Help with jammed tool chest

[Dunc]

Purchased used but all drawers works @ that time - even had a key! No signs of damage (dents, etc)
Got it home (locked the drawers to stop opening en-route) & the lock is jammed - key will not turn to open.
As best I can determine, the key lock mechanism has a rod that goes from the key to the back of the chest
but I have no idea what is attached to it.
I can, of course, drill the lock, but I think that it is not a broken lock mechanism itself; instead, I think that the
internal latching mechanism is jammed.
Anyone dealt with this? Ideas, thoughts, opinions or whatever, please.

[oxford]

Since it seems like it happened on the ride home from the place you bought it, the easiest thing to do would be to put it back in the same place you had it in the vehicle and drive in reverse back to the place you got it from. It “should” be good to go when you get there.

[754]

Is lock turning easier ? I suspect a rod or lever fell off.
got a make or model ? Maybe a photo...maybesomeone has one and can shed some light on the cause.

[tom_d]

Sometimes contents of a box can rattle around in transport and get positioned in a way that causes interference with things like lock mechanisms. Try gently shaking the box while wiggling the key at the same time.

[Mcgyver]

what make and model? presumably a roller?

[MrWhoopee]

Sometimes it's as simple as pushing all the drawers all the way in to take the load off the locking mechanism.

[mickeyf]

Terry Pratchett - from "Going Postal":

...Anoia, a minor godess of Things That Stick In Drawers. Often, but not uniquely, a ladle, or sometimes a metal spatula or, rarely, a mechanical egg-wisk that nobody in the house admits to ever buying. The desperate mad rattling and cries of "How can it close on the damn thing but not open with it? Who bought this? Do we ever use it?" is as praise unto Anoia. She also eats corkscrews.

[MikeL46]

If the box is empty, you might be able to release the locking bar by turning it upside down. If it is not empty, something inside might have jammed the works.

Mike

[Bob La Londe]

If the box is empty, you might be able to release the locking bar by turning it upside down. If it is not empty, something inside might have jammed the works.

Mike

And turning it upside down might also cause it to release...

[754]

Yeah i was starting to think that too, the latch mech simply lifts a bar , closing it ...weight and gravity pull it down.

[darryl]

Is it sitting level? Try twisting the cabinet a little one way or the other (shim under the feet, or adjust the feet)

[Paul Alciatore]

Bigger hammer!

[Dunc]

Don't know the brand... no markings and indeterminate age. I doubt it is big name or pro. Unit is level. I have tried shaking it - forwards & backwards & jiggling the key (key does not turn). No joy!
Turning it upside down tho is an idea that I had not thought of. Will try later.
Oxford, running backwards is an intriguing, but impractical idea due to the distance involved (~80 kms or 50 miles)
Thanks all for the responses & ideas.

[Mcgyver]

Don't know the brand... no markings and indeterminate age..

I was more just trying get a sense of what it was, i.e. was it a benchtop Kennedy, , roller box, lista etc. I had a Kennedy roller malfunction and it take it apart, its a distant recollection, but I might have photos ....might give a hint as to the mechanism. Will have a look.

[Dunc]

@ Mcgyver... unit is top part of a 2-piece set. Bottom survived the trip with no problems. The "key to rod..." was on the lower roller chest. Are both mechanisms the same? Dunno