Driveway gate pointers/tips for me

[jamesbond]

Hello,

This is James. I am slowly setting up my retirement home on a small farm. I have a lad coming on Monday and building some metal gates for me to put at the end of the driveway, you know about 6-8 ft high and 10-12 ft wide, this is for vehicles.

There will be one gate for vehicles, of the dimensions mentioned above, and another gate for foot traffic, pedestrians, like when I want to go walk the dog.

Now the vehicle gate will come with the lift master brand gate opener I believe it is a LA 400 model but the lad suggested I could up the ante to an LA 500 model if my heart desired.

I believe this lift master system will open and close the vehicle gate with the use of a clicking remoter also known as a clicker, but I asked the lad...do I need to click each time some visitor or errand boy drives in?

I believe there is some option for either a wand or an induction loop which senses the visiting vehicle and automatically opens the gate. I was debating whether to open the pocket book and get one of these? But the lad told me that for example the wand can be triggered easily by an object that is not a vehicle, and I did not really understand how this exit induction loop works


What do you friendly folk on here advise, what would be your ideal gate setup?

I live alone maybe a visiting dame or two, but I need some safety and I dont want to be pressing buttons to let cars out if I am in the loo.

Cheers to you
James

 

[daugen]

James, the best setup I've seen is my BIL's closures on his farm in PA, closures needed for deer, not humans. Four small vertical poles, each with a push switch on it, so UPS and other delivery folks can get in if needed. You open your driver's window, push the first button on the left, the door opens, you drive through, and you push the second button on the left on the other side and the gate closes behind you. Same setup on exiting. If you don't make it easier for humans to get through, you'll be getting a lot of phone calls or people leaving. That might be ok too...
No need for induction loops and those little switches are cheap. Need to run the wires though...though maybe it's all wireless now.

Welcome to TBN.

 

[TnAndy]

Both the openers you mention are linear actuator type openers. I used Genie brand linear actuators as my first openers.....got to know the parts lady at their 800 number by first name since I replaced the circuit board in them so often. Personally, I would avoid linear actuator type openers all together....they simply don't hold up to use. Might be fine for the farm gate opened once every few days, but the simply do not hold up to even residential gate use IMHO.

Also, apparently Liftmaster does not support owner installation....unless you are a professional installer, forget it.

Read the reviews here at Amazon to see some of the issues with this opener:

Amazon.com: LiftMaster LA4 Residential DC Linear - Gate Operator: Home Improvement

What I replaced my Genie openers with was an arm type opener that has held up great for over 20 years. The company that made them is no longer in business, taken over by another company, but the great part about the one I have is ZERO electronics (except for an easy replaced receiver for the transmitter button)....all mechanical switching, 1/2hp motor belt drive to arm gear box, rarely needs any maintenance.

 

[aczlan]

The other option for delivery people and guests is a code box where you punch in a code and it opens the gate. Most openers can be setup to use one of those.


Aaron Z

 

[plowhog]

Depending on your area, there might be more to this than you think. I looked into this in the Northern Nevada area recently, asking a fence company to bid on such a job. They explained some regulations/permit requirements they had to follow.

In my case, if you have an auto-opening gate using an induction loop to auto-close, you also need some sort of sensor to make sure the auto-close function does not close on and crush a person or an inquiring deer, dog, or whatever. Needless to say, that added a lot of complexity and cost to the system. For now, I left the gate as manual operation. Probably not an option for you.

 

[TractorGuy]

The size you choose will have a lot to do with the weight of the gates. That said the LA400 is rated for up to a 16 ft gate at 850 lbs. A good rule of thumb for any type system sizing is not to exceed 80% of it's rated capacity.

For security and functionality I suggest going with the code pads. If you get many deliveries most of the companies will leave your stuff at the gate. You can create a profile at the delivery companies and put the code into you address and they will sometimes use that if you want to do it that way but with many different drivers you can plan on most of the deliveries to be left outside the gate.

Different options depend on the distance from your home to the gates.

These systems resemble the Mighty Mule units but the advertised capacities are a bit higher. At three times the price I hope they are three times better. I have only had the MM systems at my house and they have served me okay. MM customer support is the pits and the systems have had a few irritations but my decision has been price driven and I get by with them. My original single gate opener fell victim to lightning and I don't know of any system that is not subject to this type damage. I replaced it with the same since the board replacement would exceed $75% of a new system. I was able to sell that one on craigslist when I went to double gates. My double gate system works slower than the larger single actuator I had and the trailing gate runs slower sometimes than others. It has been in place a couple of years and has never failed to open. A 30W solar panel seems to keep the lawn tractor battery I have running it charged without having to remove and charge it. Really the only problems I have had was the single system low battery alarm would sound at 12.2 volts and my previous 10W solar panel would not keep it above that full time. My current system is just the slowness of the one operator but as said it always opens.

 

[JRobyn]

The 1st thing you will need to know, is your power source. If you can run a 120vac line, that gives you the option of the heavy ($$$$) commercial-type openers. That was not an option for me, it HAD to be solar. I opted for an "Apollo" opener as they are designed from the ground up to operate on solar power. I have had a few minor issues but have been very pleased. MY BIL has an almost identical setup and usage, but with a Mighty Mule opener. It is cheap, homeowner-grade (or lower), junk that is CONSTANTLY having one problem or another. My (internet) dealer was Gate Depot. Good prices, very helpful, good customer service. As was noted, for several reasons (liability mostly) it is a VERY good idea to add a safety device to prevent the gate closing on something unintended. Mine is a simple photoelectric "transceiver" unit with a reflector. Shoots a beam across the gate opening. Cost about $100.

For EXIT, you will almost for sure want a "exit loop", an inductive coil in or on the edge of your road about 50ft+ inside your gate. Ours is about 80 ft. We ran it in cheap 1/2" pvc conduit, just alongside the road about 2-4" down. They are supposed to be designed for direct burial. They will only trigger on significant amounts of metal. Any loop/operator control board worth a crap will have a sensitivity adjustment. Our was set up ONCE when we installed the gate. Used a swinging square end shovel for "test metal". It has NEVER malfunctioned or false triggered in about 3-4 years of constant use. Cost about $100.

For entry, we very much like our "Millenium" wireless keypad. It has a simple transmitter inside it identical to "Liftmaster" garage door opener remotes. So we added a matching Liftmaster receiver inside the operator control box, and all the family got simple Liftmaster remote controls for their vehicles. We programmed in 4-digit entry codes on the keypad for everybody else.

And it's maybe not the most secure, but we also programmed in a "special" code in the keypad for fire/police/EMC and sent them a letter with it to keep in their records.

We have a key switch on the side of the control box so that the gate can be opened and locked open when needed. This can also be done with a programmed code on the keypad (but that keeps the little 9v battery in the keypad "on" all the time). We often program in a temporary use code (like for service contractors) and the keypad can be programmed with "one-time-use" codes if desired.

Questions?

 

[jamesbond]

Hello,

I'll write more in the am.

I DO HAVE 110/120v AC at the gate...so, I prefer a hardwired gate opener instead of a solar one.

Keeping this in mind, would you lads still recommend the Liftmaster LA 400 or 500 or opt for some other option?

I believe this liftmaster 400 or 500 costs a pretty penny too, about $2000 plus, at least that is what the installer lad quoted me.

That unit does already come with the photo electric sensor.

Cheers to you,
James

 

[jamesbond]

Cheerful morning to all.

Mate @JD855guy I do have 110/120v ac at the location of the gate, so would you advise me to get a more commercial gate opener, instead of the liftmaster 400 or 500?

Cheers to all
James

 

[TractorGuy]

Cheerful morning to all.

Mate @JD855guy I do have 110/120v ac at the location of the gate, so would you advise me to get a more commercial gate opener, instead of the liftmaster 400 or 500?

Cheers to all
James

I don't have any experience with the Liftmaster. I suggest you look at reviews for the product. From what I saw just briefly the $2000 would be very fair if that is installed price.

Do you already have the gates? You need to know the weight and type of hinges to determine which openers are best. A professional installer will figure all of that out for you. Decide if you want to DIY or pay someone else. Sounds like you already chose to have someone else do it so it may be best not to second guess what they recommend.