John B Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 One more general word of wisdom: "Never take a job where they won't let you do well" eg: you are provided with a design you *have* to follow exactly that doesn't take in account things like sag, wear, lever arm deflection of mounting points, etc. As you can make it *exactly* to what they demanded; but when it doesn't work it's *your* reputation that gets bad mouthed. I would agree with that 100%, and if the client won't be advised I walk away. Its my reputation at the end of the day, and it took a long time to build, but one bad job could destroy it. My reputation is my responsibility, no one elses. In my shop I have a rule "The customer is not always right" they come to me for my input,and if they don't like it or choose to ignore it, that is their choice, That may sound arrogant, I put it down to self confidence in my abilities, (and yes I do make some mistakes and have disasters, wouldn't be pushing to learn more if I didn't)and I take pride in what I do, If I am not happy with it, (Quality, safety, and function wise) it does not leave my shop. I have made some what I would consider hideous things in my time, but hey, I don't have to live with them, and the recipients were happy to. Fulfils my criteria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monstermetal Posted February 2, 2010 Author Share Posted February 2, 2010 I would agree with that 100%, and if the client won't be advised I walk away. Its my reputation at the end of the day, and it took a long time to build, but one bad job could destroy it. My reputation is my responsibility, no one elses. In my shop I have a rule "The customer is not always right" they come to me for my input,and if they don't like it or choose to ignore it, that is their choice, That may sound arrogant, I put it down to self confidence in my abilities, (and yes I do make some mistakes and have disasters, wouldn't be pushing to learn more if I didn't)and I take pride in what I do, If I am not happy with it, (Quality, safety, and function wise) it does not leave my shop. I have made some what I would consider hideous things in my time, but hey, I don't have to live with them, and the recipients were happy to. Fulfils my criteria. That is a good point and well received Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 You'd be surprised how long heavy gates like that can pull even those post out of plumb. Best practice for really heavy gates like this is a reinforced concrete "plinth" cast under the driveway connecting the two posts into a single unit. "I say we take the dropship and nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monstermetal Posted February 3, 2010 Author Share Posted February 3, 2010 You'd be surprised how long heavy gates like that can pull even those post out of plumb. Best practice for really heavy gates like this is a reinforced concrete "plinth" cast under the driveway connecting the two posts into a single unit. "I say we take the dropship and nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure"! Yep, that's exactly what I told him... well not exactly.. I told him I wanted to mount 8 X 8 X .250 steel posts to a 40 foot long chunk of 18" I beam and then pour the hole mess in concrete... He was not real keen on ripping up the fresh asphalt... More or less I guaranteed that when I was done the gates would be square and swing freely.. And if the posts moved he would be on his own... I think the 10" Jr channel for the lower member and a good 3" X 3" .250 hinge side upright will go along way to keep the gate square, But I am going to put a 1/2 rod with a turnbuckle corner to corner just to fine tune it once its up... Its just a big gate.. It stresses me out.. I will be fine and all... its just new territory... I got 7' leaf gates that sagged... so when i start thinking about 20' leafs I worry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Trez Cole Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 I just finished one 14' long I used a piece of strap from far cornor to the hinge no sag at all. Used Groilla hinges they can handle the weight from king Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monstermetal Posted February 4, 2010 Author Share Posted February 4, 2010 Here is what these are going to look like, Of course like I said earlier, these are about 66% as big as the "big" ones I have yet to build, the jobs are unrelated, just these got me thinking about the next ones... The "A" affixes to one leaf and key holes into the opposite gate, its 10 ga stainless and will remain bare and shiny... everything else gets powder-coated black. They where out hanging the openers for these three gates today, glad to have these out of the way and on to some forge work.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGropp Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 The largest double swinging gates I've made were 22' wide [ 11' per leaf ] x 6' tall I welded up a heavy post from 6x6 WF with heavy mounting plates for the hinges mounted on horizontal arms. The steel posts was cast into a 24'' square concrete column with footing and side wall. The stone facing was set flush with the face of the hinge plates. The hinges mounted with 3/4" bolts into tapped holes in the mounting plates. There was some adjustment possible to true the gates up when hung. The gates were built with some out of squareness to allow for sagging to proper shape, but I cannot recall how much. The gates were opened with in-ground operators that were concealed below the finish grade of the driveway . Although the gates were hung with 3 hinges per side the openers were designed to support the gate and could take the place of the lower hinges. The openers were mounted in a heavy steel box cast into a concrete grade beam that spanned the driveway and tied into the footings of the pillars. There has been no sag in these gates since they were hung almost 10 years ago. I've used these type of in-ground openers for several other gate projects as well. They have the advantage of being totally concealed, so that they don't detract from the aesthetics of the gate. As you can guess this system is stunningly expensive, but for the proper application they are worth it. The openers and controls are available from Quentin Controls in Seattle or Gateway Controls in Bellingham. I personally would rather avoid gate projects like this in the future, as there is a tremendous liability exposure, both in someone getting injured in an automatic gate or a gate not functioning properly in an emergency. Good luck with your project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuerna Verde Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Good morning all MM - how did this gate project work out? Are there build and final hung pictures you would be willing to share? -tks grant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulKrzysz Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 I often see these with a wheel at the end of the gate. If the ground will be level, could it be a possibility to install a wheel on the end to make contact with the ground and avoid the sag issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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