"Best" chain and lock to secure farm gate.

[alscar]

As title -19mm seems to be the best available but any actual recommendations for both ?
I've seen some at over £1,000 (!) but are they really 3 x more secure than where a lot of the different options seem to sit ?
Fully appreciate nothing is foolproof but needs to be fitted and as ever its a balance between cost and point.
My previous go to was a Motrak but they went out of business.
TIA.

[kambites]

Would a chain bike lock work? A lot of effort has gone into making the better ones bolt-cutter proof and at least painfully slow for angle grinders. There's a sort of industry standard security test for bike locks called "Sold Secure" which produces different ratings (diamond being the top).

[RicksAlfas]

Burg Wachter bike chain and lock?
Insurance approved for expensive bikes. Various lengths available.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/burg-wachter-hardened-s...

[jimothyc]

Surely there's not much point investing in something that's harder to cut than the gate itself? As with most security, the best you can do if make it too much bother and hope they move onto the next target.

I think this is why a lot of farmers rely on massive lumps of stone or concrete to stop any unauthorised access to land.

[alscar]

kambites said:

Would a chain bike lock work? A lot of effort has gone into making the better ones bolt-cutter proof and at least painfully slow for angle grinders. There's a sort of industry standard security test for bike locks called "Sold Secure" which produces different ratings (diamond being the top).

Yes and tbh I should have mentioned that as that's really what I think is the only real option.
I've seen the gold secure standard mentioned along with chains form the likes of Oxford ,Squire and Yale and even Pragmasis ( never heard of them ) but just wanted to know in the real world any users own experiences.

[scot_aln]

Farm/field gates can often just be lifted off the hinges so making the centre secure with a lock doesn't help too much?

[alscar]

RicksAlfas said:

Burg Wachter bike chain and lock?
Insurance approved for expensive bikes. Various lengths available.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/burg-wachter-hardened-s...

Thanks but "only" 10mm thick chain.

[alscar]

jimothyc said:

Surely there's not much point investing in something that's harder to cut than the gate itself? As with most security, the best you can do if make it too much bother and hope they move onto the next target.

I think this is why a lot of farmers rely on massive lumps of stone or concrete to stop any unauthorised access to land.

Agreed except that wouldn't work for us as gate will be in use frequently.

[Mammasaid]

alscar said:

Agreed except that wouldn't work for us as gate will be in use frequently.

If you're only accessing with agricultural vehicles, would a poacher block not work?

[E-bmw]

alscar said:

jimothyc said:

Surely there's not much point investing in something that's harder to cut than the gate itself? As with most security, the best you can do if make it too much bother and hope they move onto the next target.

I think this is why a lot of farmers rely on massive lumps of stone or concrete to stop any unauthorised access to land.

Agreed except that wouldn't work for us as gate will be in use frequently.

You seem to be missing the very valid point.

You can fit a £50 lock or a £1000 lock, both still leave the gate easier to cut through than the lock.

[alscar]

E-bmw said:

You seem to be missing the very valid point.

You can fit a £50 lock or a £1000 lock, both still leave the gate easier to cut through than the lock.

Not missing the point at all but equally don't want to rely on that just happening with nothing else as a visual deterrent.
The design of the existing gate and the posts and the siting means they would need to spend considerable time cutting through each bar and the site isn't that isolated that no one would notice.

[alscar]

Mammasaid said:

If you're only accessing with agricultural vehicles, would a poacher block not work?

Unfortunately not.

[Snow and Rocks]

Having cut up a mangled galvanised farm gate a few years back, a cordless grinder goes through the bars in seconds.

Heavy duty looking motorbike chain and a decent padlock for the visual deterrent is as far as I would go. If someone really wants in they easily will so no point spending a fortune.

[LooneyTunes]

alscar said:

RicksAlfas said:

Burg Wachter bike chain and lock?
Insurance approved for expensive bikes. Various lengths available.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/burg-wachter-hardened-s...

Thanks but "only" 10mm thick chain.

FWIW, that chain (bought from Amazon), is what we use around the place.

Two/three chains per pair of gates: one round the hinge post and through the gate (new gates have been stolen around here!), one to hold the gate(s) closed.

It won't stop a cordless angle grinder but not much will. Likewise not much will resist the largest bolt cutters if someone is determined. Have a few blocks of "concrete Lego" behind gates we don't often use but would be attractive for anyone wanting to create an impromptu caravan site.

Chunkier gates/CCTV worth considering, but obviously not viable for every field entrance. We're planning something like this: https://www.estateguard.co.uk/electric-farm-gates (they do a five bar that is very substantial)

[biggiles]

We had chains on farm gates - realistically, a £10 chain will be as good as a £100 chain, an angle grinder can get through them all if someone really wants to get in. Tip: use a tech screw to fix the chain (at the midway point) to the post, so you don't lose the chain. Don't ask how I learned that...

Better upgrade was to get a local agri welder to make the existing gate bolts padlock-able (or add such bolts if needed). Ended up being under £100/gate, and much better for security. They can also weld a little something on the gate post so it can't be easily lifted off.

If you need more resilience to angle grinders, you'll need to move up a gate class I think. Electric cantilever sliding gate?

[alscar]

Snow and Rocks said:

Having cut up a mangled galvanised farm gate a few years back, a cordless grinder goes through the bars in seconds.

Heavy duty looking motorbike chain and a decent padlock for the visual deterrent is as far as I would go. If someone really wants in they easily will so no point spending a fortune.

Yup I get that.

[alscar]

Thanks LT and Giles some good advice there too.

[Turn7]

alscar said:

jimothyc said:

Surely there's not much point investing in something that's harder to cut than the gate itself? As with most security, the best you can do if make it too much bother and hope they move onto the next target.

I think this is why a lot of farmers rely on massive lumps of stone or concrete to stop any unauthorised access to land.

Agreed except that wouldn't work for us as gate will be in use frequently.

https://poacherblock.co.uk/

[The jiffle king]

Assume that your gate hinges the things you hang it on are reversed so that you cannot just lift the gate on and off? We had no idea when we first moved in and then an agri person showed us how to do that

As for a lock, as people say it’s a matter of time before someone courts through the aluminium so we just make it as awkward as possible by fitting a couple of locks and chains and having the hinges on the bottom upside down

[alscar]

The jiffle king said:

Assume that your gate hinges the things you hang it on are reversed so that you cannot just lift the gate on and off? We had no idea when we first moved in and then an agri person showed us how to do that

As for a lock, as people say it s a matter of time before someone courts through the aluminium so we just make it as awkward as possible by fitting a couple of locks and chains and having the hinges on the bottom upside down

Gate hinges already reversed and antitheft bolts fitted to the plates so the vulnerability is the gate itself.
Existing gates we have are all fine but this is a new road access one.
It’s the balance between security , not advertising something worth taking ( there isn’t ) , v anyone that fancies moving in.
We also don’t just want it left open ( footpath runs close ) so pragmatically think chain / lock as per suggestions already is the compromise.