diff --git a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBCollection.cpp b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBCollection.cpp
index 7a3a1d01d4..a9a3e6881d 100644
--- a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBCollection.cpp
+++ b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBCollection.cpp
@@ -26,7 +26,9 @@
 #include "Basics/Result.h"
 #include "Basics/StaticStrings.h"
 #include "Basics/VelocyPackHelper.h"
+#include "Basics/WriteLocker.h"
 #include "Cluster/ClusterMethods.h"
+#include "Cluster/CollectionLockState.h"
 #include "Indexes/Index.h"
 #include "Indexes/IndexIterator.h"
 #include "RestServer/DatabaseFeature.h"
@@ -1254,3 +1256,148 @@ void RocksDBCollection::adjustNumberDocuments(int64_t adjustment) {
     _numberDocuments += static_cast<uint64_t>(adjustment);
   }
 }
+
+/// @brief write locks a collection, with a timeout
+int RocksDBCollection::beginWriteTimed(bool useDeadlockDetector,
+                                       double timeout) {
+  if (CollectionLockState::_noLockHeaders != nullptr) {
+    auto it =
+        CollectionLockState::_noLockHeaders->find(_logicalCollection->name());
+    if (it != CollectionLockState::_noLockHeaders->end()) {
+      // do not lock by command
+      // LOCKING-DEBUG
+      // std::cout << "BeginWriteTimed blocked: " << _name <<
+      // std::endl;
+      return TRI_ERROR_NO_ERROR;
+    }
+  }
+
+  // LOCKING-DEBUG
+  // std::cout << "BeginWriteTimed: " << document->_info._name << std::endl;
+  int iterations = 0;
+  bool wasBlocked = false;
+  uint64_t waitTime = 0;  // indicate that times uninitialized
+  double startTime = 0.0;
+
+  while (true) {
+    TRY_WRITE_LOCKER(locker, _exclusiveLock);
+
+    if (locker.isLocked()) {
+      // register writer
+      if (useDeadlockDetector) {
+        _logicalCollection->vocbase()->_deadlockDetector.addWriter(
+            _logicalCollection, wasBlocked);
+      }
+      // keep lock and exit loop
+      locker.steal();
+      return TRI_ERROR_NO_ERROR;
+    }
+
+    if (useDeadlockDetector) {
+      try {
+        if (!wasBlocked) {
+          // insert writer
+          wasBlocked = true;
+          if (_logicalCollection->vocbase()->_deadlockDetector.setWriterBlocked(
+                  _logicalCollection) == TRI_ERROR_DEADLOCK) {
+            // deadlock
+            LOG_TOPIC(TRACE, arangodb::Logger::FIXME)
+                << "deadlock detected while trying to acquire "
+                   "write-lock on collection '"
+                << _logicalCollection->name() << "'";
+            return TRI_ERROR_DEADLOCK;
+          }
+          LOG_TOPIC(TRACE, arangodb::Logger::FIXME)
+              << "waiting for write-lock on collection '"
+              << _logicalCollection->name() << "'";
+        } else if (++iterations >= 5) {
+          // periodically check for deadlocks
+          TRI_ASSERT(wasBlocked);
+          iterations = 0;
+          if (_logicalCollection->vocbase()->_deadlockDetector.detectDeadlock(
+                  _logicalCollection, true) == TRI_ERROR_DEADLOCK) {
+            // deadlock
+            _logicalCollection->vocbase()->_deadlockDetector.unsetWriterBlocked(
+                _logicalCollection);
+            LOG_TOPIC(TRACE, arangodb::Logger::FIXME)
+                << "deadlock detected while trying to acquire "
+                   "write-lock on collection '"
+                << _logicalCollection->name() << "'";
+            return TRI_ERROR_DEADLOCK;
+          }
+        }
+      } catch (...) {
+        // clean up!
+        if (wasBlocked) {
+          _logicalCollection->vocbase()->_deadlockDetector.unsetWriterBlocked(
+              _logicalCollection);
+        }
+        // always exit
+        return TRI_ERROR_OUT_OF_MEMORY;
+      }
+    }
+
+    double now = TRI_microtime();
+
+    if (waitTime == 0) {  // initialize times
+      // set end time for lock waiting
+      if (timeout <= 0.0) {
+        timeout = defaultLockTimeout;
+      }
+      startTime = now;
+      waitTime = 1;
+    }
+
+    if (now > startTime + timeout) {
+      if (useDeadlockDetector) {
+        _logicalCollection->vocbase()->_deadlockDetector.unsetWriterBlocked(
+            _logicalCollection);
+      }
+      LOG_TOPIC(TRACE, arangodb::Logger::FIXME)
+          << "timed out after " << timeout
+          << " s waiting for write-lock on collection '"
+          << _logicalCollection->name() << "'";
+      return TRI_ERROR_LOCK_TIMEOUT;
+    }
+
+    if (now - startTime < 0.001) {
+      std::this_thread::yield();
+    } else {
+      usleep(static_cast<TRI_usleep_t>(waitTime));
+      if (waitTime < 500000) {
+        waitTime *= 2;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+/// @brief write unlocks a collection
+int RocksDBCollection::endWrite(bool useDeadlockDetector) {
+  if (CollectionLockState::_noLockHeaders != nullptr) {
+    auto it =
+        CollectionLockState::_noLockHeaders->find(_logicalCollection->name());
+    if (it != CollectionLockState::_noLockHeaders->end()) {
+      // do not lock by command
+      // LOCKING-DEBUG
+      // std::cout << "EndWrite blocked: " << _name <<
+      // std::endl;
+      return TRI_ERROR_NO_ERROR;
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (useDeadlockDetector) {
+    // unregister writer
+    try {
+      _logicalCollection->vocbase()->_deadlockDetector.unsetWriter(
+          _logicalCollection);
+    } catch (...) {
+      // must go on here to unlock the lock
+    }
+  }
+
+  // LOCKING-DEBUG
+  // std::cout << "EndWrite: " << _name << std::endl;
+  _exclusiveLock.unlockWrite();
+
+  return TRI_ERROR_NO_ERROR;
+}
diff --git a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBCollection.h b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBCollection.h
index f892773ff0..dfc759cdf3 100644
--- a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBCollection.h
+++ b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBCollection.h
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@ struct RocksDBToken;
 class RocksDBCollection final : public PhysicalCollection {
   friend class RocksDBEngine;
   friend class RocksDBVPackIndex;
+  
+  constexpr static double defaultLockTimeout = 10.0 * 60.0;
 
  public:
   static inline RocksDBCollection* toRocksDBCollection(
@@ -179,7 +181,11 @@ class RocksDBCollection final : public PhysicalCollection {
 
   Result lookupDocumentToken(transaction::Methods* trx, arangodb::StringRef key,
                              RocksDBToken& token);
-
+  
+  int beginWriteTimed(bool useDeadlockDetector, double timeout = 0.0);
+  
+  int endWrite(bool useDeadlockDetector);
+  
  private:
   /// @brief return engine-specific figures
   void figuresSpecific(
diff --git a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBTransactionCollection.cpp b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBTransactionCollection.cpp
index 250cca030e..435e575ab2 100644
--- a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBTransactionCollection.cpp
+++ b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBTransactionCollection.cpp
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ void RocksDBTransactionCollection::release() {
   }
 }
 
-void RocksDBTransactionCollection::resetCounts(){
+void RocksDBTransactionCollection::resetCounts() {
   // _initialNumberDocuments; -- HAS TO BE UPDATED
   _operationSize = 0;
   _numInserts = 0;
@@ -183,7 +183,6 @@ void RocksDBTransactionCollection::resetCounts(){
   _numRemoves = 0;
 }
 
-
 /// @brief add an operation for a transaction collection
 void RocksDBTransactionCollection::addOperation(
     TRI_voc_document_operation_e operationType, uint64_t operationSize,
diff --git a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBTransactionState.cpp b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBTransactionState.cpp
index 9aebfd547d..21c7552d99 100644
--- a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBTransactionState.cpp
+++ b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBTransactionState.cpp
@@ -129,10 +129,6 @@ Result RocksDBTransactionState::beginTransaction(transaction::Hints hints) {
         _rocksWriteOptions, rocksdb::TransactionOptions()));
     _rocksTransaction->SetSnapshot();
     _rocksReadOptions.snapshot = _rocksTransaction->GetSnapshot();
-
-    /*LOG_TOPIC(ERR, Logger::FIXME)
-        << "#" << _id << " BEGIN (read-only: " << isReadOnlyTransaction()
-        << ")";*/
   } else {
     TRI_ASSERT(_status == transaction::Status::RUNNING);
   }
@@ -333,8 +329,8 @@ RocksDBOperationResult RocksDBTransactionState::addOperation(
   return res;
 }
   
-void RocksDBTransactionState::reset(){
-  //only rest when already commited
+void RocksDBTransactionState::reset() {
+  //only reset when already commited
   TRI_ASSERT(_status == transaction::Status::COMMITTED);
   //reset count
   _transactionSize = 0;
@@ -352,5 +348,4 @@ void RocksDBTransactionState::reset(){
 
   // start new transaction
   beginTransaction(transaction::Hints());
-
 }