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Bear Proof Garbage Can Storage Container Using Secure Bar Holder Locks

bear proof trash can security using 2x4 secure bar holder kit also for raccoons possums

One customer bought and installed the secure 2×4 Bar holder kit to keep the bears out of his garbage!

I had the great privilege of seeing a mama bear work very hard on a small shed designed to store garbage cans for an apartment complex.

After watching that bear, I can offer a few suggestions that might help secure your garbage a little bit more. I’m not a bear expert, but maybe these bullets could help.

  • A mama bear is big and she can and will use her weight to give leverage. This means that nails and maybe even screws can be tore out of the wood.
  • Any edges are a place for a mama bear to get her claws under and she will definitely use that.
  • A mama bear will sense weakness and work on the weak area more. So any flimsy edge will attract her attention.
  • A mama bear will experiment with things. In other words, a movable piece of metal, like on a latch, will attract her interest and she can probably solve a latch puzzle.
  • Mama bear will not give up.

I think it goes without saying that bears will keep after a latch and beat it, so you DO have to have a lock.

If your bears can pick a lock or pick the combination, you might want to move or at least setup a camera as you got a very cool viral video on your hands!

I’m looking at the customer’s trash enclosure and even now, after seeing Missy Bear at work, I can see that she will get her claws at the bottom and pry up from the bottom.

Here are the plusses with this setup.

  • I don’t think mama bear can break a 2×4.
  • I know mama bear cannot possibly get a 2×4 out of the closed 2×4 secure bar holders.
  • The 2×4 bar holders with locking tabs can accommodate a padlock. I don’t think mama bear can break a padlock.
  • The 2×4 bar holders probably should be secured with a BOLT (coming soon on this site) with a good washer setup to keep the bolts from pulling through the wood.

I might suggest a few improvements to the pictured receptacle based on my observing mama bear.

  • Try to get as little space as possible between the bottom of the door to the ground to make it hard to get those claws into.
  • I would move the 2×4 bar holder system from the top of the door to the center of the door (vertically), because if she does get her claws underneath the doors she gets less leverage.
  • I would also put the 2×4 bar a little lower so that if she does get her claws behind it, she can’t get full down leverage on the 2×4 bar.

If you have ideas to make your bear proof trash cages (wooden or steel) even more secure, would LOVE to hear your comments. I’ll approve everything constructive. Also, depending upon what you say, I’ll “de-insult” what you write and also clean up any foul language.

My position is that if you use my secure 2×4 bar holder to secure your bear proof garbage can box then the strength of the 2×4 bar will create a super strong bear garbage deterrent.

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Understanding how to think of the secure bar holder kit

secure bar holder 2x4 great review and proper perspective

This reviewer on Amazon really gets it. To really “get” the secure bar holder you have to understand what you had to install and buy before the bar holders.

First you had to buy and install some latch concept for ONE of the doors. You would use these latches to keep one door completely shut, as if it was a wall and not a door. So you have to account for the cost of that latch system.

Installing the first latch for the door isn’t easy. Usually you have to install one at the top of the door and one at the bottom. Then you have to figure out how to open/release these at the same time. There is just no good way to make this smooth, cheap, or simple.

Assuming you do figure out how to get the first door latch working well, now you have to install a latch on the outside of the shed too so you can lock the shed. Most of these latches aren’t very good or very sturdy.

The secure bar holder is a far simpler, approximately the same cost, method for fastening a double door closed. It doesn’t look too bad and it forces the bad guys to at least consider cutting through a 2×4. And you can get very tough 2×4’s like hard cedar.

Love the review.

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Nice review by a user who applied secure bar holders for tropical storm protection

Secure Bar Holders Used for Tropical Storm Shutter Protection

I love good reviews. They are really hard to get. This user applied his bar holders to protect his shutters from tropical storms.

I have an explanation of how you can use secure bar holders for hurricane protection for your shutters, windows and doors.

Here is the review for which I could not be more thrilled! Thanks Charles.

Secure Bar Holders Used for Tropical Storm Shutter Protection
Secure Bar Holders Used for Tropical Storm Shutter Protection

 

As a reminder, here is my graphic of how you would do this. The magic is the hole I have in the bar holders that allow you to put in a keeper screw.

 

 

2x4 bar holder showing use as hurricane protection
2×4 bar holder showing use as hurricane protection

 

One thing I know how to do now is to work with customers to do a color match. I have added a “color match” product to my product listing. If you’ll add that to your order of bar holders, I’ll powder coat the bar holders to match your paint chip and save you the painting… plus painting galvanized metal with normal house paint – very hard.

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When fully cured, the bearmar.com powder coat is tough as nails

tough powder coat showing scratch from wicked sharp edge

Securebarholder.com accidentally sent out a “not fully cured” powder coated kit recently. We knew the kit was different, but we thought it was because of an inventory change from wet coat (standard painting) to powder coat. We thought it was old wet coat inventory.

But it wasn’t. We didn’t cure the powder long enough.

Now we know what to look for and it is interesting what we have learned.

See and hear what we learned and just how tough the bearmar.com powder coat really is.

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Using the 2×4 Open Bar Holders for Hurricane Window Protection

2x4 bar holder showing use as hurricane protection

2x4 bar holder showing use as hurricane protection
2×4 bar holder showing use as hurricane protection

One of the really neat thing that the 2×4 Open Bar Holders can be used for is to secure your windows and doors against hurricanes and tropical storms constant unrelenting winds.

It turns out that the vibration from the sustained winds can vibrate holder boards out of almost any situation.

But the unique holes in the compact 2×4 Open Bar Holders that make these really compact are the same holes that can be used to put in some “tack” screws that keep the 2×4 security bars from vibrating loose.

So now you can close your hurricane shutters and secure using the 2×4 Open Bar Holders, a 2×4 bar, and the extra keeper screws and your shutters won’t be opened by the sustained vibration of the winds.

Or if you don’t have shutters, you can put up plywood, then secure using a bar too. In fact you could do this to secure your vacation home when you are away for a long period of time.

NEAT FEATURE: BearMar.com will even color match the bar holders to your house. Just add the color match add-on to your order in the cart. We’ll contact you and you can send in a paint chip and we’ll color match to varying levels of closeness. WAY BETTER than painting them!