Improve Strength of Timber Field Gate

[Dangerous Deere]

Today we had a locked 12ft timber gate pushed open by a trespassers car bumper.


Has anyone any thoughts on how to strengthen the gate or improve the locking mechanism to prevent this from happening.?Due to the width of the gate in timber it does flex a bit.

We are keen to keep the look of the timber gate if possible as it ties in with post and rail fencing on a lane.

 

[milkloss]

They might look pretty for a year or two.... but they catch the wind and slam into millions of pieces right when you don't want them to! One of our bulls belly flopped through four of them one morning. We've tried saving them on some environmental ground we rent but it's usually to no avail, bits of pallet, 4x2 etc etc... they look awful when repaired bodged so just got replaced with some proper galv yard gates.
could always bolt some lengths of angle along it but that won't look pretty either.

 

[Grouse]

A length of flat steel bolted to the top of the top rail and a length of angle bolted along the bottom rail will stop the gate flexing and hardly be visible

 

[Bobthebuilder]

Top crook upside down an a chain and padlock

 

[Purli R]

Top crook upside down an a chain and padlock

Or, if you want to do it right, turn BOTH hooks upside down.
FFS.

 

[Grouse]

How is that going to work ?

 

[Tomtrac]

How is that going to work ?

It would work fine in Australia

 

[Grouse]

Think Purli was on the cider last night

 

[vantage]

Well if both hinges were upside down , your trespasser would not have been able to push it open with his vehicle. He may have driven over it though, so add a few 6” nails so when it fell over the nails would do a job on his tyres.