Gated driveways?

We have a cattle guard with a metal gate over it. It's almost always closed and locked. The only other resident on the road has a gate also, usually closed. We have to leave it closed and locked because it seems most tourists are illiterate and can't read the the private property and no river access signs. On the rare occasion the gate is unlocked and someone comes through, 99% percent of the time they leave it open, swinging in the breeze, when they go back out.

UPS and Fed Ex packages are delivered to dh's business in town and he brings them home. The electric meter is read automatically (although I read it for years and called it in, then the company would come check the meter once a year). The electric company has their own lock on the gate for maintenance issues , there are no other easements. Some family members and a couple close friends have keys to the gate (these are the only people I don't mind dropping in unannounced or they have things to do here). Everyone else knows to call if they are coming over. It's nice because I don't get any salesmen, evangelists, or other unwanted visitors (the house isn't visible at all from the gate, so those types aren't tempted to walk in).

I basically want to be left alone and I really don't like drop-in visitors. Everyone who knows us knows this, so they call first and it works out for everyone. I like my gate and I like it locked.

We have very long private road and then private driveway. Three Property Owners all share ownership of various part of the road. The three of us agreed and put up a Gate that closes off the road. Like you we had people just driving back here day / night / fourwheelers / horses / rif-raf / it was annoying. So - the Gate is kept closed full time all the time but with NO lock. We just all keep it closed. Anyone coming in, invited, guests, workmen, are told to close the Gate back up.

Next we all then have Gates over our own Private driveways. Those are kept open if someone is going in/ out but we keep them closed otherwise and locked.

Someone above is correct when they point out that you must keep the Gate closed even when you are there or else you are giving notice to criminals.

For UPS/mail, we have a wood table/shelf marked "UPS / MAIL" and packages are dropped of there. They do not go through any of the Gates. I am the only "full time" resident back here so I am the only one getting packages.

We like our Gates and they provided security and privacy. Good luck

We've been wanting to put up a gate at our property entrance also. We're at the end of the road & even though there is a Dead End sign, people still feel the need to not only keep going, but they tend to do so at almost breakneck speed. Then when they reach the end of the road (our house), they don't turn around in the driveway, but turn around in the front yard & leave ruts. We have livestock, cats & dogs & now DD 18mo so we're putting up a gate as soon as we can get around to it.

It will probably just be a chain across the road attached to two posts on either side of the driveway. Obviously won't keep someone out on foot, but enough to keep people driving through.

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We keep our gate locked 24/7. It is installed on our 1/2 mile drive where the drive crosses a deep diversion ditch. No way to drive around the gate. It is also posted with No Trespassing and Beware of Dog signs.

If anyone ever cut the chain and came up here they would be surprised by 16 mostly large black dogs and one crazy angry woman with a rifle.

No one has a key except me and hubby. We even stop the meter reader from coming all the way up the drive by parking the old Yukon across it so he has to get out and walk the last two hundred feet. We do this because we do NOT want to risk losing a cat or another dog to idiots driving to fast on our drive.

Fedex, UPS and the post office have no problems with leaving packages at our delivery box. The power company was not so nice about not having access to the meters, but we refused to let them put a lock on the gate until we had our front yard fenced in so the dogs would be safe...the cats are a different story which is why we block them from driving right up to the house.

Like Chalk Creek, I do NOT like drop-in visitors and basically want to be left alone. Our house isn't visible from the road either and after it was built we had a LOT of people just driving up to it, turning around and leaving. I didn't like that one bit. If famiy is coming they call from the gate and we go down and unlock it. If we are having a big family get together we'll leave the gate open, but that's the ONLY time it is opened.

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Our rental has a gate and it does not keep ATV's and dirt bikers out because there are unfenced areas they can cut through. What does keep them out is my husband littering the trail they cut through with fallen over trees and limbs, etc. It is no fun to ride if you have to constantly stop and clear your path. If you want a gate and are worried about deliveries you could get a PO Box.

And a very effective strategy I might add as well.

Gates are to keep out honest folks or keep animals in to me.

I think you're right, Tx.

For us, once we started chaining the gate, it completely eliminated the folks who used to come on the place joy-riding.
They just needed that obvious noticed that "hey, someone lives here!"

Could they cut the chain? Of course. But in our case, people weren't out to steal anything. They were just wandering around the old Smith place because it'd been open for years...

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the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

Here you go, mine is still a work in progress. Trying to fence in a couple of acres around the garden and orchard. If I can keep the dogs in.... they will keep the deer out, and unwanted guest.

I have my ups delivered up in town and the power meter is read remotely. Some people may say I am a lot like that man up in Tenn. I like to shoot a lot.

sounds like our set up is almost exactly like Motdaugrnds - we have the perimeter fencing (field fencing) plus the gate to keep our cow and dogs out of the road, mostly. It's a pain to close it each and every time we enter and exit but we do!

It drives our mailman crazy when he has a box for us - he's asked us to get a large weather proof box or container to leave outside the fence for him to put stuff in. He's trying to help us out so we will!

Having our cow run up to check out visitors helps to convince visitors to keep the heck out! lol.

Highland view ups will not del to a po box

We have two 12' wood gates on our drive (can be seen on web site). Can't go around them, farm is completely fenced with "field fence". They stay shut at all times. Keeps stray dogs and other "things" out and all of our "things" in. When we move there full time I will replace these two gates with one 14' and a auto gate opener. Mail box is out at main road and power meter is read by remote. This gate will also stay closed at all times. Those who need it will have code to open. Like others above, I just don't like unexpected company.LOL

Hank
http://www.doublemfarmandchuckwagon.webs.com

You might think about getting an old gate and installing it. Never close it. The gate will let folks know that this is not a public road. Perhaps put up a sign nearby that says "private".

Then you can continue to do what you have been doing.

It is unfortunate that the folks with the $5 Grand and up toys have us outnumbered by a bunch. The ones that abuse private property give all the others a bad name.

Thanks everyone, I knew I'd get good info here. Nice pics too, and who knew there are solar gate openers?

I'm like most here, I hate drop in visitors and a gate across the drive was the best way I can figure to discourage them.

Thanks again!

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Cattle guard, big metal farm gate and a very large bull in the front pasture with a "beware of bull" and "keep gate closed" signs on the gate would probably do a LOT to keep unwanted visitors out.

We have a wire filled/Mesh gate across our drive and we keep it shut all the time.

Can kind'a see it here.



I use a Sure Latch gate closure.
http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.h...2-00b0d0204ae5

We also have woven field fencing with hot wire.

Keeps most unwanted people and animals out.

I don't have it hooked up to an automatic opener but that is something we have been thinking about for the future.

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Shari

you could put up a sign that says "private drive No outlet" that might stop the traffic

Nope.....got one. Turns out, trespassers can't read.

Only closing the gate works for most, census workers thinking they have some special exemption to laws on trespass.

we have a metal cattle gate with chain and we we padlock around both the gate and telephone-pole-type fence posts. Then we have barbed wire and thorn bushes from there down into where the culvert is in the drainage ditch.

I hate visitors and they were always thinking the no tresspassing signs meant anyone but them before we started locking the gate. They would figure out the latch system and just let themselves in.

Now we lock it 24-7. That's not near as much a pain as those visitors were!

We have a metal gate that has a slide latch but we also use a black rubber strap with S hooks to secure the gate shut. That's to keep one horse in particular from opening the gate and to make sure it's latched since the slide latch can be stubborn. Ours stays closed since we have all the livestock. I don't mind visitors stopping by. Most are friends and I'm here all day so I enjoy the company. Some usually stop at the gate and honk and we'll go out to talk. You can see our rv from the road so any thieves would know we don't have anything worth stealing and wnyway they'd have to get past all the dogs, cats, chickens, donkeys, cows and horses and most people don't want to mess with them.

I'd be derned if I would do a gated drive. Having to get out of the car go open the blasted thing and then shut it again just to do the same thing over when coming back home No Thank You..~! Say yo need a emergency vehicle to get to the place in a hurry at night fire, health problems, whatever, and you can't get to unlock the thing, and the emergency trucks have to "deal with a Locked Gate". No Way.

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