I don't take long... sort of...

[mckutzy]

Actually after thinking about this today...A nut welded to the end of the latch( with a big enough hole to accommodate the shackle) and a plate (w/hole of the same dia) welded to the fixed sides at the same height as the "locked" position( the bar down, the last pic #3).
Putting the padlock through the two.... the locking bar cant rotate up to release the gate.....

OR....One could use a carabiner with piece of wire or small chain to retain it, instead of a padlock.... Like an old '20's ford pickup tailgate....

 

[OzFab]

Maybe I'll look into that at a later time...

All welding done, including two small beads on the latch brackets, just for a little added safety...

I put it to the ultimate test yesterday by driving my riding mower on & off the trailer a few times & it held up better than expected; the only issue atm is the catcher mount catches on the ground; keep in mind though, the gate isn't sitting on a solid, even surface but, I'm more than happy with it...

 

[landuse]

Looking good OZFAB

 

[OzFab]

Ha, Robert was quick on that one...

 

[OzFab]

Right now, I couldn't be happier with my trailer, it's fully convertible, from plain box trailer to trailer with carry racks to fully caged, which can be done by one person in around 10 minutes & requires only 2 sockets; that's what I set out to do 5 years ago & it's finally done...

 

[chancer]

Enough Time, money and Patience...
Everything is possible

 

[OzFab]

Get your own line, that's mine

 

[chancer]

You are true to your own Wisdom! I respect that.

 

[supermanotorious]

looks great!

 

[OzFab]

One last little finishing touch...

As you can see in pic 1 below, both hinges run in the same direction for easy removal of the tailgate; the issue is the wires for the licence plate lights are very small (the black loom in pic 2 is around 5/16"); originally, I connected a small plug into the wires for easy removal but, that was a little too easy, the gate fell off once or twice & destroyed the plug...

Now, with a bigger, heavier gate, the potential to damage the wires is higher so, I installed a little "safeguard"; a 1" long M8 bolt with a nut next to the head, through the frame & a nut on the inside guarantees the gate won't go anywhere in a hurry...