horseshoe gate latch
- Thread starter wroughtn_harv
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wroughtn_harv
Super Member
OP
wroughtn_harv
Super Member
I start off with a piece of one inch channel twelve inches long and two pieces of three quarter inch pipe about an inch and a quarter long. The pipe is welded to the ends of the channel.
One inch channel is also perfect for making hinges. It gives you the space between your post and female hinge. It also gives you more welding area. I've had few failures. You can also prefabricate some ahead of time so there's less time doing it on site.
This particular gate will be rarely opened. That's why I used the five eighths inch cold rolled shaft. If it was a gate used daily I would have used three quarter inch stock. The three quarter will rust up and lock down without frequent use. So the choice of which shaft material to use involves usage.
This one I intentionally went to TSC and purchased three different sized shoes. A pony shoe for the latch post and the shaft shoe is one size larger than the lock shoe attached to the channel.
If you used shoes of the same size for the shaft and channel there'd be about a quarter to a half inch offset. It just wouldn't look right. If your shoes are the same size then you need to trim the channel one quarter to an half inch depending upon shaft material.
Sixteen to eighteen inch shaft length seems to work fine for these latches. The one tricky part is the little barrier that doesn't allow the shoe to slide sideways without being lifted up.
The way I make these is I make a horizontal cut along the pipe length cutting about a third of the pipe diameter and a half inch deep. A perpindicular cut to that cut gives me a tab that's shaped right. It's welded to the channel.
This tab is very important. Especially around horses. They open latches by worrying them. When the two shoes, channel and shaft, match up almost perfectly it's harder for the horse to grab just the shaft one. Much less to grab just the shaft one and then lift it high enough to slide it sideways to unlock the gate.
There is another advantage to this set up. One can look at the gate and tell if it's unlocked or locked by counting the shoes. If only one is visible then the latch is in the locked position, two of course means it's in the opened position.
A common padlock can be put across the two shoes and one now has a locking horse shoe latch.
One inch channel is also perfect for making hinges. It gives you the space between your post and female hinge. It also gives you more welding area. I've had few failures. You can also prefabricate some ahead of time so there's less time doing it on site.
This particular gate will be rarely opened. That's why I used the five eighths inch cold rolled shaft. If it was a gate used daily I would have used three quarter inch stock. The three quarter will rust up and lock down without frequent use. So the choice of which shaft material to use involves usage.
This one I intentionally went to TSC and purchased three different sized shoes. A pony shoe for the latch post and the shaft shoe is one size larger than the lock shoe attached to the channel.
If you used shoes of the same size for the shaft and channel there'd be about a quarter to a half inch offset. It just wouldn't look right. If your shoes are the same size then you need to trim the channel one quarter to an half inch depending upon shaft material.
Sixteen to eighteen inch shaft length seems to work fine for these latches. The one tricky part is the little barrier that doesn't allow the shoe to slide sideways without being lifted up.
The way I make these is I make a horizontal cut along the pipe length cutting about a third of the pipe diameter and a half inch deep. A perpindicular cut to that cut gives me a tab that's shaped right. It's welded to the channel.
This tab is very important. Especially around horses. They open latches by worrying them. When the two shoes, channel and shaft, match up almost perfectly it's harder for the horse to grab just the shaft one. Much less to grab just the shaft one and then lift it high enough to slide it sideways to unlock the gate.
There is another advantage to this set up. One can look at the gate and tell if it's unlocked or locked by counting the shoes. If only one is visible then the latch is in the locked position, two of course means it's in the opened position.
A common padlock can be put across the two shoes and one now has a locking horse shoe latch.
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Freds
Veteran Member
Nice design. Especially with the back to back shoes to slip a chain/lock around.
I might even go so far to cut the shoe on the green post into halves, separate them a bit and weld a leg pointing down on the steel rod locking mechanism. This way you would have to rotate the moveable shoe up 90 degrees to slide the rod out.
I tend to overthink some things, though. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
I might even go so far to cut the shoe on the green post into halves, separate them a bit and weld a leg pointing down on the steel rod locking mechanism. This way you would have to rotate the moveable shoe up 90 degrees to slide the rod out.
I tend to overthink some things, though. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
Henro
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W_Harv,
I remember seeing a pick of this latch of yours somewhere in the past. It is real nice, to say the least.
But more interesting to me is something that happens regularly it seems...like yesterday...driving back from our little TBN get together that we have every two months or so...catch a gate out of the corner of my eye...head snaps to the side...mental image recorded...
ESP activates and off goes a message towards the west...not sure of my range capability...any of those messages reach you? Yep, anytime I see a neat gate I think of a pretty red truck and a guy wearing a blue tee shirt for some reason... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I remember seeing a pick of this latch of yours somewhere in the past. It is real nice, to say the least.
But more interesting to me is something that happens regularly it seems...like yesterday...driving back from our little TBN get together that we have every two months or so...catch a gate out of the corner of my eye...head snaps to the side...mental image recorded...
ESP activates and off goes a message towards the west...not sure of my range capability...any of those messages reach you? Yep, anytime I see a neat gate I think of a pretty red truck and a guy wearing a blue tee shirt for some reason... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
OP
wroughtn_harv
Super Member
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( This way you would have to rotate the moveable shoe up 90 degrees to slide the rod out.)</font>
That's the reason for the tab.
To open the gate one has to lift the shaft shoe almost a hundred and eighty degrees to manuever it past the tab.
A chain isn't necessary. All but the smallest shanked locks fit over the two shoes easy.
I also have a tendancy to overthink things. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
That's the reason for the tab.
To open the gate one has to lift the shaft shoe almost a hundred and eighty degrees to manuever it past the tab.
A chain isn't necessary. All but the smallest shanked locks fit over the two shoes easy.
I also have a tendancy to overthink things. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
OP
wroughtn_harv
Super Member
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I remember seeing a pick of this latch of yours somewhere in the past.)</font>
I believe it was on one of the horse fence discussions. But this one offered the opportunity to explain it in detail. I figure if it has it's own thread then a search for a tbn'r would be a little easier. I'm probably not the only one who builds latches for gates or would want to.
Thanks for thinking of me.
Just yesterday morning I got a call. It was a good friend who had his dump truck break down over near where Bird lives. We took my truck and trailer and retrieved the truck. I hadn't been in that area in some time. But as I looked around at all the changes in the neighborhood I kicked myself for not having Bird's number so I could drop in for a visit.
The same thing happens when I go through so many of the other towns around here where I know we have tbn members.
I believe it was on one of the horse fence discussions. But this one offered the opportunity to explain it in detail. I figure if it has it's own thread then a search for a tbn'r would be a little easier. I'm probably not the only one who builds latches for gates or would want to.
Thanks for thinking of me.
Just yesterday morning I got a call. It was a good friend who had his dump truck break down over near where Bird lives. We took my truck and trailer and retrieved the truck. I hadn't been in that area in some time. But as I looked around at all the changes in the neighborhood I kicked myself for not having Bird's number so I could drop in for a visit.
The same thing happens when I go through so many of the other towns around here where I know we have tbn members.
Bird
Rest in Peace
Yep, Harv, it really has changed a lot. And I, too, am sorry you didn't come by for coffee, tea, or a coke.
Freds
Veteran Member
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( That's the reason for the tab. )</font>
Oops /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
We were posting at the same time, missed the part about the tab. Great idea!
Oops /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
We were posting at the same time, missed the part about the tab. Great idea!
higgy
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Great latch,
I will be building some gates in the near future and will give it a go. Thanks for the instructions.
Dane
I will be building some gates in the near future and will give it a go. Thanks for the instructions.
Dane
