Tightening up slop in tube gate hinge???

[Scott65]

Another thought. It would be simple enough to check level on your pins. Just use a plumb bob in both directions. Hang it from the top pin and see if it matches perfectly with the bottom one. You can't trust a level on top of the gate, it could be tweaked. At one point it was correctly stated, this measurement is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is the pins being plumb with one another

 

[Attono]

Another thought. It would be simple enough to check level on your pins. Just use a plumb bob in both directions. Hang it from the top pin and see if it matches perfectly with the bottom one. You can't trust a level on top of the gate, it could be tweaked. At one point it was correctly stated, this measurement is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is the pins being plumb with one another

The pintle bolts are perfectly level and they are the kind that go all the way through the 6x6 post. If they were plumb horizontally, the gate would not be level when closed. That's why I had to screw the bottom one out further.

Anyway, I appreciate all the help. I think I am just going to live with the top hinge being rotated a little as it now swings freely throughout the range of motion.

One more note, I did drill a hole through the top of the bottom pintle so I could run a cotter pin through it so that it couldn't just get casually lifted off. It wouldn't take a lot of time or talent to remove any tube gate, so I didn't spend a lot of time making it fool proof.

It's good enough to keep fools out. If the dogs don't take care of anybody else that makes it in, my good friends Smith &Wesson will...

 

[TomSeller]

. If the dogs don't take care of anybody else that makes it in, my good friends Smith &Wesson will...

Good friends to have around.

 

[dragoneggs]

If your gate post is tall enough, put an eye bolt near the top attach a turnbuckle with either chain or steel cable run out past the center point of the gate and attach the cable there. It will hold up the gate. I did that to our front gate and also added a tensioner spring. Works great.

:thumbsup: Not sure I understand the crux of the issue but turnbuckle, cable and eye bolts can be your best friend.

 

[Attono]

That would be a great solution if the issue was that the gate itself was sagging from one end to the other OR if there was enough height to the post to apply leverage to the far end. Neither of which is the case. Really appreciate all the help!

 

[FTG-05]

Add washers to the pins, raise the gate an inch or so.

Good luck!

 

[flyerdan]

The hinge pins are only about 1.25" at most, so shimming them up would remove far too much bearing surface.
Upon re-reading this, I'd bet that the level reading when closed is when the gate is on the latch. When the gate comes off the latch, it probably drops almost 2" from unsupported weight. I've built thousands of gates from 2' wide for a dog kennel to 56' for a truck yard, everything over six foot got a truss cable or rod to level them.

 

[franklin2]

I thought this thread would stop since he got it to his liking, and I didn't want to beat a dead horse, but his comment below is the real problem. Just picture a door in your house where the lower hinge is sticking out further than the upper hinge. It's going into the floor when you open it.

He has ground/slope issues, and made a compromise that worked for him, so all is good.

The pintle bolts are perfectly level and they are the kind that go all the way through the 6x6 post. If they were plumb horizontally, the gate would not be level when closed. That's why I had to screw the bottom one out further.

 

[s219]

The hinge pins are only about 1.25" at most, so shimming them up would remove far too much bearing surface.
Upon re-reading this, I'd bet that the level reading when closed is when the gate is on the latch. When the gate comes off the latch, it probably drops almost 2" from unsupported weight. I've built thousands of gates from 2' wide for a dog kennel to 56' for a truck yard, everything over six foot got a truss cable or rod to level them.

I have a similar 16' tube gate, and the amount of sag is surprisingly small, like 1/2" or so (you can feel it when opening/closing the gate by hand. I positioned my latch based on the "post-sag" position of the gate. That was almost 3 years ago. Hasn't sagged any more since then.

 

[TomSeller]

I have a similar 16' tube gate, and the amount of sag is surprisingly small, like 1/2" or so (you can feel it when opening/closing the gate by hand. I positioned my latch based on the "post-sag" position of the gate. That was almost 3 years ago. Hasn't sagged any more since then.

I have a 12' gate with extreme sag. Years ago one of the bulls got loose, got into the field next to the girls and decided to go through that gate. He actually went through the post end, pulling the post out of the ground (love is a powerful thing). I flattened the gate out by driving over it with a tractor but never got it squared (rectangled?) up quite right. I ended up backing the lower bolt out on the new post to level the gate at the closed position. As you can imagine, I don't need anything to hold it open. I can still picture that gate flying over his head as he went on to pursue his interests.