Bolt cutters won't work on our gates, they are up inside a piece of pipe. What will work almost as quickly is a power hacksaw; just cut the 1" pin which the lock goes through.For some reason, there's 36" bolt cutters behind the seat in my truck.
You never know when you'll need them, and when I need them on my land for whatever reason, I know exactly where to find them.
We try to keep first responders with keys to the few gates we maintain but as you say, locks get switched for various reasons.