Gate Locking Ideas

[rbtjr]

We had a trailer stolen. The thieves gained entry into our drive way by breaking a Master Lock padlock. I did some research and learned that Leclede chains and locks are about as tough as you can get. I bought enough 1/2" Leclede chain and enough Leclede locks (all keyed the same) to chain our gates and also other items. I have chained our remaining trailer to several attachments and 6 X 6 pole-barn supports, and our tractor to three attachments, etc. This might not stop a determined and well equipped thief but it will require some effort to overcome.

 

[Diggin It]

I use a Mighty Mule opener on my gate, and I find it much more convenient than a padlock.

Anyone with a pair of pliers could remove the gate from the hinges, so it痴 not that secure. I count on criminals being lazy. I want enough security to make them move on to the next place.

I pulled the pin on mine and replaced it with a padlock. Makes it a bit more tamper resistant.

 

[Diggin It]

If the lock becomes too much for a criminal, they will just destroy the gate or the hinges, or the fence.

You see that in some business burglaries where they don't even try to use the doors with security gates. They just take a sledgehammer to the concrete block sidewalls. Cover the area with a blanket to muffle the noise. Sometimes they don't care about the noise and just drive a truck through the wall.

 

[EddieWalker]

Buddy used to have a shop in an industrial park in Oakland CA. They would remove the screws on the metal panels from the walls and bend the metal back to get into his shop. He put installed cyclone fencing and they just cut through that, and then cut through the metal siding. Only way to stop them was to move to another area.

Cutting torches make locks and chains pretty much worthless.

If sound isn't an issue, cordless grinders with a cut off blade will go through just about anything. If not the lock, then just cut the gate in half.

Friend of mine who is retired and doesn't do any actual work on his land himself used to hire Illegals that hang out in Tyler at a grocery store looking for day work. There are dozens of them standing there and the trick is to get there early enough to find the ones that speak English. First time he did this, his barn was broken into the following week and all his tools and chainsaws where taken. Next time he hired them, his empty rental house was broken into and cleaned out. Last time he did this, and when he was out of town, they used a grinder to cut his copper main power lines from the pole that went to his barn with a grinder, or something similar. Then they wrapped a chain around the copper wire and pulled it out of the conduit in the ground, dragged it out through his gate and down the street about half a mile. It was 500 feet of copper. They took out his gate post, half a dozen mail boxes and nobody saw a thing. You could see the path on the ground from where they dragged everything. Even that the truck used to pull the copper wire was a dually.

He no longer hires illegals. He has added lighting all around his buildings and installed video cameras and game cameras. He hasn't had an issue that I know of since then.

I personally believe that most theft in my area is connected to lawn mowing crews. They watch the neighboring houses and know when you are not home.

 

[dmccarty]

...

Friend of mine who is retired and doesn't do any actual work on his land himself used to hire Illegals that hang out in Tyler at a grocery store looking for day work. There are dozens of them standing there and the trick is to get there early enough to find the ones that speak English. First time he did this, his barn was broken into the following week and all his tools and chainsaws where taken.
....

He no longer hires illegals. He has added lighting all around his buildings and installed video cameras and game cameras. He hasn't had an issue that I know of since then.

I personally believe that most theft in my area is connected to lawn mowing crews. They watch the neighboring houses and know when you are not home.

Back in the early 2000's a lawn mowing company expanded and bought a property along a major highway. They had quite a few crews/trucks running around and they built a couple of buildings to use for office and equipment storage. I noticed over time they built a chain link fence about 8 feet tall along with a very nice fancy gate. Eventually, they put razor wire on top of of fence and gate. My guess was that the thefts that led to the razor wire were inside jobs. The company did not survive the 2007/2008 economic meltdown.

The guy that built our house was a very nice and kind gentleman. He hired a guy to do chores around his place. The man had worked on many of his building projects through the mason the builder would use. The mason had told the builder the guy needed some work so the builder hired him. The guy stole his expensive Stihl chainsaw and some other stuff. Try to help someone and they stab you in the back...

Later,
Dan

 

[PILOON]

I have lived here for 50+years.
Mainly cottage country with weekend occupation.
I have never had a break in but many have, and some repeatedly.

I developed my personal deterrents.*

My gate is never locked (suggests I'm probably home)
Always a light kept on (bathroom is a logical one)
Window blinds closed to hide valuables BUT one easy access left open that has nothing of value in sight. (hide electronics, booze art)

I know some folks that even leave and old car parked to suggest they are home! (they move it from time to time)

I'm away often but have 2 vehicles so there is always one in the drive.

*Hey, a locked anything suggests you have somethin worth taking, besides any lock can be overcome.

Another consideration is most chalet break ins are mostly late fall B4 snow or early spring after snow melt but B4 nice weather.
Game cams can help, but that is only after the fact, besides if visible they will probably either steal or destroy them.

I once suggested a bottle of booze that was spiked but was warned that would be considered entrapment.

 

[ponytug]

@HawkinsHollow I would just go with that bar and box or tube design. Anything more, and it becomes too obvious that the easy way in is through the fence.

When I was an Embassy Marine, we had a variety of locks and barriers in the Embassies. Every one of them had a number rating, and that was based on the number of seconds it was expected to keep somebody out who knew what they where doing. There was no such thing as a lock that would keep somebody out for a full minute. 30 to 45 seconds was pretty common.

If the lock becomes too much for a criminal, they will just destroy the gate or the hinges, or the fence. Make it obvious that they are not wanted and that will deter 99 percent of the problem. For me, a chain with a lock on it works great. I also have "no trespassing" signs and lights at the gate, along my driveway, and around my house and outbuilding. Soon, I will have cameras that are both hidden, and obvious to see along with signs letting those know who trespass that they are being recorded.

I agree; I think that the goal is just to make it look difficult. Actually keeping someone who is determined out, requires reinforced concrete fences, razor wire, and even then...
I have been impressed how fast an 18V grinder goes through steel. It is close to or faster than oxy-acetylene, depending on the torch size. 30-45 seconds sounds about right for most locks.

We would like to put up a nice gate operator but getting power to the gate would cost a monthly fee which is not worth paying. Putting in solar and a battery just invites a theft problem so we are still using the old transport chain and pad lock system. We have been doing this for decades.

We would like a better looking gate, something nicer than what we have but then that would tell people there is something nicer, ie, worth something on the other side of the gate. Our house is not near the gate and the house can't be seen from the gate so one does not know the house is past the gate. The gate looks like many others blocking a farm road. It is plain and simple and does not show it is protecting anything of value.

An expensive gate usually means there is something expensive behind the gate....

Later,
Dan

We have a pair of shabby open gates by the road for similar reasons. We have neighbors with much fancier gates and home visible from the street, some of whom are rarely, if ever resident.

We did go through a cycle of mailbox upgrades over a few years to get to something that the local mail thieves felt wasn't worth their while, although I am not under any illusions that the Cold War is over on that front.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Jstpssng]

Zombie thread alert.
Also, I could get through the OP's gate in less than 2 minutes, with items normally carried in my pickup.
(OK, not everybody carries a cordless drill, hacksaw or 2 lb hammer wherever they go.)

 

[TheMan419]

There is one other point to consider. How will emergency service people/vehicles access your property if called in an emergency. Not all jurisdictions have the "smash & crash" procedure if they arrive at a locked gate.

Likewise - many will not accept a key to your lock. Too many locks, too many keys.

I've read at least one post here on TBN where the fire insurance company would not pay because the fire dept could not access the property.

A serious consideration in my case. My outer gate is over a mile, down my driveway, from my house and out buildings.

A very serious consideration. I dropped dead at home about 18 months ago from Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Without my wife performing CPR for 10 minutes and EMT's arrival in 12 minutes to shock me I would have been dead. The gate was locked. Thankfully one of the responding officers knew me and knew it was me. He was going to ram the gate down regardless of his department's policy not to do so. The other officer that arrived 30 second earlier had bolt cutters.

With less than a 5% chance of survival I am here. That gate has never been locked again.

 

[MossRoad]

A very serious consideration. I dropped dead at home about 18 months ago from Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Without my wife performing CPR for 10 minutes and EMT's arrival in 12 minutes to shock me I would have been dead. The gate was locked. Thankfully one of the responding officers knew me and knew it was me. He was going to ram the gate down regardless of his department's policy not to do so. The other officer that arrived 30 second earlier had bolt cutters.

With less than a 5% chance of survival I am here. That gate has never been locked again.

Yikes! Kudos to your wife. 10 minutes of CPR is no small feat of endurance.

 

[TheMan419]

Yikes! Kudos to your wife. 10 minutes of CPR is no small feat of endurance.

yes. She is kind of a bad ass at this point. I never win arguments anymore.

 

[jyoutz]

I am looking for a better solution for locking my gate than the old chain and padlock. My buddy has a cylinder welded to the gate for the padlock to go in. Keeps the crooks from using bolt cutters or angle grinder.
Something like this:View attachment 605069
I was just wondering if anyone has easier/more innovative ideas. I come from the school of thought that the harder you make it for a thief the less likely you are to have them around. I KNOW I KNOW if a determined crook wants to get in they will. But I am not going to make it easy for them.

Go take a look at the US Forest Service design. It’s impossible to cut the latch or padlock without a torch. Any welder can make one like that.

 

[Jstpssng]

Go take a look at the US Forest Service design. It’s impossible to cut the latch or padlock without a torch. Any welder can make one like that.

Are you aware that this thread is over 2 1/2 years old? Hopefully the OP has found the answers he was looking for.

And as I said before; I have yet to see a gate design which I can't open in two minutes with a simple hacksaw.
Not that I do it maliciously; yet over the years I've been around enough gates to know how they work.

Hardened steel in strategic places is the only way to slow people down who want to get through.

 

[jyoutz]

Are you aware that this thread is over 2 1/2 years old? Hopefully the OP has found the answers he was looking for.

And as I said before; I have yet to see a gate design which I can't open in two minutes with a simple hacksaw.
Not that I do it maliciously; yet over the years I've been around enough gates to know how they work.

Hardened steel in strategic places is the only way to slow people down who want to get through.

I didn’t look at the original post date. It showed up as a new post.

 

[ponytug]

Brazing on a little carbide never hurts either...

But again, the adjacent fence gets to be a weak spot very quickly.

Our neighbor had someone joyride through their fences with an ATV. I have to imagine that it came with some cost to the rider's body, but the next day, you could see that the tracks went through many fences with no sign of the ATV slowing down.

All the best,

Peter

 

[HawkinsHollow]

I'm still here. And no, I haven't had any reason to need to beef up security yet. Luckily, the entrance to my property is pretty private and very few people know it even there. Thanks for all of the feedback though.

@Jstpssng Have have seen plenty of gates that I would put $100 on vs you in the 2 minute hacksaw test. Just sayin'!

 

[beowulf]

You're better off with obvious cameras and signage for deterrents. Now if you want something that looks more aesthetically pleasing than a chain and padlock, that's different.

Ditto on the cameras (even if fake) and the signage. We have signage re 24 hour surveillance, beware of the dogs, "nothing here worth your life" (with a picture of a gun), and a locked gate, and a beeper alerts us if anyone is at the gate (nice for deliveries). No one has ever come on to the property with mischief in mind that I know of. Also, I have a rule that I will not have any yard sales, or otherwise do anything to invite strangers or lookiloos onto the property where they can see what is there to be taken.

 

[Jstpssng]

I'm still here. And no, I haven't had any reason to need to beef up security yet. Luckily, the entrance to my property is pretty private and very few people know it even there. Thanks for all of the feedback though.

@Jstpssng Have have seen plenty of gates that I would put $100 on vs you in the 2 minute hacksaw test. Just sayin'!

That would be an interesting challenge. Even the heavy gates we put up I have opened with a hacksaw after some putz jammed the lock with loctite or some other material. Not that I make a habit of it, but unless they are hardened steel I can get into them pretty easily. We haven't had any problems that way though, so haven't needed to make changes.

Another point; a round padlock is much harder to break than a square master lock type. Depending on gate style it's relatively easy to come down on a square lock with a tire iron and 2 lb hammer... not that I've ever had to break out from behind a gate...

 

[JDZ735M]

It's pretty easy to make a quick shave key for these laminated Master Locks.

 

[mikester]

Yes. The gates going into various areas of the National Wildlife preserve, just across the county road, have similar locking situations. A foot long chunk of heavy wall metal pipe( 4" dia ) is welded to the vertical gate post. A heavy tongue, welded to the movable gate, slides into a slot cut in the pipe. You have to reach up inside the pipe to put a padlock on the tongue. A metal top is welded on the pipe. Inside the pipe is, more or less, weather proof.

Prevents - rifle shots or bolt cutters or hack saws. BUT watch out. The hornets, wasps & yellow jackets really like making big 'ol nests up inside those pipes also.

A cutting torch could do the job. But - there is NOTHING on the other side worth stealing. It's just a lot more open range land.

Mud wasps seem to get into the darnedest places making your mechanisms useless. I prefer the simplicity of a chain and padlock. If someone is intent on breaking in, ANY lock won't be a deterrent.