Width of wheel track for sliding gate

mr chips

I'm planning to make up a sliding gate (controlled/operated by an electric motor) using some leftover lengths of aluminium for the frame, to which I will fix wooden fence boards placed vertically with a gap of approximately 2cm. The dimensions of the gate frame itself will be close to 4m × 1.2m, and I'll allow for the boards to be slightly taller at 1.25/1.3m or thereabouts.

What I'm not 100% sure of is how wide to make the track for the wheels to ensure the whole thing remains stable in strong winds etc. Would 60cm in total - i.e. wheels placed 30cm out on either side - be enough, or do I need to go wider, say 100cm?

stratowide

I made something similar a few years back.6m x 1.2m

The wheels will be counter sunk up into your gate frame.Only part of the wheel will show.
They sit on a 20mm round bar which fits into the wheel.
You will have to mount the bar into concrete somehow.

I welded 20mm round onto 50mm flat and fixed into concrete.The concrete base was 200mm wide and 200mm deep.

The gate cant go anywhere as the weight of it keeps it in the wheels groove.

You can buy the bar readymade and galavanised.But it's much cheaper diy it.

Stoner

mr chips wrote: »

I'm planning to make up a sliding gate (controlled/operated by an electric motor) using some leftover lengths of aluminium for the frame, to which I will fix wooden fence boards placed vertically with a gap of approximately 2cm. The dimensions of the gate frame itself will be close to 4m × 1.2m, and I'll allow for the boards to be slightly taller at 1.25/1.3m or thereabouts.

What I'm not 100% sure of is how wide to make the track for the wheels to ensure the whole thing remains stable in strong winds etc. Would 60cm in total - i.e. wheels placed 30cm out on either side - be enough, or do I need to go wider, say 100cm?

The concrete on mine is about 250 mm wide

The recessed runner in the center of it is about 20mm wide

That's mine anyway, it's there over 15 years. It's a heavy galvanized steel gate.

blackbox

Running pulley type wheels on a bar or rail is a better system than wheels in a groove because the groove will fill up with muck.

listermint

Im not fan of regulations et.el but there is some regulations around the installation of electric gates. Mainly around the safety aspects. With installers needing professional certifications.

The gates need to have safety stop mechanisms and more to prevent accident or injury with them. An electric motor is a dangerous thing when in control of a couple of hundred kilos of steel

Odelay

There are regulations for a reason. Visiting children have had arms broken when gates were remotely opened.

mr chips

Cheers for replies folks. A pal managed to source a kit which essentially keeps the wheels mostly recessed and the whole thing stabilised at the top and bottom, so it should be fine. Wheels will run on a rail so no issue with a recessed groove filling up with water & muck.

To be clear, I'm just making up the gate itself, not the various gubbins that will allow it to operate. The motor etc will be installed by a professional, including a safety stop mechanism. Rather than using fence boards, I'm actually going to clad the frame with a load of tongue & groove boards I have left over from another job to ensure there's no chance of fingers getting trapped etc. It will be a solid "skin" on either side. As mentioned, the frame is being made from aluminium so between that and the timber it's unlikely to be more than 70-80kg.

Pkt123

I was thinking of doing the same was just wondering how do u fix the top of the gate to stop it falling or blowing over

mr chips wrote: »

Cheers for replies folks. A pal managed to source a kit which essentially keeps the wheels mostly recessed and the whole thing stabilised at the top and bottom, so it should be fine. Wheels will run on a rail so no issue with a recessed groove filling up with water & muck.

To be clear, I'm just making up the gate itself, not the various gubbins that will allow it to operate. The motor etc will be installed by a professional, including a safety stop mechanism. Rather than using fence boards, I'm actually going to clad the frame with a load of tongue & groove boards I have left over from another job to ensure there's no chance of fingers getting trapped etc. It will be a solid "skin" on either side. As mentioned, the frame is being made from aluminium so between that and the timber it's unlikely to be more than 70-80kg.