Which Gate System Suits Me?
Choosing what system to automate your gate can be a personal choice, but there are critical issues that may help you decide.
Please find the list of questions below that will help determine which system may suit your needs.
You don’t have to worry at this stage about how to operate the gate as all the systems will use the same equipment
It is quite normal that we often need to talk to customers and visit the site to establish the final choice, we do this free of charge with no obligation.
- Single or twin gates.
- How wide is the gate, or each leaf.
- How high is the gate.
- Is the gate an open design or a filled in solid design.
- Is the gate made from steel or wood
- Is the ground level around the gate, what rise and fall is there.
- If the gates are a twin set up, it is often better to have mechanical stops in the open and closed position, would the stop be to high in the middle of the drive,
- Where is the nearest power supply
- What room do you have around the gate hinges and posts.
The Wheel System
Advantages of the wheel system
- No mains power required at the gate
- It can work properly using solar power
- Works bigger gates than other systems, a farmers favourite
- Opens and closes far faster than traditional systems
- Designed for large single gates
- As the system is on a suspension no damage is done if the gate drops (most wooden gates will do this at some time or other)
- Opens to more than 180 degrees if the gate allows
- Works through power cuts
- Locks when closed
- The unique design allows it to work with a gate rising hinge
- The way the gate is hung normally doesn’t matter
Disadvantages of the wheel system:
- It is not designed for twin gates at the moment
- If the ground is over 18 inches fall and rise there is a problem
- Looks, the underground systems are far less obvious, a few customers object to the looks of the wheel system
The Underground System
Advantages of the underground system:
- The best looking gate system around, a favourite of lots of houses
- Very powerful underground motors
- Perfect for ornate steel entrance gates
- Very hard to tamper with
- 240volt or 24 volt available
- On small gates, (i.e. 2 meters per leaf) the mechanisms do not require an additional lock in most situations as the motors lock the gate
Disadvantages of the underground system:
- Requires an awful lot of ground work to install, we need to dig holes big enough for the mechanism and also holes to drain surplus water away.
- It requires mains electricity at the gate.
- Susceptical to flooding, the drainage is vitally important
- There is a limit to the size of gate they can work, a guide is listed below
- Up to a wing width of 2 meters at a weight of 800kg
- Up to a wing width of 2.5 meters at a weight of 600kg
- Up to a wing width of 3 meters at a weight of 400kg
- Completely filled in wooden gates need to be judged as the max weight due to 'windage'
- The gates hinges require at least 70mm clearance from the inside post to the centre point
- They can only open to just over 90 degrees to 140 degrees
- A lot slower in operation than the wheel system
- If the gates move, it can put a strain and/or damage on the motor if it is not corrected quickly
The Traditional Rear Arm System
Advantages of the traditional rear arm system:
- The favourite for domestic twin wooden or light weight steel gates
- Ideal for small single gates
- Can be fitted without major disruption
- Normally the cheapest option available
- A multitude of various types of arms available to us, to suit different size gates, different hanging positions
- 240 volt or 24 volt available
- On small gates, (i.e. 2 meters per leaf) the mechanisms do not require an additional lock in most situations as the motors lock the gate
- No risk of flood water damage
Disadvantages of the traditional rear arm system:
- It requires mains electricity at the gate.
- There is a limit to the size of gate they can work, a guide is listed below
- Up to a wing width of 2 meters at a weight of 800kg
- Up to a wing width of 2.5 meters at a weight of 600kg
- Up to a wing width of 3 meters at a weight of 400kg
- Completely filled in wooden gates need to be judged as the max weight due to 'windage'
- Can only open to just over 90 degrees – 110 degrees
- A lot slower in operation than the wheel system
- If the gates move, it can put a strain and/or damage on the motor if it is not corrected quickly
Still Confused?
Then give us a call, let us visit you to help you decide.
