Creating an Entrance

[EddieWalker]

Jim,

I haven't seen anything like your flag holder. I was thinking one of the advantages to the pipe being schedule 40 is it's thick enough to drill and tap so I could add features to it.

Your flag holder looks perfect! Where did you get it?

Thanks,
Eddie

 

[jinman]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Your flag holder looks perfect! Where did you get it?
)</font>

Eddie, I got my flag holders from Monterrey Imports in Grapevine, TX. It's one of those Mexicana-Texicana metal works places. I think I've seen these flag holders at other places too. When I bought mine, I believe I paid $20 for two (maybe it was $20 each). Now they want $44 for them on their website, but I would not pay that at all. I know they will negotiate prices with you in a heartbeat. They would also be simple to make. I think there's only 5 or good tack-welds in the whole thing. Check out the link below. Sometimes browsing this stuff can give you some good ideas, but from what I've seen, you have plenty of good ideas of your own. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Monterrey Imports/Lone Star Limited

 

[HuckBB62]

Perhaps folks just weren't aware that you CAN do it all?

Great lighting fixtures!

Before shield:

After shield:

This is a fixture just like Eddie's, just with a shield. The biggest benefit is that the light works BETTER because the bulb is hidden from the eyes so that they can see the lit area and not be blinded by the fixture itself. Again, it's not about NOT lighting the area, quite to the contrary, it's about having better lighting AND saving the dark sky for everyone.

Making dusk 'til dawns work much better and getting the most for your lighting dollar.

 

[EddieWalker]

Since I've been messing around with vinyl fence lately, I decided to extend the fence along the highway. Back in November, the gas company came in and cleared their right of way. This left me with a 50 foot hole in my natural wooded barrier.

I called Dig Tess to locate the lines, put up my Locate Lines Here sign and waited three days for everyone to clear me.

Then it was a simple nigtmare of digging through the roots they left behind when they shreded everything.

Since the gas company has an easment for their gas line, I have to leave them a way in. I put in this 16 foot gate.

 

[EddieWalker]

The green paint of the gate really stands out and draws your eye away from my entrance. To eliminate this, I added three rails to the fence to make it blend in.

 

[EddieWalker]

The vinyl posts are hollow and don't have any strength to support a gate. The manufacturer recomends filling them with concrete and two lengths of rebar to make them strong enough for a gate.

I have no experience or proof that this isn't the best way to go, nor can I say if it will work or not. Saying that, and realizing that this gate may go years without ever being used, I decided to put a PT 4X4 post inside the vinyl post.

I cut the vinyl off so it only goes into the ground six inches. The concrete will get a better hold on the wood post this way. Then I filled up the remaining space in the post with concrete.

I drilled a hole into the post and attached my gate hangers just like I do in round PT wood posts.

The railings are attached with 2 inch self drilling metal screws.

 

[EddieWalker]

My first thought for securing the gate was to just wrap it with a chain. Of course, that's not a look I want for my fron entrance. My second thought was using a gate latch. I went to Home Depot to buy one and saw these slide latches on the shelf.

This worked really nice. I drilled a really tite fitting hole into the post and attached the slide to the gate.

There is zero slack and movement with this setup.

I used this setup because the gate will only get opened on very rare ocassions. For my other gates that will get used my oftern I have another method that I'm going to use.

 

[Scozz]

Eddie, my first thought when I saw the green gate was "wow that looks ugly" (in contrast to the white). The the next picture you had it all dolled up and looking good! Great work as usual ... Scozz

 

[jinman]

Eddie, adding those rails really masked the green gate. If I didn't know the gate was there from the previous picture, I might not even see it. Nice job! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Dargo]

I'm not real sure if PT wood inside of the vinyl would have been better, but I've had some concrete (and 2 half inch rebar sticks) filled posts bend during a severe storm. My posts are 10' tall (7' out of the ground) and 5" in size. I used 5000 psi concrete and the rebar as suggested by the vinyl fence manufacturer. I filled every post to within 1" of the top with concrete and rebar even though they said for "non corner" or "non gate" posts that I only had to come 3' out of the ground with the concrete fill. I still wonder if using PT wood in them would have been better, or if the wood would have snapped?

Each post took 5 eighty pound bags of concrete mix and two 10' half inch rebar sticks. I used two bags of concrete on the outside of each post, and it took 3 bags to fill each post. Other than using 4X4 PT wood inside the vinyl posts, I don't know how I could have reasonably made them stronger. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif I guess that a 7' tall privacy fence just catches a lot of wind. I used a come-a-long and a chain with my tractor and was able to bend the posts back upright after the storm last year. So far, they haven't moved again. Attached is a picture I took just after putting up the fence, before I did any landscaping.

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( posts bend during a severe storm )</font>

Did the posts actually bend, or did the the posts stay straight, but lean; i.e., soft soil around them?

 

[EddieWalker]

Dargo,

The PT Post was a cheap solution for a gate that will get minimum usage. There is a chance that gate might never get opened. I have a rock under the other end of the gate to suppport it, so there really is very little stress on the post. Wind shouldn't be a factor since I'm not catching it like your fence does.

By the way, that's a beutiful privacy fence you have. Thanks for sharing the picture.

For my gate's that will get daily useage, I'm useing a five inch steel tubing painted white to support them. Cost is around $9 a foot for the steel.

I'll post pics when I get it intstalled. Right now I'm about 80 feet from where it's going to be, but with nice weather, it might be weeks until I get to it.

 

[EddieWalker]

The rock for the sign has been sitting around since last summer. Plenty of time for somebody to set up residence.

This little lady came out to say hi to my girlfriend.

 

[EddieWalker]

The ends of the sign are 9 feet tall. We set up the scaffold to make life a little easier.

 

[EddieWalker]

She stuck with it until she got it done. I've never met a woman before with such determination, or love of completing projects.

 

[EddieWalker]

One side done, one side to go.

 

[EddieWalker]

I ran out of rock, so this is what it will look like for the next few weeks.

This is the exit gate, the sign, then the backhoe is parked on the entrance road. It's the view you see approaching my place from Interstate 20.

 

[Dargo]

Bird, you are thinking exactly the same thing I was on whether the post bent, or if it just moved the soil. The answer to your question is a good "I don't know". /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Eddie, I love the stone work you are doing. I have a scalloped shaped brick wall around a parking area. I was really wanting to use the stone like you are for the "posts". However, I was talked into just using brick. Are you running any electricity to your sign? I ran conduit through my wall and up to the top of my posts so I can put lighting on them, but can't find lights I like.

I was wondering what you used for an "every day" gate. The gates that come from the vinyl fence makers are of very poor quality and design. I can pretty well say that they flat don't work. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif I'm trying to figure out how to line the vinyl fence with steel or something so it doesn't sag immediately. Even with all of the cross bracing they send and recommend with a vinyl gate, it saggs badly.

You said that you are using 5" steel tubing. Do you plan on a need to stop tanks? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I've used quite a bit of 3/8 wall 2" steel tubing, and that stuff is really strong. I couldn't imagine how strong 5" is!

 

[EddieWalker]

Dargo,

The sign will have a floodlight on the either side of it, aproximately ten feet back. The will sit about a foot above the base of the sign. One side of the sign is much lower then the other side, so I'll have a taller post for the light on the low side.

My "every day" gate will be a regular ranch tube gate from the feed store or McCoys. Dark green with wire welded to it. I'll attach the rails to it like I did before so it blends in.

I've seen a few 4 ft vinyl gates that looked rinky dink. No way do I think they will last over time, and a larger one will be even worse.

The post supporting it is my big concern. Since the vinyl posts are five inches wide, I used the same for my light posts and gate post. It's way overkill on strength, but I felt it was important to maintain the look of the original posts.

 

[EddieWalker]

Here's my first 12 foot gate along my entrance.