Gate Help -- Need Advice, Ideas

[King_s_Ransom]

Well, you knew SOMEthing would not be right about my fence installation. (it’s always something)

The gates, while well-placed strategically and of the proper size do not open as I had hoped. They open okay, but they don’t open all the way back and out of the way. In other words, the hinge stops them from laying back flat, so when open they are sticking out into the field by several feet. There is no way to latch them open (is this making any sense?).

One of the gates would be perfect, but it swings up against the ELECTRIC fence instead of the vinyl rail.

I can pound in t-posts to latch the gates open, but then I will have t-posts out in the field.

This seems a safety hazard to me.

Thoughts on how I fix this? I don’t want to ask the guy to come back again. DH and I could probably do whatever is necessary, but I am not sure what to do.

[ElementFarm]

Our driveway gates don’t fold all the way back either. They are about 2 feet from the fences. We use a chain attached to the top rail, with a double end snap, and use it to tie the gates open. It’s safe enough for an area where we generally don’t have horses out. I wouldn’t use it in a field if I had youngstock or an accident-prone type, but it still might work for you. If you don’t have a solid top rail, you could still use a t-post – but put it right next to the fence and use a rope or chain to attach the gate when open. When the gate’s closed, it’s fairly unobrusively part of your fenceline, instead of dangerously stuck in the ground a few feet inside the perimeter where a horse could hit it… just a thought.

[hosspuller]

Move the hinges to the “SIDE” of the post you want it to lay flat against. This will creat a gap between the gate panels where there was none before.

The only way around this gap is to reset the gate posts or scab some spacer to fill the gap.

or just live with the gate as is. Horse people usually keep the gates closed (a good practice) except when there is an actual passage through the gate.

[SuzieQNutter]

You can use a rock to keep the gate open when needed.

[King_s_Ransom]

I need to keep select gates open so the horses can come back into the paddock where they have shade / shelter and water. So, they roam out to the pasture to graze, then head back in to rest in the shade. The gates let me choose which pasture they have access to, but they always need to be able to come back in because I only have the one run-in for shelter and water.

I was thinking I would need to move the hinge to the side of the post, just want to be sure I am doing this right because its a lot of work with these big gates!

[Bluey]

Tell your fence installer and have him rehung them properly.

Should not take hardly any time, really, if he screwed the hinges in the wood, or drilled holes clear thru and used bolt on hinges.

If the gates have adjustable hinges on them, you can unscrew those and see if you can turn the hinge to the side of the gate enough to fold back.

Always something to redo, is part of building.

[gumtree]

I like my gates to swing both way so they are all hinged in the middle of the post. There are numerous reasons for this in my operation. One being snow depending on wind it will drift high on one side or the other. But rarely both.

To hold a gate open I attach one of these. I use self taping metal screws and epoxy glue because the screws work loose over time.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-12-in-Black-Gate-Cane-Bolt-15464/202042236

[gumtree]

[QUOTE=hosspuller;8240395]
Move the hinges to the “SIDE” of the post you want it to lay flat against. This will creat a gap between the gate panels where there was none before.

The only way around this gap is to reset the gate posts or scab some spacer to fill the gap.

or just live with the gate as is. Horse people usually keep the gates closed (a good practice) except when there is an actual passage through the gate.[/QUOTE]

I leave my empty paddock gates open. We have lots of horses and sometimes a horse or 2 gets loose for what ever reason. Horses being creatures of habit will usually run into an open paddock. At least that has been my experience.

IME this is a better practice. Depends on the operation.

[King_s_Ransom]

gumtree, I have some of those but here is another question – do you think it’s okay for the gate to be sticking out, away from the fenceline by several feet? If it is secured by the cane bolt, that’s one thing – but do you think it’s still a hazard for the horses to run into it, hurting either themselves or the gate or both?

If not, then the cane bolts will work. Also --one of my gates is more than 12 inches off the ground when open, due to the slope of the ground. Do you know of any longer ones? I’ve been searching but have not found any. [Edit: I see some 18-inch ones right there at Home Depot. D’oh!]

Thanks!

[Bluey]

All our gates are hung where they fold back and still will go some way the other way, in case of an emergency that demands that, rare as those are.

We like to leave our gates open to train our horses and cattle to live where they have to find gates to walk from one place to the other.
It makes them smarter and easier to work with and safer if they panic, as they may possibly think to look for a gate, a “hole in the fence” rather than go over a fence when in a panic.

[fordtraktor]

Yes, you need to rehang them. I usually do them on a 2/3 or 3/4 edge (meaning the hooks are right to the side but not in the midde of the post, they are on the inside corner of the round post when they are sunk properly) instead of straight to the side, it lays flatter and won’t leave as much of a gap now that you’ve fitted them for the middle. And it gives you that extra range Bluey is talking about. My dad taught me this trick and it works really well for getting a gate to lie perfectly flat when rotated back.

How I hang each gate depends on what the gate is used for but many of my gates are between fields and sometimes I want them left open completely so it is important the gate goes back flat when I want it to. I do NOT want the gate sticking out several feet because my horses would get stuck in there and hurt themselves. If you don’t rehang it, leave it open at 90 degrees and use a rock on each side to stabilize it or something like gumtree put up. or I guess you could rope off the pie section each time you open the gate but why not do it right now and not have to mess it with any more? This is an easy fix.

[Bluey]

We have gates where we fold them clear back for some uses and leave them open, if we are driving cattle thru them where there is a corner, we may open them the opposite direction and have two gates that fit and make a catty corner opening.

Because of that, we hang all gates where they can do both, far enough to one side to fold completely back, but over enough that they will still swing the other way, generally they open in that direction somewhat more than at a 45 degree angle, similar to what fordtraktor mentioned.

This way we can rotate different pastures thru square corners, depending on how we open gates.

[2DogsFarm]

I leave my gates open from pasture to paddock to stalls for the same reason.
Horses have access to any of the above 24/7.

Gates do swing both ways but not completely flat against the fence, so to keep them open I use a length of baling twine looped around the latch and the top line of coated tensile.
That way if a horse managed to get himself between gate & fence the twine would break before the horse.
No problems yet {knock wood} and I replace the twine when it starts to fray.

[Bluey]

Gates:
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You can have four gates closed, or any one folded back to the fence open, or catty-corner to access the opposite corner pasture:

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[Bluey]

With just a few old horses, you probably can fold the gates you want open most of the way and tie the rest of the way back.

The smart horses will figure that without getting in trouble, the only problem may be, if a horse decides that gate sticking out there looks like a wonderful spot to scratch on.
Then your gate may not stand up to that kind of treatment.

[King_s_Ransom]

Could Bluey or fordtraktor possibly show me a photo of a properly placed hinge where the gate will fold back flat to one side and still open the other direction if needed? Is there a photo online you could point me to, or could you snap a photo for me?

I will rehang them with some help from one of my sons and the FEL on the tractor – but I only want to do it once! If I could see a photo, I think I could get it. I’m 80% sure I understand what you’re saying, but a photo could push me over to 100%.

Thanks!

[gumtree]

[QUOTE=King’s Ransom;8240679]
gumtree, I have some of those but here is another question – do you think it’s okay for the gate to be sticking out, away from the fenceline by several feet? If it is secured by the cane bolt, that’s one thing – but do you think it’s still a hazard for the horses to run into it, hurting either themselves or the gate or both?

If not, then the cane bolts will work. Also --one of my gates is more than 12 inches off the ground when open, due to the slope of the ground. Do you know of any longer ones? I’ve been searching but have not found any. [Edit: I see some 18-inch ones right there at Home Depot. D’oh!]

Thanks![/QUOTE]

Ideally lying flat to the fence. So unless there are other reasons which I could list for my operation hinge to the side of the gate you want the gate to open flat. I don’t hang gates to so that they close against the fence post. The post are spaced so the gate can swing both ways. Even if the hinge is set on the inside of the post the gate will open flat to one side and open to a 90++ degree the other way depending on how the hinge is set. I wouldn’t want it sticking straight out (90 degree, right angle) more like a 45 degree angle so if a horse should run into it they will “glance” off of it and push it back further instead of running into a “blunt” edge.

As Ford said you do not want to fold back as far as it will go and only leaving a small V gap. A “right angle” is better. As far as horse running in to it. Depends on your horses and more importantly the number of horses in the paddock/field. If it is only a couple I don’t see it being much of a safety hazard. A much better chance if there are a bunch, not all will be able to get through the gate at one time. Don’t “drive” the “gate keeper” too far into the ground. If a horse hits the gate it will just swing further towards the fence.

As to the “cane latch” yup I have had to deal with the same. But it is easy to make one to the length needed. Hardware, Home Depots sell “rod steel” in various lengths. Buy an appropriate diameter and length, cut to size, and bend a right angle handle. Buy 2 threaded “eye bolts” of appropriate size that the rod will fit through and long enough to go through the gate. Drill holes and bolt on. Cut off any of the bolt that extents out flush with the nut.

There are lot of ways to do things on a farm. All of which IMO are “operation and horse” specific and fit the needs. There are very few “absolutes”. Our job is to weight the “cost, benefit” and safety factors. IMO safety and what is good for my horses always outweighs cost and additional labor.

To each their own on these things.

[Bluey]

[QUOTE=King’s Ransom;8240807]
Could Bluey or fordtraktor possibly show me a photo of a properly placed hinge where the gate will fold back flat to one side and still open the other direction if needed? Is there a photo online you could point me to, or could you snap a photo for me?

I will rehang them with some help from one of my sons and the FEL on the tractor – but I only want to do it once! If I could see a photo, I think I could get it. I’m 80% sure I understand what you’re saying, but a photo could push me over to 100%.

Thanks![/QUOTE]

Having problems with my photo program, it hides pictures from me, but here it goes.

You can see, the hinges are welded, could be pin hinges too, set at an angle, not straight with the fence or straight on a 90 degree either, but back just enough that the gate folds back to the fence, enough to clear the panel there, but still will come back and past the straight fence line to tie to the opposite pen gate and make a catty-corner way to get to one pen, not the other:

Sorry, my computer is not cooperating, will have to keep working on that glitch.

[fordtraktor]

[QUOTE=King’s Ransom;8240807]
Could Bluey or fordtraktor possibly show me a photo of a properly placed hinge where the gate will fold back flat to one side and still open the other direction if needed? Is there a photo online you could point me to, or could you snap a photo for me?

I will rehang them with some help from one of my sons and the FEL on the tractor – but I only want to do it once! If I could see a photo, I think I could get it. I’m 80% sure I understand what you’re saying, but a photo could push me over to 100%.

Thanks![/QUOTE]

Here you go: http://fordtraktor.shutterfly.com/pictures/103

the first photo in the album is one hung on the 90 degree, the second two are hung on the 3/4 which is what Bluey is talking about. As you can see I hang them either way depending on what I want the gate to do. Either is really fine, you can see how nice the gate will lay. But if you want it to go the other way, you have to do it like the second two photos. Also if you can run it so the gate lays on the opposite side as your electric part you won’t interfere with the fence working when the gate is folded back You can see how my bracing is between the gate and the coated wire in the first pic.

[goodhors]

Our gates are mostly hung like Fordtractor, with hinge pin 90 degrees on the post, from the straight across gate opening. That lets me fold gate back flat against the brace posts to FASTEN gate open. I had to have my fence installer take out the gate hinge pins from straight across, redrill the hinge bolts hole to get the gates off-set the way I wanted.

CUT OFF any extra hinge bolt ends not needed past the nut holding bolt in place. Extended bolt ends are STRONG, sharp, good way to let a horse cut himself or impale himself on the part sticking out. In most cases the bolt end is lined up with fence wire, not an issue. But with oft-set hinge pins, the bolt end sticks out into field where horse swings around the post or fence to get thru the gate hole.

There is no place here, where gate is not fastened open OR shut. Swinging gates make them sag, can close unexpectedly to separate animals in a group. Animals separated get VERY excited, sometimes might try going thru a fence or gate that appears closed to damage themselves.

We have these off-set hinges from barnyard to pasture, because there are more than one gate opening to exit. I close one pasture gate, open and tie back another pasture gate to change grazing. Everyone one goes into a barnyard, then into a field which is open to them.

If they are “wild horses” that day, I can close all the pasture gates, contain horses in the barnyard to bring them in.

I never leave that open gate end to snag a horse, get hit by running horses, trap one while the others leave him behind. That gate end is not real visible to horse running straight at it or a tractor either! Really stupid, bad accidents happen if you leave gates open, but do not fasten them open with a chain and snap.

Having gates properly fastened, open or closed is PREVENTING a problem from ever happening. Not bothering to fasten the gate in place, will cause a problem some where down the road. Your choice.