Farm gates, walk gates and drive gates

Who gate work suits

Gate work suits anyone whose fence has an opening that gets used, which is every fence. A farm needs gates wide enough for the tractor and strong enough to swing for years. A horse owner needs gates that lead safely and latch reliably. A homeowner needs a drive gate that clears the car and a walk gate that clears the wheelbarrow. The gate is the moving part of a fence, so it is also the part that fails first.

Solid Rock Fencing builds walk gates, farm gates and drive gates in Ohio and Pennsylvania from Bristolville, and we also repair gates that sag, drag or will not latch through our fence repair service. Gates sit inside a larger plan, so the farm and ranch fence page and the horse fence page are worth a look too.

Walk, farm and drive gates

A walk gate moves people, a farm gate moves stock and machines, and a drive gate moves vehicles. Each has a different width, post and hardware, and mixing them up is the start of most gate problems.

Gates should be as tall as the fence, according to Penn State, because a short gate in a tall fence is the weak point an animal will test. A good plan puts a walk gate next to any big gate, so people do not swing a heavy gate open to step through.

Single or double gates

A single gate is simpler, stronger and cheaper to hang, and a double gate is right when the opening is wide or the swing space is tight. The deciding factors are the opening width, the room behind each swing and how often the gate moves.

• Choose a single gate for openings up to a width one leaf and one post can carry without sagging. A long single leaf puts all its weight on one hinge post.
• Choose a double gate for wide drives and farm entries. Two leaves share the span, so each hinge post carries less, and you can open one leaf for a walk-through.
• A double gate needs a center stop and a drop rod or latch, so the leaves meet square and stay shut in wind.
• Check the swing. A gate that opens into a lane, a ditch or a slope may need a different hang or a sliding design.
• For horses, Penn State recommends horse-safe tubular steel gates and says to avoid diagonal cross bracing on gates, because it can trap legs and heads.

Hinge posts and why gates sag

Most gates sag because the hinge post moved, not because the gate failed. A heavy gate pulls on a post all day, frost pushes the post, and the post leans a little more each year. By the time the latch end drags on the ground, the post has been moving for a long time.

For a 14 to 16 foot gate, Grainews recommends a wood post 6 to 8 inches in diameter or a 6 inch pipe, with a concrete thrust block around the bottom 10 to 12 inches of the post at least 30 inches deep. Grainews is a farm trade publication, so we treat that as a guide, not a rule. Michigan State's chain link specification sizes swing gate post pipe at 4 inches for openings under 13 feet, 6 5/8 inches for 13 to 18 feet and 8 5/8 inches for 19 to 20 feet, and that is a campus spec for metal gates, not a standard for wood.

Grainews also describes a diagonal wire or cable from the top of the gate post to the next post, which shares the weight of the gate with the fence line. That is the sort of simple fix we look at when we repair a sagging gate.

Hardware, hinges and latches

Gate hardware does two jobs, holding the gate level and keeping it shut, and both depend on the post. The Michigan State specification says hinges, stops, drop rods and keepers should be structural steel, sized to keep hinges from twisting and to hold the gate level with the fence. Grainews says to drill hinge holes level and adjust the hinge nuts until the gate hangs level.

• Hinges. Pick hinges sized to the gate, mounted through the post, and set level so the gate does not walk open or shut.
• Stops. A gate stop keeps the gate from swinging past the line and loading the hinge.
• Latches. Choose a latch to match the animal. Horses and goats learn to lift and nudge. We found no neutral study of latch types, so this is practical advice.
• Drop rods and center stops. Double gates need them so the leaves stay square.
• Gaps. UGA says to avoid gaps between gates and supporting posts, where hooves or foal heads can be caught.
• Electric fence gateways. Oklahoma State says the current should cross a gateway through insulated 12.5 gauge cable buried at least 12 inches, and never through a spring gate or tape gate. The Ohio State Sheep Team says to trench insulated wires 1 foot deep under the opening.

Driveway gates and pasture gates

A driveway gate is a piece of the property's front door and a pasture gate is a working tool, and the two are built to different standards. Both are gates, both need the same post logic, but the details differ.

Gate openers are a separate scope from the gate. A powered gate adds an operator, a power source, safety devices and sometimes buried conduit. Any trenching means calling 811 first. In Ohio the notice goes to OHIO811, and in Pennsylvania to PA One Call, as covered on our call 811 page. We can talk through what a gate would need to take an opener. We do not name brands or models here.

Gate repair

Gate repair usually means resetting a post, adding a brace and rehanging the leaf, and sometimes means replacing the gate. The fence repair page covers the full process, and many fence companies only build new fence, so repair is a real part of what Solid Rock Fencing does.

1. Check the hinge postPush and pull the post by hand and look at its base for movement or rot.
2. Check the braceLook at the diagonal wire or the brace assembly and see whether it still carries load.
3. Check the hingesLook for wear, play or a twisted pin.
4. Check the latch postA latch post that has moved leaves the gate no place to land.
5. Decide to repair or replaceA sound frame on a new post can be rehung. A rotted or bent frame is a new gate.

The gates and posts article goes into how we think about the post a gate hangs on.

What to measure before you call

You do not need to measure to get a FREE estimate, since we walk the site, but a rough note saves time. The point is to know what has to pass and what will swing.

• The widest thing that will go through, such as a tractor with an implement or a trailer.
• The clear opening between posts at the narrowest point.
• The slope or ditch on either side, and which way the gate should swing.
• The height of the fence the gate will join.
• The ground at the latch end, since a rise or a rut changes the hang.
• Where utilities, lines or a septic area may be near the post holes.

Mistakes to avoid

• Hanging a heavy gate on a line post.
• Setting a post on the footing of the old one without checking why it moved.
• Letting the gate be shorter than the fence it joins.
• Choosing a latch that a horse or a goat can open.
• Leaving a gap at the hinge side that a hoof or head can enter.
• Using a single long leaf where a double would share the load.
• Burying the bottom of the gate post in concrete that reaches the surface. The Forest Products Laboratory says concrete that reaches the surface traps water against the post.

Choosing the right gate

What affects the price of a gate

Solid Rock Fencing offers a 10 year workmanship warranty, with written terms provided with the estimate. It covers workmanship defects, not weather, impact, animals or normal wood aging.

Questions we hear