Entry Gate advice appreciated.

[tractchores]

Good thread! We're FINALLY building our house now and I'd like to add pillars at the entrance and a gate. I'll go with sliding though as we get snow and the swing seems like it will be a mess when we get even a foot of snow!

For the pillars we used Techo Bloc min creta pillar kits, you can combine kits to make the pillars as tall as you'd like. It was pretty easy and surprisingly cheap and looks great. The product holds up well to salt and has a lifetime warranty (even with salt). There are a lot of neat ideas and looks you can use.

For snow load I actually preferred a swing gate. The reason being that we set the gate to be ~6" high so it can push through moderate snow on the drive edges to close. In heavy snow it's much easier to clear an extra foot off the drive VS having to clear a large area off to the side for the slide gate. I just push the gates closed into the plowed drive, then snow low or push back the sides with my tractor a couple feet and the gate area is totally clear. If you do use a swing gate in snow it's a decent idea to put the openers up higher to keep them out of the snow.

 

[wotalota]

Eddie,
I'm intending to build something different, a roll-off roof. But here is the combination of sliding gate items I have gathered for comparison.
/Tom

Amazon.com: ALEKO(R) 18Ft Aluminum V Track For Sliding or Rolling Driveway Gate: Home Improvement
4" X 2" Rigid Caster 7/8" V-groove Ductile Steel Wheel 1500 Lbs Each (4): Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
ALEKO | AR145 Sliding Gate Opener

 

[EddieWalker]

Thank you for the link. How would you attack the aluminum track to the ground? My current plan is to weld one inch angle iron to the edge of 2x4 steel tubing, and set the tubing in concrete.

 

[wotalota]

I got them because they were inexpensive including delivery, I've never welded and will be screwing them down into wood. I would imagine some might have concrete drives and could put in plugs to screw into. Would burying a 4x4s as a base be stable? Lining up the short lengths accurately and keeping them aligned might be another issue. There are some youtube gate installs that might provide some examples.

 

[flyerdan]

Eddie, since you have fabrication abilities you have the advantage of getting a full stick of 1.25 x 1.25 x.188 angle and a full stick of .188 x 3 flat bar and making a one piece track. To anchor it to the concrete pad that you will pour, how about some rebar spikes sticking into the concrete at slight angles so it won't lift out. That would be a nice smooth rolling surface that could be set flush with the cement, and an occasional sweep with a broom will keep errant gravel and other roller unfriendly objects clear. The only reason we made track in 10 foot lengths was for ease of getting it to job sites.

 

[bcp]

When you get that gate built, you need a good sign on it.


Not this one.

Bruce

 

[EddieWalker]

Eddie, since you have fabrication abilities you have the advantage of getting a full stick of 1.25 x 1.25 x.188 angle and a full stick of .188 x 3 flat bar and making a one piece track. To anchor it to the concrete pad that you will pour, how about some rebar spikes sticking into the concrete at slight angles so it won't lift out. That would be a nice smooth rolling surface that could be set flush with the cement, and an occasional sweep with a broom will keep errant gravel and other roller unfriendly objects clear. The only reason we made track in 10 foot lengths was for ease of getting it to job sites.

They have the angle iron welded to the flat bar that I can buy, and it's not too expensive, but I have several 20 foot sticks of heavy 2x4 tubing already. I'm going to weld the angle iron to the top of that along with some plating or more angle iron to the joint where I weld the 2x4 together to get it perfectly straight and flat. I will then set this up where I want it and pour concrete below it and along the sides of it. I have a 24 inch bucket on my backhoe and think that might be the perfect sized ditch to dig for this. I'll also lay my conduit at the bottom of the ditch before pouring concrete over it. One will have power going through it, the other will be empty for for later use. In the future, there will be cement trucks going across this, so it needs to be as strong as I can make it!!!!

Here is the sketch of what I'm hoping to create. My current width is 18 feet, and the gate height will be just over 8 feet.



I have some steel already, but this is my current shopping list.



I'm not going to have rock pillars or anything like that. Just the four inch square posts on either side of the gate. Then there will be a flower bed built from retaining blocks along the front and over to the side that should tie everything together.

 

[flyerdan]

Hmm, it looks like you'll be using twice the track I'm used to seeing, all of ours had it only between the gate posts. We had one v roller on the front and the back was supported on a rail that extended in the direction it opens. That also cut down on the need for guide rollers. Just going from memory here, I didn't get in on installs very often, only when they were short handed and had to Shanghai a shop guy.
Are you putting the 2x4 down so the 4" side is up? I'd assume so so the angle can be welded to it. If so, think about drilling some holes down the middle every 2 feet or so and plug welding in a chunk of rebar to keep it from deflecting under heavy traffic. It only has to be welded on top, and since the angle iron track will cover them, the welds won't need to be cleaned up. Maybe run your conduit through there as well, unless it's too big to fit inside the rectangular tube.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've been googling sliding gates and what I've seen has all had the track going back far enough to support the gate when all the way open, and the gate having two V track wheels at the bottom. I've seen a variety of ways to mount the wheels, but they all seem to have two of them.

I don't understand how your system supports the gate?

I'm trying to keep this as simple as possible, which means to me, fewer problems. The picture below shows what I'm thinking with the track.

 

[flyerdan]

That will definitely work, and is pretty simple and foolproof. I might be confusing chain link roll gates with the OI, I know that the chain link ones with wheels are supported at the back, but they aren't nearly as heavy and don't have a track to run on.
I'm sure you already know, but when your putting in the pickets, start at the middle and work out, that way you won't end up with a 4" gap at one end and 3.375" at the other.

Just ran across this unique method of rolling, kind of like an inverted barn door track system. It would work where a regular cantilever wouldn't if you wanted a roll top or pickets extending up where the top rollers would be. I can see some moment arm problems with this though.