Fixing a gate to concrete pillar?

daveg

We have a wooden gate (fairly heavy) that consists of 2 sections which bolt together in the middle. These are attached to a concrete pillar in the following way - The gates are attached (hinges - heavy duty) which are fixed to a wooden beam which is in turn fixed to the pillar (descriped below). The problem is this wooden beam is coming loose and is no longer flush with the wall. As a result the gates are hanging down slightly and are not closing properly.

We attached the wooden beam to the concrete pillar with special bolts that expand when they are hammered into the pillar (slot drilled first). My Question is can I fix the wooden beam with something more "heavy duty" than the bolts described that will hold the beam flush with the pillar?

Victor

Try adding more expansion anchors? Or add a support wheel to the opening edge of the gate(s).

daveg

I'm afraid support wheel wouldn't work as our drive is not tarmacked (stone chips - very uneaven). I heard you can buy certin nails that expand when there hammered into the wall?

Hellrazer

Dave those bolts you used are the hammer in type which are not as good as the bolt in type as they dont always expand enough when you hammer them in.
Buy the ones that when inserted into a pre-drilled hole you tighten with a spanner.
They come in various sizes from 10mm right up to 23mm spanner size and also in various lengths up to 12 inches long.
Id buy the longest and heaviest that you can find(13mm socket size and 7 inches long would be ok id say depending on the thiockness of the wood--they need about 4 inches in the pillar to give proper support).
Drill the pillar and the wooden support,insert bolt and tighten like fu<k.
Should do the job!!!!!!
Richie

Victor

Originally posted by Hellrazer
Buy the ones that when inserted into a pre-drilled hole you tighten with a spanner

These are "expansion anchors" and "expansion bolts". The problem arises with drilling the stone without spitting it.

Borzoi

What the guys are suggesting is a Rawlbolt, essentially a package of bolt and expander head, works similarly to a screw and rawlplug.

We use M10 (ie 10mm hex nut) about 60mm long to support 750kg brackets (3 bolts usually) , so that gives you an idea of the strength in them.

They'll set you back about €2-3each and you'll need a larger drill than a standard household model to put the right size hole in the pillar.

daveg

I'm afriad we have already used the rawbolts (drilled hole through woodenbeam & concrete pillar and inserted rawbolts through). However perhaps a bigger rawbolt maybe the answer?

Borzoi

Check out the picture at the end of this page here

They're the babies you need, not the hammer in type.

daveg

Originally posted by Borzoi
Check out the picture at the end of this page here

They're the babies you need, not the hammer in type.

They are the ones we used Dont seem to be strong enough.

Cal

You could always try putting some form of metal band around the wooden beam and concrete post. That should hold it flush.

Cal.

Borzoi

Originally posted by daveg
They are the ones we used Dont seem to be strong enough.

Christ, you did? Ok, as I say even the M10/50mm is rated for up to 2900lbs of tension in light weight concrete using 20ft lbs of torque to tighten it in. So even using the recomended safety factor of 4, you could hang 725lbs from each bolt without any difficulty.

I can only guess that maybe it didn't tighten properly, probably because you got a softspot in the concrete mixture or there was a cavity in the pillar. Is the pillar a mass concrete one or is it made using concrete blocks? You might have hit a block cavity or the mortar in between blocks.

daveg

I think it may actually be the wodden beam that is at fault. Perhaps the best thing to do is make 2 new beams and use new rawbolts.