[pcdreams]

the wife and I are trying to put a fence around our(what will be) garden.

The problem we are having is the spacing on the gates. I'm hoping someone has some advice as we're about to pull our hair out.

We are using utility post (metal) and using 4 strands of wire we are tensioning.
The problem is when we tension the post are (naturally) pulled out of alignment.

Should we set the post in concrete or is there a trick here I'm missing? I heard someone say that you need to lean the post the opposite way they are going to be tensioned thus when you tension them they will straighten up.


HELP!!!

 

[fordy]

Your support post(s) ALWAYS are a Rigid Digit. All adjustment is taken care of at the hinges. The larger\longer and heavier the gate the greater the leverage factor Applied to your support post. Therefore , you should always utilize sufficiently strong support posts to handle the load that the gate will exert upon the post. Gates ...DONOT always have to be level. They do , however , need to beable to articulate thru a full range of motion that will accomodate the dictates of your particular situation. If, I was going to "Hang" your gate(s) for a fee the first thing that I would DO....would be to stand them up in the space provided for them and bring them into conformity with each other as well as how they will need to be attached to their supports. ONLY, after you have them "SET" should you attach them to their supports in a permanent fashion . If, there , is a weakness in your support structure it will present itself over time. So make your support structure Overly strong and you won't have to mess around with trying to fix something that should have been done correcly in the first place...........fordy :dance:

 

[pcdreams]

well I guess our city ways are truly showing I had no Idea we needed a Support post. I just picked up all utility post. LOL Sounds like I need something like a 4x4 or 6x6 for the corner support post. Sound right?

The fence is 45' in length on one side(this is the side that has the 3 gates.
the other side is about 10' in length with no gates. The short side runs from the corner to our garage and the long side is freestanding next to an old foundation.
also for the gates we had purchased althread for the hinges to ride over( attached to the utility post). But now I'm beginning to think perhaps we should have something heavier as the gates will be 4' tall and 2 1/2 -3' wide made of 2x4(open to suggestions as this will probally be to heavy).

 

[SteveD(TX)]

A 6x6 corner post set in concrete will probably suffice. But an even stronger corner support is to set two, 4x4 treated posts, about 3-4 ft. apart, tied together with a 4x4 at the top or middle by notching and secure with lag bolts. Concrete them in 4 ft. deep for a 4 ft. tall fence. I would do this along the 45' sides. Let the concrete set for a day before you tension your wire.

 

[fordy]

Personally, I would build an H brace for each of your double gates from ...Treated 4x4's. Try to dig a 9 inch diameter hole about 3 feet deep and let the concrete setup for atleast 7 days. I don't know how comfortable you are with welding and a cutting torch but if you have access to either or both you can fabricate some metal attachments to reinforce your H braces that will be simple and inexpensive to build. Your support structure(s)\posts should ALL ways be level.........fordy :dance:

 

[Carol K]

PC, go take a look here http://www.wedgeloc.com/ If you are using T posts, these may help you out. I can get them at my local farm store.

Carol K

 

[Runners]

Brace, brace, brace anything that has something hanging on it. There's not much more annoying than a gate that drags across the ground. Come winter, and even 3" of snow, you get really tired of shoveling out a gate just to get it open.

We also use offset hinges on the gate & post. The gate rises as it opens, and naturally 'wants' to swing to a center rest / shut position. Make the top pin on the support post longer than the bottom pin on the post, do the opposite on the gate (long on the bottom, short on the top). When the gate swings open, it rises... which is great if the fence is along a hill. A rope with an S hook works good for holding the gate open for trucks, tractors, etc., just tie it to the fence & hook it on the gate.

One gate we had, after lots of leaning livestock, we just sunk an old telephone pole 6' and tied a cable between the top of the pole and the end of the steel tube gate. About 12' of pole is above ground, and after 24 years, the same 20' steel tube gate / cable is still there. And we never used concrete on any posts, just sand.

I've seen some really nice wooden gates with a wheel on the loose end that just sort of rolls around, but, none of them looked very old... as in, they might not last... warping & twisting or sagging usually does them in.

For a garden gate - to keep the little critters OUT, you can make a hinge with mesh, just over lap the mesh & cut it so you leave the horizontal wires long enough to bend into horizontal loops. When you add the gate, cover it with the same mesh, leave the long enough to overlap the fence side loops... bend the gate wires into verticle loops through the fence side loops. If you got this lined up right next to the hinges and the loops nice and big, the mesh will be about as continous as you can get it.

Bill

 

[Beeman]

I would try the wedgelock method for fencing a garden. the only problem with fencing a garden is limited access for a tractor to plow or till it.

 

[pcdreams]

thanks for the advice guys. I think the wedgelock may be the way to go. Looks like there are several places locally that carry it.