Critique my gate design

[Egon]

Put wheels on the gate.:thumbsup:

 

[studor]

Your profile does not say where you are putting this gate in terms of weather but in some places three feet is not deep enough to prevent frost form pushing out the posts -- JMHO, I like the rest of it

 

[eepete]

Make it as wide as you can. Our fire trucks need a 10 x 10 box to drive through. Other departments go with a 12 foot height clearance on their rigs. So if you plant 16 foot long vertical columns you can put a top on it.

If you really have a 9 foot width constraint, well, thats what you have. You might want to visit your fire department and see if they can fit. You can also find out what size ambulances they have. Our county just upped the size of their ambulances, and its good and bad. There will be some driveways they can't get down into now. If emergency apparatus can't fit, then have a plan B for how they can in to the area if this gate is the only way in.

If there is other access for emergency vehicles for this area, I'd still opt for a 10 x 10 hole for a tractor if you can. Failing that height, have some way you can unscrew carriage bolts and remove the top piece if need be (and use stainless bolts). If 9 feet is all you can get, well, that's all you can get (but you can still do the removable top).

Agree on a supporting latch or wheels for the non hinge side of the gate.

Pete

 

[jimmysisson]

Can you get any additional width by swing the gate on one side only (away from the garage) and using a wheel as mentioned? Wider is always better, and the wheel eliminates the need for a top brace. 4' in the ground just makes the post stronger in use. I agree not to use concrete around the post - washed or crushed stone is best, tamped hard. You can use that under the post as well, so you don't need concrete, just tamp it hard first. No cross-piece = no height restriction and = shorter post = win/win.
Jim

 

[nap61]

I usually agree that bigger is better, but, if I read you plan correctly, you are using 6.0' high gates. Do you need them that high for privacy? If not, you could save some weight by going smaller. That would put less stress on the posts.

Norm

 

[jayste]

I have to agree with others on several points. Go the full 9' width and higher if possible. For support on the doors go with wheels. I've made brackets for my 16' farm gates to acommodate wheels that you can buy for tubular gates. You might want to put them on the inside. Looking forward to the project and seeing pics.:thumbsup:

 

[rd_macgregor]

I didnt' see where you live, but if you get any snow, you might want the swinging gate/doors to be elevated at least a few inches. A recreational vehicle, or even a big SUV with roof box, might exceed your seven foot design clearance, so an 8' X 8' opening would give you an extra safety margin.
If you are looking for lots of privacy and/or containing animals, this design (essentially a couple of 4X8 sheets!) should do the trick. If you are just aiming to discourage miscellaneous trespassers, a more open gate design would save materials and weight and would not look quite so forbidding.
Either way, you could adapt this design to an automatic/remote control electric opener, if you wanted to (I assume there is electricity available in your adjacent garage).
BOB

 

[catskinner]

If your using a header board, attach gates to a rail overhead like you would a barn door.

 

[Brad_Blazer]

I'll recommend 9' wide, 9' tall. You never know what you might want to haul back there in the bed of the pickup.

The 2x8's making the sandwich at the top don't have to be full length. I would just go with gussets or angled braces near the posts, or even cut a mortise and tenon joint.

The top beam is mostly stressed in tension and a 6x6 is way plenty strong. Having that full length sandwich will also invite rot.

 

[jml755]

How big is your backyard? You say you live in a "closely packed subdivision", so I can't imagine a need for a fire truck or ambulance to get back there. They'd just park on the street in just about every situation I could think of and lug stuff/people to/from the scene. Otherwise, nothing wrong with your idea, a little overkill in my mind, but it'll sure work. And if you're going to use a lintel, why use 6x6 posts? 4x6's or even 4x4's would probably be ok considering you're balancing the bending forces on the posts.