdoor and wet locations.

Which shackle is better for a gate?

The HB63's tall 63 mm (2-1/2 inch) shackle suits thick hasps, chain and gate latches. The LFIC-SCHLG has a 5/16 inch shackle with about 1-1/16 inch of vertical clearance. Measure the hasp, then choose.

Does the padlock come with a key or core?

No. Both versions are sold less core. You install a core from your own system with the control key.

Can I use the same key as my door locks?

Yes, if the core you install is from the same system and matches the prep. The padlock then opens with the same key as the doors on that core.

Does the listing give a weather rating?

No. The documents we use describe the weather cover and drainage but do not state a rating number, so we do not quote one.