HANGING GATES

Tomjim wrote: »

I have a few gates to hang. Just wondering what is the minimum size of RSJ that I would need and the cost per foot of this rsj. Would it work out cheaper than the hanging irons you can buy in a farmstore

i hung 2 gates on old railway sleepers. got 2 good ones for 25 each. much cheaper than rsj's. the price of steel is very high now. think its 50 euro a meter

Tomjim wrote: »

do you mean timber railway sleepers or the steel one (railway tracks)

We have some railway sleepers as gate posts in soft ground (bog) they seem to pull up a bit with the tension on the wire at the back of the gate tho.
We used to make our own concrete posts about 10 foot long. 2 10 foot lengths of 9 by 2 and a few threaded bars and some inch pipe for threaded gate hangers in the right place. Still have them here for at least 15 years.

Have used old esb poles as well, they seem to replace one or two every yr here, and the old ones look perfect and they let us have them for free.

Standard RSJs are not the greatest thing for hanging gates esp. heavy ones.They are inclined to twist a good bit over time unless the web is well reinforced with extra plates and even then will sometimes still twist.

To hang gates in a field,in a fence or at the roadside use either a 9 foot round timber strainer gatepost(8 foot strainers will work but sometimes dont have enough in the ground)or lenghts of steel tubing or even heavy box,depending on where the gate is going,type of fence ,enterence etc.Much better job all round

Only trick with driving gateposts is to make sure they are plumb both ways ie so gate hangs level both open and closed.Drill out top and bottom holes,run threaded bar hanger through and then you can level gate by adjusting the hangers.Dont forget when marking holes to plumb the holes vertical to the ground.
Nothing looks worse than 150 euros worth of a gate plus two posts with the gate hanging down or the end way up in the sky.
Sometimes with an extra large diameter post you may need to either weld another piece of threaded bar to the standard hanger or cut a piece from the back of the post at the top.

Tubular posts in concrete are easier to get right but you will have to leave the gate off for a while till the concrete sets.

Not a great idea to strain wire from a gate post as over time the tension on the wire will pull the post back and unless you have lots of adjustment the gate will never hang correctly.

I agree to paddysdream ,If they are hung right they add to a place,also if you are hanging a double gate make sure they are the right way up!!Neighbour has a pair by the road and one is upside down takes the look away.Used esb poles here.

Tomjim wrote: »

do you mean timber railway sleepers or the steel one (railway tracks)

timber railway sleepers.
9ft long 3.5 ft underground 5.5ft over and the bonus= they have the holes in the right place for the hanger

.........if it's good enough for the americans and the french :pac:

only problem with any concrete type support ( slat, block pillar etc) is any touch from a over enthusiastic driver in and out a gate will mean it cracks and you cant repair. timber strainer posts, metal etc will have a bit of give shouldn't or in metal's case can be fixed/repaired/straightened.

Birtles wrote: »

only problem with any concrete type support ( slat, block pillar etc) is any touch from a over enthusiastic driver in and out a gate will mean it cracks and you cant repair. timber strainer posts, metal etc will have a bit of give shouldn't or in metal's case can be fixed/repaired/straightened.

We've a homemade concrete gate post buried at least 4 foot into clay and it got a slap of a bale trailer about 5 years back and still standing crooked but still standing gate is a bit shook tho. Not too inclined to fix it as the field is leased out till the end of the year.

Won't say how long these took,9 ft long so to cover as much of the lane when opened.

moy83 wrote: »

Tidy job . Why is the electric fence behind the gates

Ground is rock,pure lucky to get the posts down,It carries the current around the field,stop cattle scratching at the gates also it is used to guide the cattle into the paddocks.

JohnBoy wrote: »

A job I started 12 months ago, but have yet to fully finish:





I still need to make the lift out centre post. 99% of the time just one gate will do, but for the silage boys, especially if there's a load of bales going out, the big gap is the only way to go.

In time I'll do the same directly across the road and the gates will meet to make a passage. My auld lad was ranting that you couldnt be doing that, blocking a public road. He came and spent the day with me putting in the foundations and setting the steelwork. I think we counted 10 things passing the road, in 6 hours but it was actually only 3 seperate vehicles. it's a very quiet road.

I like it.
been thinking about retractable clothes lines thingy's to block off gaps so we are not alway pricking around looking for bits of fencing tape etc.