The short answer is yes, it is often possible to password protect the difficulty setting on a toy crane machine, but it primarily depends on the manufacturer and the specific model. Many modern, commercially operated crane machines come with a built-in administrative mode that is secured by a default or custom-set password. This feature is designed for business owners and arcade operators to adjust the machine's profitability by controlling the claw's grip strength and the frequency of wins, preventing customers from tampering with these sensitive settings.

Accessing this mode typically involves pressing a specific sequence of buttons on the main control panel or inside the service door, which then prompts for a password. The default passwords are often provided in the machine's user manual and can usually be changed by the operator for enhanced security. For older or simpler models that lack this feature, a third-party locking mechanism or a custom software modification might be necessary, which would require technical expertise.

However, it's crucial to consider the ethical and legal implications. In many regions, regulating the payout probability of skill cranes is a legal requirement. Using a password to frequently adjust the difficulty to an extremely hard setting could be seen as deceptive and might violate local amusement regulations. The primary purpose of password protection should be to maintain the machine's operational integrity and ensure a consistent, fair challenge for players, not to create an unwinnable game. For a home user with a personal toy crane, such security measures are generally unnecessary unless they wish to prevent others, like children, from changing the game's challenge level.