If you had to cut thru a road gate - what would you use?

[Forger]

Lots of Thermite or tannerite

 

[The Heretic]

Lots of Thermite or tannerite

Thermite yes/maybe, Tannerite no (not enough velocity to cut steel, too loud, too risky).

 

[orygun]

I drive past a lot of Weyerhaeuser gates on the way to our property. Yesterday I noticed that a lot of them have been recently replaced with a sturdier looking gate. They look like the ones shown previously in this thread where a base is installed under the road bed.

 

[Kilkenny]

4" cordless grinder to cut the lock if you can get it in there, or a Stihl TS420 with a fiber blade. Through it in no time.

 

[Provincial]

I drive past a lot of Weyerhaeuser gates on the way to our property. Yesterday I noticed that a lot of them have been recently replaced with a sturdier looking gate. They look like the ones shown previously in this thread where a base is installed under the road bed.

I saw the same thing last week. Those are very sturdy gates.

There have been improvements in the lock boxes so they can protect multiple padlocks now. Getting something in position to cut/break a padlock shackle is getting very difficult with the new designs. There are still plenty of older gates out there with accessible padlocks, but they are getting fewer.

In the end, a gate only keeps out the honest and only slows down the dishonest. It is still worth the effort to put in a good gate, as even a small fire can do a lot of damage.

 

[koolminx]

Okay you over achievers, use a high lift jack and some dunage, simple schmimple, and you're off to the woods!

 

[CastleRocker]

I logged for a lot of years, and I've between the old blue Longview Fiber gates to the new "Elephant" gates that Weyerhaeuser uses now. We got locked in several times over the years. Locks are easy if you have access to the bottom. A length of chain about 3' long with a chain hook on one end, and an open hook on the other, and a sledge, or a splitting maul is all you need. Hook the open hook to one end, and wrap the other end around around the head of the hammer. One or two swings down and it's open.
Personally, I'd rather use the key. If it's the scenario that this thread started on, I'd like to be able to lock it behind me.

Our "Bugout" vehicles are old Honda ct110's. We have three. (They are also our hunting rigs in Idaho). We would drive around or slide under the gate, and let the pursuers deal with the lock.

 

[anothegunguy]

Really depend on the room you have. A lot of the gates around here owned by a certain big timber company have pretty protected locks. But they are pretty easy to drill out and most the time there is room to access the bottom of the lock. On the other hand an angle grinder and or bandsaw will go a long way. I like all the ideas I've seen. Be ready I guess. haha.

 

[The Heretic]

Our "Bugout" vehicles are old Honda ct110's. We have three. (They are also our hunting rigs in Idaho). We would drive around or slide under the gate, and let the pursuers deal with the lock.

A decent off-road bike is a good alternative to a 4WD. However, they have their downsides - e.g., if I need to retrieve my kids from the coast, at best I would be able to only bring one back on a dirt bike, and that would be iffy. Not to mention limited range.

 

[K-22]

SHTF Scenario: It is the zombie apocalypse. WROL. You are running away (in a vehicle) for your life. Time is an issue. You encounter a forest road gate:

View attachment 1771372

Your vehicle cannot get around it. You absolutely need to get past that gate with your vehicle, its contents and passengers. You do not care about law enforcement/etc.

What relatively portable cutting device do you use?

Portable band saw?

I am disinclined to carry a cutting torch.

I have found Thermite to be effective in this type of endeavor.

 

[The Heretic]

I have found Thermite to be effective in this type of endeavor.

It would work if you have enough, the time, and a proper fire extinguisher (class D?) during high risk fire season (starting a wildfire in the area kind of makes it dangerous to return by the same route). If it raining, that would make the thermite burn more.

 

[NeoBlackdog]

Has anyone pointed out yet that more often than not those gated roads are dead ends? You'll get stuck back there and the zombies will get you.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Has anyone pointed out yet that more often than not those gated roads are dead ends? You'll get stuck back there and the zombies will get you.

You fail to realize that the pursuing hordes of zombies, upon seeing the pile of sprung farm jacks, busted bottle jacks, missing fingers and bandaids, would instantly realize that brain pickings yonder are non-existent.

 

[Xmark1]

A $25 lock pick kit.

 

[CamoDeafie]

Also hope that there aren't boulders in the way further up the road, or fire ditches cut across somewhere or fallen logs or....

Edit. All of which I've personally driven to somewhere past Cascadia in the open NFS road network

A forest service road is a terrible route to take to "safety" considering the narrowness, gravel/dirt, literally no guardrails or whatnot... a slope on either side. Sometimes ditches on the uphill side...

I'm still thinking hinges are a weak point? But in all seriousness... still saying gated forest roads are a bad idea for "escape" routes. Great places to setup ambushes with natural funnel points and usually difficult terrain to bypass.
Open (ungated) forest roads may still be a bad option, simply due to good chances of the following;

Felled logs blocking

Fire control ditches

Fallen rocks, falling boulders

Washed out/wiped out in landslides

Has anyone pointed out yet that more often than not those gated roads are dead ends? You'll get stuck back there and the zombies will get you.

Yup a few times.

 

[NeoBlackdog]

Yup a few times.

Thank you, CD. I just didn't have the heart to wade through all the responses.

 

[JSAV97]

SHTF Scenario: It is the zombie apocalypse. WROL. You are running away (in a vehicle) for your life. Time is an issue. You encounter a forest road gate:

View attachment 1771372

Your vehicle cannot get around it. You absolutely need to get past that gate with your vehicle, its contents and passengers. You do not care about law enforcement/etc.

What relatively portable cutting device do you use?

Portable band saw?

I am disinclined to carry a cutting torch.

.44 magnum does really well against these.

 

[ferret427]

SHTF Scenario: It is the zombie apocalypse. WROL. You are running away (in a vehicle) for your life. Time is an issue. You encounter a forest road gate:

View attachment 1771372

Your vehicle cannot get around it. You absolutely need to get past that gate with your vehicle, its contents and passengers. You do not care about law enforcement/etc.

What relatively portable cutting device do you use?

Portable band saw?

I am disinclined to carry a cutting torch.

Davy Crockett

 

[metalhead68]

SHTF Scenario: It is the zombie apocalypse. WROL. You are running away (in a vehicle) for your life. Time is an issue. You encounter a forest road gate:

View attachment 1771372

Your vehicle cannot get around it. You absolutely need to get past that gate with your vehicle, its contents and passengers. You do not care about law enforcement/etc.

What relatively portable cutting device do you use?

Portable band saw?

I am disinclined to carry a cutting torch.

I would tend to agree with the cordless die grinder but if I didn't have that option I'd use a snatch block with my winch and try to spring one of the posts using an adjacent tree

 

[ZigZagZeke]

There isn't a timber gate around me that I don't have a key for.....so I vote my keys

I once worked for PG&E in CA. The corporate key fits the corporate padlock on nearly every gate in the state. They were issued to meter readers back when they had meter readers. I still have a half dozen of them.