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I am building a fence I'm my yard, but I need a massive gate.
16 feet wide.
I was thinking of 2 8ft gates that open like a barn door.
My only concern, is will this be heavier than hinges can handle? Is there a limit to how long a gate can be do a hinge? Is there a math formula to figure this out?
Why do you need a 16' gate? Seriously that is bigger than many commercial gates. You not only need to worry about the hinges but how securely the posts are anchored to take the load.
6x6 posts buried 3 feet deep (w/ concrete like a normal fence post) and have heavy-duty gate wheels? (The first place that came up was wayfair) , but I'm sure you could get them cheaper somewhere else, tractor supply maybe?
I don't know. This is just the first thing to pop in my head.
Not sure if it would work for your particular situation or not.
Build it as big as you want-
The post that will support it will come into play. The hinges- that’s just a matter of using the correct type based on the expected weight of the gate. I think it would be safe to say that a typical strap hinge is not in the cards!
A working gate that slides can be built for less as far as the materials/products needed to support it.
Depends how often you need to open them. If it's a gate you use frequently, split gates can be a nuisance, as anyone who has ever had to chase the two sides to stay closed at the same time will tell you. If occasional, then split gates will work fine, and you can put a block under them when closed (or a wheel if that works with the setup) so the weight of the gate isn't pulling the posts over when the gates are at rest. That will save you a lot of sagging stress.
The key to strong gates is in braced gate posts, as much as the construction of the gate itself.
I am building a fence I'm my yard, but I need a massive gate.
16 feet wide.
I was thinking of 2 8ft gates that open like a barn door.
My only concern, is will this be heavier than hinges can handle? Is there a limit to how long a gate can be do a hinge? Is there a math formula to figure this out?
And thoughts and advice would be appreciated
Place down the road from me sells post and poles and hardware for serious ranch gates. You can build it any size you want. I'd talk to a fencing company on hardware.
Look at the sizes of some of these gates. Open the pictures and then you can scroll thru them. There's one that is electrically operated but still has the ranch feel to it.
I am building a fence I'm my yard, but I need a massive gate.
16 feet wide.
I was thinking of 2 8ft gates that open like a barn door.
My only concern, is will this be heavier than hinges can handle? Is there a limit to how long a gate can be do a hinge? Is there a math formula to figure this out?
And thoughts and advice would be appreciated
This doesn't make a whole lot of sense. "Barn door" generally refers to a door with an overhead track, where the door slides on rollers, but is not hinged. If the door is unhinged...
For a gate that size, I would probably dig a trench 32' long and have cement poured with an embedded and slightly raised metal track (old streetcar track would be perfect), then have a couple of double flanged wheels at the base ends of the gate panel, and a couple of roller guides to hold it vertical when rolling. Actual gate length would need to be about three or four feet longer so the thing didn't torque down in any wind when you were opening or closing it.
An overhead track, like a barn door, would limit the height of anything passing through. A couple three bales of hay on a truck gets quite high.
If you want a double hinged gate, then you need a hole in the center filled with cement and with a couple holes for gate pins. The way to handle the weight without stressing hinges or attachment points is to have the gate posts go up ten or twelve feet and use pivoting cable stays from the top of those to the BOTTOM of the open ends of the gates, with brackets to hold them tight where they exit the tops of the gates. Most of the static stress will then be a push pressure on the bottom gate hinge, damage from which could be minimized with a push plate that came up tight against the gate when fully closed.
The cheap way around here for a gate that isn't used much is to just wire together a couple cattle panels.
What you might not consider while thinking about fences and gates is wind load. In Florida, that can be major.
A working gate that slides can be built for less as far as the materials/products needed to support it.
This is probably what I'd do. A rolling gate that runs a prescribed track parallel to the fence and that always has ground support would be easier to control. Plus, you wouldn't need to provide clearance for each wing of the gate to swing. You already cleared a path for the fence, right? I have wrestled with more double swing gates than I care to remember; cattle panel, wooden, chain link, wrought iron, metal adjustable arm, etc. If they're properly adjusted and maintained, one or both sides can get away from you in a puff of wind and pack quite a wallop on something passing between them (like your car, a delivery truck, etc). If they aren't, they earn the nickname "shoulder gates". The wider the swing, the more unhappy that shoulder .
Last edited by Parnassia; 10-31-2022 at 04:51 PM..
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