Entry Gate advice appreciated.

[Redlands Okie]

20 ft cantilevered gate only need to be 31 feet long. Not 40 or more It can be "free standing" or have roller wheel on the end if desired. Nylon wheels handle ice better for those times you get ice issues. Track on the ground one way for a slider but not needed for a true cantilever gate. Mighty mule gates brand makes more than a home owners quality product. light commercial openers in swing and slider are available, just often times not seen on web sites or local stores. Calling them direct or accessing their web site will help on this issue. Linear brand I think or a similer spelling is their commercial line. Several price ranges. All avaiable on their web site. Push button on a post, Key pad with multiple codes, and remote openers, magnetic sensors for opening or closing available for all of their products. Solar power get a bit bigger panel than you think you need. Most openers from these brands have room for two batteries if desired.

 

[JRobyn]

How do you handle visitors(friends) that do not know your phone # to call you and get the gate code and/or do not know the gate code and will show up unannounced.

I figure that anyone that doesn't know our phone number has no business coming down here!

We handle visitors in a variety of ways:
- most everybody we know who has a reason for gate access has the last 4 digits of their phone# programmed into the keypad
- we have 0911, 9110 and 3473 (FIRE spelled out on a phone keyboard) programmed in, and have notified the local FD/PD of this
- we often program in a short-term code of MMYY (month, year) and then cancel this out after the month
- we (rarely) program in a "one-time-use" code
- we'll meet service providers at the gate and open it
- we'll use the keyswitch on the control box to lock the gate open for a period.

For emergency access, the pin on the operator ram can also be easily pulled. A padlock can be used instead of a pin. Bolt/lock cutters are standard equipment on all emergency response vehicles. Granted, the simple pin (and the easily-guessed 0911 code) reduce security to some extent. It's a trade off. It has taken a while, but we have finally got FedEx/UPS trained to leave packages at the gate. Also not the most secure, but works ok so far.

 

[flyerdan]

Eddie, if the opening is 20 feet, you'd only need that, plus 1/3 for a cantilever. That's about 27 feet overall, of course if you could go a bit more on the tail it would be better, 28.5 to 29 would be great. Then no track would be required, and you could have a cattle guard (either the rolling steel or concrete) with the bottom rail of the gate only a couple inches above.
As for the emergency override, I'd check with your local FD, they might have a master-keyed switch that they could give (more likely sell) you to put in the keypad box. If I recall, all the various override devices go to the same spots on the barrier strip, the opener doesn't care what it gets the signal from.
28 feet is fairly small for a cantilever (from my standpoint anyway, mine averaged 43) so it should be fairly easy to build, and not be too heavy. What type of fabric is it going to be filled with? I'm assuming that you're going to have some kind of deer fencing around the rest of the property that you will want to match with all the gates.

 

[breadtrk]

Just make sure it is far enough with easement enough from the main road to get a long nose stretch tractor and 53 ft trailer in from the road without tearing up the gate, ditch, shoulder or anything else. You may think you will never need that..... until you do.

 

[aczlan]

Just make sure it is far enough with easement enough from the main road to get a long nose stretch tractor and 53 ft trailer in from the road without tearing up the gate, ditch, shoulder or anything else. You may think you will never need that..... until you do.

So you're saying about 90 feet? There is a truck that parks at work that has a huge sleeper, a long gap between the sleeper and the trailer and looks like it takes half of Texas to turn around in. I think he's gotta be at least 35 feet from the Kingpin to the front bumper.

Aaron Z

 

[breadtrk]

Yeah, pretty much, but only a 1/4 of Texas. I don't think Eddie needs to worry about it but a ladder truck can save a home, IF it can turn into it. There is also the implement that a guy orders and some independent gets the load on his lowboy but can't get to the house because of the drive entrance.

I had to decline a free truck load of PT 2x material the receiver refused because the driver didn't tarp it simply because he couldn't turn in my drive. He tried my neighbor since he could turn in there but neither of our tractors had enough umph to get the stacks off. While we were screwing around his broker called with a buyer that was able to unload and pay, so that was the end of that.

You don't know you need that much room..... until an unusual circumstance says you do.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've decided to go with a sliding gate. I've never done one before, so I'm hoping that the number of mistakes I make will be minimal. I'm looking into the wheels and track to use and saw some pictures online of the angle iron being welded onto what look like a 2x2 square tubing. The tubing is then set in concrete at the driveway, and kind of bridges out over the ditch on the side.

Is there any reason to buy or use the angle iron for the track? Why couldn't I just turn the 2x2 square tubing diagonally and use that edge for the wheels to travel on?

I'm going to order these wheels Steel V-Groove Power Wheel and see how well they fit on the angle edge of square tubing.

 

[flyerdan]

The reason not to use square tubing on edge is that it usually has a more rounded edge while the angle is square cornered. This allows more contact with the V-groove wheel. I'm afraid that the tubing would start to wear due to the limited contact area, much like a v belt will wear out if used in the wrong pulleys.

 

[crackerjack222]

I think the angle iron would be cheap enough and much easier to replace than 2x2 half buried in concrete.

 

[Got2BTru]

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!

 

[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.