Hinges for 12' Gate

[rockcrawler]

I had a guy build me a 12' metal/wood swing gate and he really hacked it together. Doesn't seem you can hire anyone these days to do good work. We told him we have dogs and need to make sure that it is sealed off as much as possible. We are responsible dog owners and we don't want some kid sticking his hand through a big gap in our gate and getting bit. These days if that happens, they put your dog down for being "dangerous" when they are just protecting their home. I don't really think our dogs would bite anyone, but I'm not taking that chance. Anyway, I need some ideas for hinges that will hold that much weight and allow very minimal gap between the gate and post. I also need the gate to open out to at least 90 degrees. He used an adjustable hinge that left a sizable gap. Here are some pics of his work. He temporarily put a board on the back side of the gate to cover the gap. It looks totally cheesy. He also added the wood cross beams on the front surface of the gate instead of the top. Now the fence has a gap where it sits away from the metal frame instead of against it like it should be. He also built it really high off the ground. It will have to be lowered. He cut all of the slats so short that the gate is shorter that the fence and once the gate is lowered down to where it needs to be, the gate will be about a foot shorter than the fence. I'm pretty frustrated. After it is complete and right, I'm going to have a concrete pad installed for my boat.

 

[rockcrawler]

More pics. He also cut off the boards while on the gate. So, he cut into the metal.

 

[rockcrawler]

More pics.

 

[wretched73]

I'm sorry I have no advice. That really ***** though

 

[rockcrawler]

I was thinking about this hinge, but I'm not sure if it will allow the gate to open to at least 90 degrees. King Metals said the pair will hold 600 pounds.

http://www.kingmetals.com/Catalog/ItemContent.aspx?ItemNumber=4968

 

[jhn9840]

That stinks. Hopefully you didn't pay him or can get your money back so it can be done right.

jhn9840
John

 

[Git]

I welded up a similar gate - about 12 years ago, and it is still going strong. It was 11' wide and for the hinge side, I got a piece of heavy angle iron and bolted that to a stucco and filled cement block pillar on one side and used two hinges that bolted on. Attached is a pic of the kind of hinge I used, but I don't remember where I got them and there are no markings on them that I can see.

With that angle iron, the hinge will definitly open 90 degrees but if I was bolting it to a traditional post - there would probably be an issue because of the 1 1/2" wood that I faced the gate with

Can you afford to give 3-4" to get the hinge out and away from the post or mount it to the front of the post instead?

 

[Tom Sestito]

Those hinges are not ideal - if you wanted it to swing out, you would need to leave a gap at the front of the fence to allow for the thickness of the fence to swing 90.

The hinges posted by Git are better, but you still would need to solve the same problem.

Clearly he did not think this out very well from the start.

I did my fence last year and spent a huge amount of time designing the hinges and gates because like you, I wanted no gaps.

 

[kd3pc]

the cross brace on the back is starting at the hinge side in the wrong place .....it should be on top at the hinge side going to the bottom of the latch side...It will not support any weight the way it is fabricated....

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

^^^Sure it will. If it was cable then there would be a problem. As it is the angled piece is in compression rather than tension, which isn't ideal but IMO will work fine here.

 

[kbs2244]

That is a lot of weight on a long lever.
A lot to ask of a hinge.

I would reverse the swing and put the hinges on the house side.
Make the post on that side higher and add a down wire out to the gate end.
That will take the stress off the hinges.

(Put a turnbuckle in the wire so you can tighten it when it sags.
Because it will.)

 

[rockcrawler]

That is a lot of weight on a long lever.
A lot to ask of a hinge.

I would reverse the swing and put the hinges on the house side.
Make the post on that side higher and add a down wire out to the gate end.
That will take the stress off the hinges.

(Put a turnbuckle in the wire so you can tighten it when it sags.
Because it will.)

It’s going to have a support wheel on the end once the concrete is done. That should help quite a bit.

 

[BD1]

So sorry too many screwups for sure. As for the gaps maybe some aluminum/rubber weather stripping may help. There is a variety that may be adapted.

 

[Farmerjonathan]

If you could use a round pipe instead of square tubing for the hinge post, you could sleeve it with a size larger pipe and weld that to the gate. Without obstructions it would swing 300 plus degrees then and fit tight to the post. The wheel will make all the difference with the reaction to the post and gate support in a positive way.

 

[bradpac]

I have done a gate before using unit bearing hubs from a truck mounted off heavy flat bar at the top and bottom of a large round post with the gate structure welded to the center hub part. Easy opening and will swing either direction. left about a 2" gap between gate and posts, all metal frame with pickets fastened on one side. So far I haven't heard any complaints over the last couple of years about operation.

 

[fnieto]

Sorry man, That guy did a total hack job. Wrong diagonal bracing ,wrong hinges, hinge support tubing and latch. Where did you find him? Probably not a registered contractor.
I make my own hardware or use counsel hinges depending on application.http://azironsupply.com/content/p/6/pid/793/catid/13/Counsel_Hinges_-_BADASS_HINGES

 

[rockcrawler]

Sorry man, That guy did a total hack job. Wrong diagonal bracing ,wrong hinges, hinge support tubing and latch. Where did you find him? Probably not a registered contractor.
I make my own hardware or use counsel hinges depending on application.http://azironsupply.com/content/p/6/pid/793/catid/13/Counsel_Hinges_-_BADASS_HINGES

He seemed legit. Lots of pics and good reviews.

 

[rockcrawler]

I was thinking maybe something like this. It would be similar to a gate that was at my previous house. What do you think? This gate has been up for about 13 years and still works great.

 

[rockcrawler]

That is a lot of weight on a long lever.
A lot to ask of a hinge.

I would reverse the swing and put the hinges on the house side.
Make the post on that side higher and add a down wire out to the gate end.
That will take the stress off the hinges.

(Put a turnbuckle in the wire so you can tighten it when it sags.
Because it will.)

I can't do that. I have to be able to back my boat in and if the gate swings the other way, it will block part of the driveway.

 

[rockcrawler]

That stinks. Hopefully you didn't pay him or can get your money back so it can be done right.

jhn9840
John

I gave him about half up front. He won't get anther penny from me until it's done right.

 

[rockcrawler]

If you could use a round pipe instead of square tubing for the hinge post, you could sleeve it with a size larger pipe and weld that to the gate. Without obstructions it would swing 300 plus degrees then and fit tight to the post. The wheel will make all the difference with the reaction to the post and gate support in a positive way.

4" post is already in the ground with quite a bit of cement. No turning back now.

 

[Farmerjonathan]

4" post is already in the ground with quite a bit of cement. No turning back now.

Find the pipe with an inner diameter that will fit over your square tube. Two rings will be welded to the square post, the top ring spins freely on top of the welded ring. The top ring is welded to the gate. Thus creating a beefy hinge that fits together tighter as well as opens a wide range as long as there aren't obstructions.

 

[rockcrawler]

the cross brace on the back is starting at the hinge side in the wrong place .....it should be on top at the hinge side going to the bottom of the latch side...It will not support any weight the way it is fabricated....

I'm a bit confused about gate bracing. It seems that if you ask 10 people you get 11 opinions.

 

[apollo11]

I have to say I've seen worse but I'd be on him to get it right.

 

[Fyrme]

I was thinking about this hinge, but I'm not sure if it will allow the gate to open to at least 90 degrees. King Metals said the pair will hold 600 pounds.

http://www.kingmetals.com/Catalog/ItemContent.aspx?ItemNumber=4968

I built a gate using those hinges. They leave a pretty good gap. But a gap is needed to swing a gate 90+˚.



A solution to a gap could be welding a piece of 1/4" flat bar perpendicular to the tube, dead center between the hinges. It would not affect the swing because it makes the same arch and the hinges. Does that make any sense?

 

[rockcrawler]

I

A solution to a gap could be welding a piece of 1/4" flat bar perpendicular to the tube, dead center between the hinges. It would not affect the swing because it makes the same arch and the hinges. Does that make any sense?

I considered that but it seems it would look kinda hacked. We live in a neighborhood with a home owners association and they complain about everything.

 

[Fyrme]

I doubt anyone would take a second look if it was painted black like the post. It will just look like part of the post.

 

[kbs2244]

"I can't do that. I have to be able to back my boat in and if the gate swings the other way, it will block part of the driveway. "

I do not understand that.
If the gate swings up along side the house, it should make the driveway a clear shot.

Remember, you can make it swing to the front as well as to the back.

 

[Git]

I would do something like what I did, but instead of using a piece of angle iron, just use a flat piece. You need to get the hinge out from the post to get enough room for the gate to open 90 degrees. (your only other option is the hinge in front or back of the post Since you can't do much with the post at this point, you could weld or bolt on a piece of metal to the back of the post. (The metal would also cover up the gap)

 

[Nor'Easter]

the cross brace on the back is starting at the hinge side in the wrong place .....it should be on top at the hinge side going to the bottom of the latch side...It will not support any weight the way it is fabricated....

That's only true if the brace was a cable. The brace currently creates a rectangle resistant to shear. Doesn't matter where it goes, so long as it's corner to corner.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

despiteall the things you mention, I think this L bracket with a single screw would piss me off the most.

My gate does not sag, opens 180, and has no gap. if I hang on the end out 8 1/2 feet, the 4x4 metal post bends for 1/4" of sag. I got the piano hinge used, no idea where you''d buy it.

 

[PhantomEB]

I have a full width gate of welded steel and perforated stainless steel raped from a previous job. Sags quite a bit so it’s getting redone like ole slewfoots to be barn door style 66/33% split. This will allow me access out to the back lane on garbage day.

 

[rockcrawler]

My gate does not sag, opens 180, and has no gap. if I hang on the end out 8 1/2 feet, the 4x4 metal post bends for 1/4" of sag. I got the piano hinge used, no idea where you''d buy it.

Don't think I could use that type of hinge on this gate because of the weight. 12' long and 6' tall wood and steel is pretty heavy I would imagine.

 

[rockcrawler]

Well, looks like I can no longer get the type of hinge that was on my old gate. So, I'm looking at the King Kong hinge from King Metals. The weight capacity for the pair is 3,000#. I don't know the weight of my new gate, but i couldn't imagine it would be even close to 1,000#. My reasoning behind this idea is to allow the gate to swing open at least 90 degrees and clear the top caps that are on the fence and gate and to leave very minimal gap between the post and gate. Anyone have any input on this idea? Will it work? Will the hinge be compromised in any way? If it will work, should we weld the gate to the top part of the hinge of the top hinge and the bottom part of the hinge on the bottom hinge? Any ideas would be appreciated. Keep in mind that there will be a swiveling support wheel at the end of the gate once the concrete has been completed.


http://www.kingmetals.com/Catalog/ItemContent.aspx?ItemNumber=4963

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Don't think I could use that type of hinge on this gate because of the weight. 12' long and 6' tall wood and steel is pretty heavy I would imagine.

It rotates on four feet of 3/8 shaft, I don't think my 8' x 6' gate challenges it at all.

 

[rockcrawler]

I would do something like what I did, but instead of using a piece of angle iron, just use a flat piece. You need to get the hinge out from the post to get enough room for the gate to open 90 degrees. (your only other option is the hinge in front or back of the post Since you can't do much with the post at this point, you could weld or bolt on a piece of metal to the back of the post. (The metal would also cover up the gap)

That is a good idea, but I'm trying, if possible, to get the gate to open a little more than 90 degrees. Thanks for the input.

 

[rockcrawler]

"I can't do that. I have to be able to back my boat in and if the gate swings the other way, it will block part of the driveway. "

I do not understand that.
If the gate swings up along side the house, it should make the driveway a clear shot.

Remember, you can make it swing to the front as well as to the back.

I'm having to add concrete onto the side of part of the driveway to make it wide enough to back in my boat from the street. So, I'll be coming in at an angle. If the gate opens towards the house, it will be blocking part of my angle. And, I cannot swing the gate in because after I park the boat, I won't be able to close the gate. The gate would have to swing closed where the boat is sitting. My boat/trailer and truck together are about 44 feet or so long. I need all the clearing I can get.

 

[rockcrawler]

Good news! I got a reply back today from an old friend of my Dad who does iron fencing and other metal work and he said my plan with the hinges should work fine. Now I just hope this guy can put it all together properly.

 

[rockcrawler]

It rotates on four feet of 3/8 shaft, I don't think my 8' x 6' gate challenges it at all.

Sounds pretty stout. Any concerns of the pin being in contact with the elements?

 

[rockcrawler]

I built a gate using those hinges. They leave a pretty good gap. But a gap is needed to swing a gate 90+˚.



A solution to a gap could be welding a piece of 1/4" flat bar perpendicular to the tube, dead center between the hinges. It would not affect the swing because it makes the same arch and the hinges. Does that make any sense?

That sir, is quite the fancy gate. Very nice.