By MIKE MCNAUGHTON
Los Alamos

Thank you for the Los Alamos Daily Post article and for discussions with Leslie Bucklin and county employees about bear-resistant roll carts. I have found that the “Kodiak-Products” roll carts are not difficult to fix.

If it doesn’t lock properly, I have found that inserting one or two ¼ inch washers fixes the most common problem. 

The lid opens by moving a lever from left to right and then pulling up using the small handle attached to the lid. It should close and lock with a satisfying click. 

A ¼ inch bolt fixes the handle to the lid. If the cart or the lid is slightly distorted the lid doesn’t go down far enough and doesn’t lock properly. In that case, open the lid fully (to avoid dropping the parts into the trash), loosen the bolt, and remove the latch, being careful not to lose the nut. Insert one or two (or more) ¼ inch washers so the latch is spaced farther from the lid, and replace. Test the system and listen for that satisfying click as it latches.

Sometimes it is difficult to open the lid. In that case, I have successfully opened it with some jiggling and improved the action by cleaning the lock and improving the alignment. If necessary, the lock can be removed by pressing the button on the inside and gently working the lock upward. Similarly, it can be replaced by depressing the “tongue” and working the lock gently down into place.

Please share your experience. Bears are stronger than I am and they have a better nose, but I understand locks better than they do. Perhaps you have more suggestions.