gate ideas - auto gates

I ran across this gate video today, and it seems rather brilliant. I've never seen anything like it. Paul is fond of saying that things that rely on human discipline are bound to fail - like remembering to close the gate!

I haven't found the video on YouTube yet, so I'm not able to embed it, but here is the Facebook link:  Oz Autogate video.



The picture helps, though watching the video shows a lot more.

Maybe there are more gates out there like this...yes?

Brilliant imo. I've seen what we call "bump gates" in my area. This is better

wayne fajkus wrote:Brilliant imo. I've seen what we call "bump gates" in my area. This is better

What's a "bump gate"? Having grown up in the suburbs (which bordered on pretty urban areas) I'm still learning about fencing, gates, paddocks and the like.

That gate works much differently from most automatic gates that I have seen.  It looks like something that might be used where there is not enough clearance for a gate to swing open.  Like in a parking garage.  A lot of apartment complexes have automatic gate that slide back and forth.

We had an automatic gate in the 1990's, it work from a solar panel and an auto battery. It swung open.  It was timed to stay open a certain amount of time in order for the cars or vehicle to go through. Ours worked great for family members who understood how the gate worked.

We had two incidents happen back then so my DH will not consider one where we now live.  Maybe newer gates have a beeping or something so people will understand that the gate will hit their vehicle if they don't get through in the allotted time.

If you do consider one you probably will want to find a local company that will install and service the gate.

I quite like cattle grids* but have never seen them outside the UK

David
* they stop sheep too

Anne Miller wrote:That gate works much differently from most automatic gates that I have seen.  It looks like something that might be used where there is not enough clearance for a gate to swing open.  Like in a parking garage.  A lot of apartment complexes have automatic gate that slide back and forth.

We had an automatic gate in the 1990's, it work from a solar panel and an auto battery. It swung open.  It was timed to stay open a certain amount of time in order for the cars or vehicle to go through. Ours worked great for family members who understood how the gate worked.

We had two incidents happen back then so my DH will not consider one where we now live.  Maybe newer gates have a beeping or something so people will understand that the gate will hit their vehicle if they don't get through in the allotted time.

If you do consider one you probably will want to find a local company that will install and service the gate.

We're not considering this one for our property, especially since there doesn't look to be an easy way to lock this kind of gate. I just thought the mechanism looked like a slick design for a manual, no electricity required option. Late in the video they show how it takes quite some time to close afterwards, though that's a good caution to hear about the incidents you'd had!

David Livingston wrote:I quite like cattle grids* but have never seen them outside the UK

David
* they stop sheep too

Oh, we have cattle grids all around these parts (Montana and other states), too. Especially at the freeway entrances and exits.

Our current gate is fool proof - aka, fools can't figure out how to work it.

We sat down and thought what were the most obvious and easiest to figure out things.  Opening downhill was easier on the hinges, but this opens towards the road, so we put it part way up the driveway.  This completely baffles people as they drive up to about an inch of the gate, often touching it with their fender, and then try to open it - only their car is in the way.  They then spend about 5 minutes more trying to open the gate before getting back in their car and moving it away from the gate.    

Next, to make it easier for people to use, we didn't bother with anything automated.  The deer (and some of my sheep) have figured out motion sensors open gates, so basically it's a get out of the car manual gate. It's a lot of fun to watch people drive back and forth up and down the driveway, trying to triger the gate or even more funny, hunting in the bushes for the number pad to make the gate open.  

Last of all, and this is the bit that makes it foolproof - we have no lock.  It's a hook and a chain.  We watch them standing there trying to figure out how to open it.  The chain is on a hook, lift chain off hook and open gate.  Pretty simple, right?  Nope!  Darn near impossible.

We only had one stranger figure out how to open the gate.  But sadly for my chickens, they did not figure out how to close it.  

Even with detailed instructions on how the gate works, most humans still can't figure it out without being shown.  It's a hook on a chain!  It swings out!  So simple.  Too simple.  

R Ranson wrote:Our current gate is fool proof - aka, fools can't figure out how to work it.

<snip>

Even with detailed instructions on how the gate works, most humans still can't figure it out without being shown.  It's a hook on a chain!  It swings out!  So simple.  Too simple.  

Haha! I love this. Too, too perfect. Thanks for sharing, R!

A great automatic, homemade gate is one that actually rises and drops vertically.

It kind of looks silly because the gate posts must be 12 feet high or so, but then you put in a gate (wooden/pipe gate/length of chainlink, etc) in between slots on the gate posts made out of 2x3's. Then on one side you mount a garage door opener. The chain drive runs down into the center of the gate and into a cable that is bolted to the opposing gate post. Once it is hooked up to power, you use the remote on your truck, tractor, etc to start the garage door opener. It sucks in the chain, taking up the slack and lifts the gate vertically so you can drive underneath. It then closes by gravity.

The parts can be cobbled together pretty easily, a non-mechanically inclined person can install it, and it works, it is just that is should be close to 120 volt power. Cost wise it is about the same as a gate opener, but a lot cheaper if you can find a working, but used garage door opener.