THOMAS DECOSTE wrote:It is unfortunate, but theft and vandalism has increased at the homes and on our 22 miles of roads our association manages.  We have received the approval from LURC and BPL to install a gate to protect our interests.  In fact it seems as if they think it is a wise choice. 
My question is:  Does anyone have suggestions on gate manufactures, types, and/or installers?  We are researching the options and I'll bet some of you have some previous experiences which would be helpful.  Thanks

Looks like there isn't a lot of experience with gates! But if you do some research, and especially if you install one and can report on the experience, that would be very useful to the group, especially since installing them may indeed become more frequent if and when Maine does experience a further increase in theft and vandalism.

I have found a couple of gate manufacturers.  If this is something you would like to pursue for yourself or your association, let me know here and I will check your profile for your email address and send you the contact information.
There are 2 gate styles.  One is more expensive and better than the other.
The first is about $2200 each not including delivery and installation.  It is guarenteed for 10 years against shifting.  - Very heavy duty and is a one-piece construction (connected 4' below ground between uprights) A link to a photo is here - Green gate

The other gate is constructed with the uprights embedded individually in 4x2x2 concrete, is less beefy and the connection is more subject to shifting over time. These were quoted at $1450 each. Photos (3) - yellow gate 1 yellow gate 2 yellow gate 3

****Both gates are 20 feet wide which accommodates heavy trucking which my association needs since there is often logging operations going on.  Smaller widths are available and I assume at a lesser cost.

THOMAS DECOSTE wrote:Our association has chosen the green gate.  It will have a 20 foot opening and installed will be approx. $2500-2700 dollars.  The lock issue, we hope, will be mitigated by "double pinning" the gate.  This is where the lock mechanism has two locks and the gate can be opened by either of the two locks.  We will have one lock which is keyed and the keys cannot be duplicated because it will be a proprietary blank only able to be ordered through the association and its locksmith.  The other lock will be a combination lock which can be used for temporary access by loggers, real-estate agents, etc.  This combination lock can be changed out at will without issuing new keys to all the lot owners.  

Thank you very much for this information. It makes the site just that much more useful and I am sure other people will benefit. 

Thank you all for the advice and comments.  The gate has been installed.  It was a big project, not the installation itself- that was the icing on the cake.  The real work was choosing and coordinating distribution of keys to the 62 members of the association, the local fire department, the Bureau of Public Lands, and providing a system for service persons (propane deliveries, real estate agents) tempoary access without compromising the member's security.  How I did this was having the gate "double pinned" where either one or the other lock opens the gate.  The lot owners have keys to one lock and temporary access uses the other lock.  Why?  Quality locks and keys are expensive, so should some temporary keys not be returned, replacing that lock and key set is less expensive than issuing new keys to all the lot owners.  We used Medeco locks and keys.  These cannot be picked, drilled, are very difficult to cut, and the key can only be copied by one locksmith in the country.  FYI- 2 locks and 100 keys cost a bit over $1200.  Pricey, yes, but putting locks on the gate where keys can be copies anywhere wouldn't really provide much confidence in in security. 
As this area is located in one of the small Plantations, there was some push back.  We hope since we constructed a bypass for atv, snowsled, foot, horse traffic, everyone will come to understand the purpose of the project is to prevent the theft and vandalism, not prevent the enjoyment of the wilderness.  (We maintain 22 miles of logging type roads and there is a State Lot abutting our area - (there is other access, but not as direct as over our private road).  Our Association seems to be a bit different from many since the privately held land is in excess of 3000 acres so every issue is magnified and sometimes in a different class altogether.  One example is when investigating insurance for the association, the cost was extreme since we, due to the miles of road and number of structures (including bridges) put us more in the category of a municipality.

I put together a 4 minute video of the final installation of the gate.  You can find it on YouTube here > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBub2GLpayg
If anyone finds themselves in a similar situation I would be glad to let you know more of the process and key record keeping system. 

Hi! I'm curious - how does this work with emergency vehicles? I saw a note about providing a key to the fire department, but what about ambulances?