Von Duprin LD98EO / LD99EO Rim Panic Exit Device - Less Dogging

The Von Duprin LD98EO and LD99EO are rim mount exit devices from the 98/99 series with one specific configuration difference from the standard 98EO and 99EO: the LD prefix means less dogging. If you've been searching "ld98" or "ld 98" trying to find this product, LD is the Von Duprin model designation for removing the dogging function from the device entirely. That distinction is more important than it sounds, and it's why these are specified separately from the standard 98/99 line.

What Less Dogging Means and Why It Matters

Dogging is the feature that lets a user hold the push bar in the depressed position - either with a hex key or a cylinder - so the door behaves like a free-opening door without having to push the bar on each trip through. Standard Von Duprin 98/99 series devices come with hex key dogging. You can dog the device and the latch stays retracted.

The LD version physically removes that capability. The device cannot be dogged. Every time the door closes, the latch engages the strike. There's no way to hold the pushbar down because the mechanism for doing that isn't there.

There are two main reasons this gets specified. Fire exit hardware cannot be dogged by code - a fire door must latch every time it closes, and having a device that can be dogged creates a compliance risk. By ordering the LD version, you eliminate that risk entirely. The second reason is high-security or high-accountability applications where the facility needs to ensure the door always latches after every use - loading docks, server rooms, pharmacy corridors, and institutional settings where a propped door creates a security or liability problem.

LD98EO vs LD99EO: The One Visual Difference

The 98 series has a smooth mechanism case. The 99 series has a grooved mechanism case. Mechanically they're the same device with the same latch, the same Quiet One dampener, the same mounting, and the same performance ratings. The difference is purely appearance. On projects where the case texture matches other hardware in the building or on the same door, you specify accordingly. On a basic institutional or utility door where aesthetics aren't a factor, either works.

Exit Only Function: What EO Means at the Door

EO is exit only - no outside trim. There's no lever, knob, cylinder, or touchpiece on the outside of the door. The push bar provides egress from inside. From outside, there's no way to operate the door without adding separate outside trim (which changes the model designation). This configuration is standard for stairwell doors, utility corridors, emergency egress paths, and any door where one-directional egress is the code requirement.

The device ships field-selectable between exit only, dummy trim, and night latch configurations, so a project change in function doesn't require reordering - as long as you're staying in those three options.

Specifications

Model: Von Duprin LD98EO (smooth case) / LD99EO (grooved case)

Series: Von Duprin 98/99 Wide Stile Rim Exit Device

LD Designation: Less Dogging - no hex key or cylinder dogging capability

EO Function: Exit Only, no outside operation

Grade: ANSI/BHMA A156.3 Grade 1

UL Listings: Panic Hardware and Fire Exit Hardware

Latchbolt: Deadlocking, 3/4" throw

Quiet One: Fluid dampener standard (noise reduction)

Handing: Non-handed as configured

Device Lengths: 3-foot (for doors 2'4" to 3'), 4-foot (for doors 2'10" to 4')

Field Selectable Functions: EO / Dummy Trim / Night Latch

Dogging: None - LD designation removes this entirely

American Locksets has stocked Von Duprin 98/99 series exit devices since 2001.