Hida a key? and fire extinguisher type/location

[Curious Hound]

I have gotten in the habit of looking at the key in my hand while I lock and shut the door.

 

[broncc]

I don't think its worth hiding a key if you still have the stock antenna. I had to use that trick before...

For the extinguisher I put it right behind the shifter. Driver or passenger can get it and its not too in the way.



Please excuse the terrible quality of this I never actually photographed it. This is from a snapchat.

 

[sgtsandman]

I mounted my fire extinguisher on the back wall, above the jack cover. Theoretically, it can be reached from either seat there. But I have a Super Cab with four doors. That placement might not work so well on a two door Super Cab or a regular cab.

 

[Josh B]

When I worked on the Hertz Penske rental trucks, and we had 1200 when I started, 1500 when I moved on, they were mostly International 18 wheel tractor-trailers, we put the extinguisher just inside the drivers door and sort of behind the seat, easy to get from just outside the door. I carry my truck extinguisher just behind the drivers seat, handle facing outward, easy to grab from just outside

Far as keys, I began years ago carrying two sets, each having a truck and house key, with other keys evenly divided between the two. I have had no key locked inside problem since
Putting one ring in each side shares the load into being virtually unnoticeable, but a ring missing certainly is

 

[James Morse]

I don't think its worth hiding a key if you still have the stock antenna.

I'm lost... how do you use the antenna to get in?

Putting one ring in each side shares the load into being virtually unnoticeable, but a ring missing certainly is

Lost on this too I don't understand.

 

[Curious Hound]

I'm lost... how do you use the antenna to get in?


Lost on this too I don't understand.

On #1; congratulations! You would be a horrible thief.

On#2; Its a matter of habit and familiarity and attention to detail. If he doesn't feel the bulk of the keyring in one pocket, it doesn't feel right and he knows he forgot something. It's like someone who wears a hat almost every minute they're awake. If they go to leave the house without the hat, they feel "naked", like something is wrong. Put the hat on and everything feels normal and right.

 

[Josh B]

I'm lost... how do you use the antenna to get in?


Lost on this too I don't understand.

I saw the main points in the title, why read 5 pages when it's self explanatory ?

I hide my spare key in the other pocket

 

[broncc]

I'm lost... how do you use the antenna to get in?

On later Rangers the lock linkages is accessible from a hole in the door.

Fortunately, this isn't as bad as it sounds because basically all cars with this vulnerability have PATS so you cant just screwdriver in the ignition and drive away.

 

[James Morse]

Yeah I too normally use the fob and also ask myself when I lock it "do I have the key in my hand?"
I actually can't remember ever having locked myself out of my vehicle. But when you're 4x4 miles from anything and no one is there and there's no cell phone service, that's not the time you want to be locked out.
'97 has of course no PATS, '99 does. Probably neither are high on first choice of what to steal.
Manual trans would be a disincentive for sure, getting so those who can drive manual is rare. I looked for auto (also more common) because people said for off road it's better (I'm sure there are differing opinions about that). I think what would take the hit on manual trans is the clutch because lot of time you might be just barely going and easing over stuff and with auto it's a no-brainer otherwise you'd probably be clutching quite a bit (hypothesis).

 

[sgtsandman]

Both transmissions have their pluses and minuses off road. The pluses for the automatic transmission out number those for the manual. Slipping the clutch frequently in certain situations is one of the minuses.

 

[19Walt93]

If a car theif finds your hidden key and steals the truck, the insurance is unlikely to pay. If I don't feel my keys in my right front pocket either my wife is in the vehicle waiting for me or something is wrong. I hate a bulky key ring so my truck pattern is cut on one side of the key and my Mustang's pattern is on the other- obviously niether has pats.

 

[Brain75]

I have 2 rangers to deal with here.... and after 10 years of pretty much exclusively driving a vehicle with a remote FOB (lock/start/panic/the whole works)... I got in the habit of ALWAYS using the fob, not the button on the door - this meant you can't possibly lock it unless you have the keys with you. Well the recent acquisition of the '07 just nailed me. No remote fob, so using the button on the door I locked myself out, keys in the ignition. I had to wait for family to come rescue me (only 40 minutes one way commute time), and then buy them dinner. But I came to this to share some updated info... everywhere I tried has those self service kiosks (Walmart and their ilk [and the self service kiosks query if it has PATS and then just displays "we're sorry we cannot copy this key"] ) or just flat said "we just quit cutting keys recently" (Autozone/Oreilly's). I finally found Ace hardware would still cut a NON-PATS key as a copy of a PATS key if you ask. $4 and I can now hide the non-PATS on the frame somewhere.

I came here mainly to figure out where a hiding spot is that you can still get to in a dark parking lot, it wont vibrate or bounce off, etc... I am opting for a tiny thin zip tie rather than tape /magnetic box/ etc... something that is true permanent, but a guy can still access with his bare hands.

My '90 - has a round head key hidden on the frame, only gets you in the door and glovebox.

Oh and fire extinguisher, a tiny 2.5# behind the drivers seat closest to the outside of the cab, handle pointing outwards (standard cab, so tiny storage space/ speakers only behind seat), right beside jumper cables.

 

[Lefty]

I hid mine inside the bed behind the tool box.

 

[Roert42]

Zip tie to the rods that support the bed sides

 

[Curious Hound]

Well, considering the fact that the rear window slider latch has been broken for 3 or 4 years now...