Fences and Gates.

dmccarty · Dec 29, 2000

I'm getting to the point where I'm going to have to put a gate and fence across a road to control access. Right now the road is "controled" by a cable and lock. Not real secure but it has been working. Our friends are getting their house built and workers need access to the property but they are just too lazy to use the stupid combination lock that is on the cable. For the road that is shared with our neigbor there tain't much I can do. But where I own the whole road, well me and the bank, I want to put up a fence and gate.

The road bed is at least 30 feet across. Its large enough for two lanes of traffic and six foot of right away on each side of that.

Right now all I can really find are chain link fence and gate material. That looks to be pretty cheap but I would like to have something a little more stout. I have looked at the gate operator's and such but I think that is overkill and I don't have power anyway. I'm trying to prevent walkers and more importantly vehicles from getting into the core of the property.

I know how some government agency's control roads with pipes and such but that seems a bit overkill for what I want to do.

So I guess I'm looking for something that looks decent, chain link 4-5 feet tall would not be that bad as far as I'm concerned, but also a gate/fence that is somewhat secure. If it was cheap that would be even better!

I did find a source of razor wire awhile back and after the two "gifts" some of the contractors left on my land Thursday I'm really considering it!

Thanks...
Dan CantStandSlobs McCarty

ERNIEB · Dec 30, 2000

Dan, How about a galvanized farm/ranch gate? Myself, I don't care for the flat panel style, I like the pipe ones, they seem stronger to me. I have a 16 ft. across my driveway. I just helped a neighbor put up a 14 ft. I think he said he gave $66.00 for it. The only problem, if you intend to go across the entire 30 feet, I think they only come in even numbers, so two 14 ft would only go 28 feet. Depending on what you used for gate posts, you could make it work.

Ernie
"I deem it necessary for Texas to be ready to meat an army of eight or ten thousand strong in May next." Eli Mercer (in a letter to Henry Smith Dec,1835)

jyoutz · Dec 30, 2000

Dan, the only gates that hold up (especially wide ones like 15 footer) are welded pipe gates. I've bought the galvanized farm gates several times and they really have a short lifespan. Now for me, I will use nothing but 3 or 4 rail welded pipe. You'll be surprised when you check with your fence company to find that these really won't cost all that much.

Billc · Dec 30, 2000

Mr. McCarty, we also just put up a 16 ft farm gate (welded pipe) across our drive. I have always used these types of gates at our different ranches. They work great. One secret to them: With the long gates (anything over 10 feet), when they are mounted they will sag at the end...[censored] that gravity! Anyway, two ways to keep the bottom corner furthest away from the hinged side of the gate from dragging the ground: 1)They make wheels that mount to that bottom corner. The gate will ride along on the wheel when being open or closed instead of dragging. 2) If you can mount the gate to a long post or a tree then run a cable at a 45 degree angle from the top of the post to a point on the gate 3 feet from the end, it will never drag. This is how I mounted our gate across the drive...we also attached an automatic opener.

In your case you will have to mount two gates rather than one large 30 foot gate.

You will find the welded pipe farm gates hold up much better than a chain link fence gate.

One last thing, with our opener we don't have power either. We are using two solar cells to keep the gate charged. Can't tell you how well it works, the circuit board for the locking mechanism blew and we are waiting for a new one.

Bill Cook

dmccarty · Dec 30, 2000

Thanks everyone for the responses! You guys sure are fast!

I worked on a farm with the galvaninzed gates and they did not impress me much. I'm hoping I can find some pipe gates. They sound like a good idea and fairly secure. I'll have to use the back hoe to dig the gate posts since I don't have a post hole digger.

I was thinking two gates instead of one big one with fence on each side of the gates.

I'll have to check the local farm store to see what they have to offer. I hope they have some pipe gates. Seems like I saw them there....

Thanks for the answers!
Dan ItSureWasColdWorkingToday McCarty

jyoutz · Dec 31, 2000

Dan, I always have mine made up to exactly the size I need by a local fence company. They said they don't even stock standard sizes anymore, they just have lots of galvanized pipe and a welder handy. Cost seems reasonable to me. Not long ago, I had some 4-rail, ten foot gates made for about $90 each. Also the info in another post about gate sagging is pretty good advise.

dmccarty · Dec 31, 2000

A friend at work took a welding class. After talking with him and seeing what one can do with a welder for tractor/property projects I sure wish I had the time to take a class...

Thanks for the info. There is a fence company on the way to work I'll have to check out. I'll have to check the farm supply store as well.

Thanks again.
Dan

teherzog · Jan 3, 2001

dmccarty, I was over in Knightdale at tractorsupply co. they've got a good selection of the round metal farm gates. The way I look at it they don't cost to much and if it gets bent or rusts out you don't have to make another.(my 2cents)
Tom H.

cowboydoc · Jan 4, 2001

Dan I had a similiar opening and got two big telephone poles and put them 6 foot, cemented, and tamped them. I stuck them up 16 foot out of the ground. Then I put another one over the top of those two which I drove 12" spikes in and then put a metal strap over and screwed it on. I then got two 15' gates and put a cable system on them so that it goes from the end of the gate up on the telephone pole to a swivel. This prevents them from ever sagging and I don't have to screw around with the wheel pushing and grunting over snow and such. I have a double chain that locks the two together and then have and chain that wraps over the top to lock the two when I need it. I hated always fighting those wheels so that's why I built mine this way. I angled them so that when you open then they open on their own and then made a stop at the end so that I can tie them open if I want to. It works really nice and is solid as heck.

dmccarty · Jan 4, 2001

That is good info about TSC. There is a TSC out in Burlington as well which is closer to my property than Knightdale. I'll have to check them out. I found some pipe gate/fence companies on the web and the prices for one or two sections did not seem bad but putting up lots of the pipe fence sure got expensive real quick. I did like the look of the stuff which suprised me.

Thanks...
Dan