cable across driveway-

[Bob Vanderlinde]

Hi,
I'm building a driveway (the driveway goes through dense trees/brush-- so no entry other than driveway) and want to put up some type of effective chain/cable/gate-- there have been ATV's on the property--and I don't want anyone on the property without my permission--I still believe in private property. (guess I'm pretty old fashioned in that regard!).
I was thinking about just posts with a cable across the 17 foot driveway, but it occurred to me that while this would keep out trucks etc, it might be possible just to lift up the cable/chain in the middle and drive an ATV under it.
Would appreciate other ideas-- i know a full gate would work-- but is there something less expensive that some of you guys have tried?
Thanks,
Bob

 

[ametcalf]

I hate to be a pessimist but years ago we locked one end of a real strong chain to an old piece of 6 inch steel pipe with about 4 feet buried in the ground and wrapped the other end around a 30 in diameter hedge apple tree. (lots of thorns to deal with.) The thieves cut the lock on the end with the pipe and cut the tree down and stole the chain. A neighbor to that piece of property had trouble with ATVs knocking a fence down so they could run around his five acre yard at their pleasure. He got tired of putting the fence back up so the next time they came he fired off a couple of shotgun blasts straight up in the air and has not seen them since. I think maybe they finally got the message that the No Trespassing signs included them.
I will be watching this post to see what advice you get. It is a good question.

 

[beeforty]

How about running your cable thru a 2" pipe in the middle that goes into a larger pipe in the ground in the middle like a socket. If you can make it long and deep enough, it can't be pulled out when the cable is locked and tight but loose when you take your lock off as the cable will slide thru the hole in your middle support.

 

[Bob Vanderlinde]

beeforty Sounds like a good idea, but couldn't a trespasser/thief just lift up the middle pole-not out of the ground but just up 10-20 inches and drive an atv under the cable on either side of the middle pole??
Thanks for the idea.
Bob

 

[Cat_Driver]

One thing to think about is liability. I know, I know, people hate hearing this BUT, with all the ambulance chasers out there you don't need to be tied up in court till you retire.

With a cable, chain etc across the road it at some point become invisible. A person could possible ride up to it a 50mph and get decapitated. Sadly the persons family will come after you for one of 100 reasons. Sure you may win the case but it will cost you or your insurance company dearly. Orrrrrr, you could lose the case, no one ever knows.

If a gate cost a few buck more it will be worth it in the long run.

Side story. When I was 16 I worked late at a college. One night after leaving my shift the security pulled a gate across the road I always exited from. It was a 2" pipe type about 4' off the ground. It was midnight and I never ever saw that stupid thing. Most of all I never expected it to be there as it never was in the past.

I hit that bugger going 35mph and you can imagine the damage to my parents car.

 

[Tenn_Blue]

I would put a center post in as well. You could put a locking pin in it to keep it from being removed from the socket.

I would also place a BIG "no trespassing" sign on the center post so people would see it. You could also hang a couple signs off the chain/cable to call attention to them as well.

Face it, all you are doing is keeping honest people honest. If they really want to get on your property, they will find a way! All you can hope for is to make it inconvenient to get on your place, so they will find it easier to go somewhere else.

If you want to ramp it up a little, install a fake (or real...) camera focused on the cable. If fake, make it obviously visible. If real, put a fake decoy out and hide the real ones :thumbsup: That way you at least get pictures (for future use) of whoever takes the time to mess with your access point.

 

[kebo]

I would go ahead and bite the bullet and spend some money to put up a gate that was heavy duty and see how that holds up. As mentioned, if vandals want to get in bad enough, they will find a way.

We have a couple gates at my hunt club that are quite ingenious in the way they lock. The padlock actually locks to a pin going through the tongue of the gate arm inside of a piece of heavy schedule 6" dia pipe. NO WAY can you get any bolt cutters on it to try and cut it off. If I was close to the gate, I would take a picture and post it here but it's like 70 miles from me at the moment. If you want a pic, I can take one next weekend when I am up there.

 

[yomax4]

Fences and signs only keep out the honest people. Put up a trail camera and get some pics.

 

[TrippleT]

Before putting a cable or something of that nature across a road, I too, would check into the liability of such a device. I think I would bite the bullet as well and just put up a gate. But, that is just my thinking on it. :confused2:

 

[tony Cecil]

We use the gate to keep teenagers in...When they have a party they then want to drive drunk..Of course on occasion one of them drives into it, messing their car up, just when `escape` is so near....They have to replace or fix the gate as further punishment....Our gate is a heavy pipe affixed to heavier pipe sunk in concrete..Tony