Securing a garden gate

[The Medway Handyman]

Need to secure my 6'high garden gate, but I want to be able to lock/unlock from either side.

Not keen on the rim lock idea, current thinking is a chain & padlock.

Any better ideas?

[charles]

I suspect, knowing our garden gate, that it will change size/shape depending on the weather. This would make using a mortice lock difficult. Your idea seems a good one. Just make sure you get a weatherproof padlock.

[Andrew Mawson]

Probably not applicable in a urban situation, but here on the farm with an influx of grandchildren this Easter, and a similar gate giving direct access to a stream at the back of the house, I tied it with a suitable length of baler twine in a fetching shade of orange . Still not been able to stop them all bouncing on the fibreglass cover of the sewage plant!!!!

AWEM

[Nightjar]

IME it is difficult to go more than a couple of paces around any farm without finding something being held together with baler twine.

Colin Bignell

[charles]

Indeed, it's the agricultural version of gaffer tape.

[Java Jive]

Yes, the standard contents of a tractor cab are:

Dog (>

[Bill]

In message , Java Jive writes

A number of well read copies of the Sun newspaper.

[polygonum]

I'd like something as well - preferably remotely controllable. So that I could stop the spam delivers opening the gate!

[Tim Lamb]

In message , Bill writes

And any amount of crap picked up from roadside fields bounded by public highways:-(

>

[Tim Lamb]

How about some sort of electric latch? Could be key operated from either side (two switches) or radio fob.

Actually, after consideration, I need just such a system. Keypads would entertain local youth but has anyone come across a cheap, fob operated kit?

>

[news]

Easy enough to do with one of the telephone door opening devices that just move a plate back on a solenoid from what is otherwise a normal front door lock keyed from both sides.

I also use a pair of electro magnets to hold a sliding gate closed but manually operate able in the event of a power failure.

Triggered by a phone call.

AJH

[Andy Burns]

What's the power consumption of that?

[Tim Lamb]

I think *energise to open* would minimise running costs.

[Tim Lamb]

However, my application is to control an access from the public highway for tenants who may be laden with shopping in any weather conditions.

I envisage the robust sort of 12V solenoid found on agricultural machinery releasing a spring loaded latch securing the actual door/gate lock.

>

[Nightjar]

Apart from the dog and driver, you might be describing the contents of the pockets of a farmer's waxed jacket and I'm not sure about the dog.

Colin Bignell

[Dave Liquorice]

How long will any of that last outside?

Holes, chain and (weatherproof) padlock is the relaible KISS solution.

[news]

They're rated at 500mA but I'm running them on 18V instead of 24V. The gate opens about 100 times a day so the daily 0.2kWh isn't very significant.

I went with the magnets rather than the latch for two reasons, it meant I could have a low closing torque on the motor clutch, and hence less chance of a crush injury if the optical switches weren't adequate and so the gate could be manually opened in the event of a power cut, it's a vehicular access gate rather than a security gate.

AJH

[PeterC]

Next door has a combi cable lock (bicycle type) about 18" long. It goes round one of the uprights and the (plastic) soil stack. Not super-secure but probably no worse than the gate itself. It was supplied by her boyfriend - he's an officer in the Met! I'd been trying to think of a way of doing it and, quite honestly, realised that any sort of sash lock or similar wouldn't stay alligned for long; same with a combi bolt. The cable can be pulled through, so when I've used it from the outside I push it so that the lock is on the inside - it's all about delaying tactics.