Automatic Gate Lock (FM143) for Mighty Mule Automatic Gate Openers , Black

This is exactly what I needed to secure my gate. My dogs had figured out that they could push the gate open just enough to escape. The gate lock solved that problem. It latches securely and keeps the boys at home where they belong. Installation was very easy. I had to buy a couple of U-bolts for my installation, but it works like a dream. I have found that the latching tooth needs a shot of lube occasionally to keep it working properly. I'm sure the manufacturer will say its not necessary but, in my case it is. I found that the lock was not latching consistently after being in use for a while. An occasional shot of WD-40 or equivalent solves the problem and it works perfectly.

Works great.

Someone decided they needed to be on my property despite the gate, fence, barbed wire, and two retarded dogs. After I came home and saw my gate bent open I decided this was no longer too expensive to get. This has two wires that you have to figure out how to get to the black box. Once you open up the black box you can stab around pretty blindly and still hook this up pretty easily. I am a complete goober and managed to make it work! Believe it or not, it makes a notable difference in the (false) sense of security you have with a gate. It makes a person have to WANT to come on to your property instead of just pushing the gate until it yields. It will NOT yield with this in place. Your gate will physically break before this gives out. It is very solid BUT dependent greatly on your method of connecting it to your gate. I did not use their hardware. Instead, I used two "U" bolts that lined up perfectly with the holes and then "fixed" the nuts so they would not easily come off. All in all, I am very happy with this lock. It works great.

Anyone expecting a high-security device will likely be disappointed. However, if you just want a lock that holds the gate closed and provides some security against the casual/lazy intruder, this will work well. I’m sure that my gate security could be defeated in 5 or 10 minutes by a reasonably determined intruder with a toolbox of normal hand tools. After all, that’s pretty much all I used to install everything. Even with the Pin Lock I bought, someone with a socket wrench could dismount everything after a bit of work. An intruder would be slowed down some, but not stopped. Long before then, my secondary security measures will have alerted me to such activity anyway. This lock’s latch can be pushed back with a thin piece of metal, but the gate opener arm would still hold the gate mostly closed. Also, as provided, the lock’s clevis pin/cap assembly is not terribly secure. Another reviewer mentioned how he improved the security of that assembly. Overall I was fairly satisfied with this product because I had a realistic expectation of the level of security provided. It was not very hard to install once I figured out which hardware would work for my particular application. They don’t include hardware since every application/installation might be quite different. That made sense to me, although some other reviews seemed to expect an assortment of mounting hardware to come with it. I took some measurements, bought some appropriate U-bolts & washers, and drilled one hole. I still need to cut off the long ends of the larger U-bolt, but since I couldn’t find that one in stainless, I’ll need to paint the cut ends so they won’t rust. I’ll probably just prime/paint all of the mounting hardware anyway. If you really want a gate system that’s difficult for intruders to defeat, you’d weld everything so that a socket wrench couldn’t take it apart. Of course, then repair would be a lot harder. Also, anyone who knows the basics of the automatic gate opener could cycle it by jumpering some wires or hooking up a car battery to the motor and solenoid wires. For better security you’d want to put the wiring inside conduit and enclose the control box inside something sturdy. Also upgrade the remote/wireless part to a more modern one that uses rolling codes instead of static DIP switch settings. I’m not putting all my security eggs in one (gate) basket, so this did pretty much what I expected, and I’m reasonably satisfied.

Extra protection for gate and great quality

I read all the bad reviews for customer service on this company, but their product is very much more affordable than all the rest, so I took a chance. I, too, had to read the instructions carefully, because my MM 600 is not listed in the lock's compatible openers. But I saw that the diagrams showed photos very similar to my control board, and took a shot. Everything fell into place, and the lock works great. One caveat: the receiver pin that the lock grabs on the post, did not fit between my gate and post. I don't like that big of a gap anyway. I used a 4" wide square Ubolt as the receiver pin, by drilling holes in the post, and setting it into the post at the right angle to be grabbed by the lock. It works fine as long as you carefully line them up before welding the ubolt in place (yes I have a pipe post, but you could do the same with wood posts by drilling tight holes, and wedging the ubolt in place. Use a hammer to drive the bolt into place with smaller diameter holes. You can still adjust it by pulling it out and in of the post.) I had a four inch wide by five inch length SQUARE ubolt. These are hard to come by in my area, and I ordered it off the net. (AMAZON, OF COURSE). http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BQM05Q/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_1 So I managed to bypass customer service at MM for now. I'm a very limited handyman and even I did this, so you can too.

It does the job pretty well, but installation was not as easy as it could have been. It would have been a lot easier had they included any of the hardware to attach the lock to the gate. Several trips to Home Depot later, I was still unable to find some of the pieces I needed. So what should have been a quick afternoon project turned into a 3 day affair. The saddle didn't attach properly to the lock pin either, so I had to improvise that one with another trip to the hardware store. However, the wiring was a snap and it now holds the gate tightly in place, so it was worth the buy to keep our dog from pushing the gate open while we're gone.

A direct lightning strike took out our original 6 year old gate lock. It worked flawlessly, so we purchased another one. So far, so good. Easy installation, I think a little pricey, but when you consider my family’s safety and the security of our farm’s entrance, I guess it is worth it. If you have a Mighty Mule automatic gate opener, you need an automatic gate lock.