A sagging or off-kilter gate just doesn’t look right. Unless your going for the ol’ dilapidated ranch-style fence, you want a clean straight line across the entirety of your fencing structure. Plus, off-balance gates squeak, creak, and simply don’t latch correctly. The ideal gate holds its shape, but there are numerous factors that lead to gate sag:
Weight
Weight, over time, causes sagging. And gates can be heavy, easily weighing one hundred pounds or more. Unfortunately, gravity doesn’t take a break, and over time some sagging is inevitable.
Weather
Mother Nature doesn’t take a break either. Wooden fences are susceptible to warping due to precipitation and temperature cycles. Plastics and metals weather better, but nothing’s impervious to extreme weather conditions. Heck, you could lose a gate to a tornado in the blink of an eye.
Equipment or Hardware
Bad hardware sets your gate up for failure. A proper gate uses hardware that’s rated for the weight it’ll be holding. It just makes sense. You’ll need better, stronger hinges for a bigger heavier gate.
Improper Installation
You’ve got to install a gate properly to dissuade that sag. That means proper hinge alignment, a properly constructed gate, proper latching installation, and straight support beams. You can always call on the pros at VanHoose Fence Company – we’ll ensure that your gate gets installed right.
Weak Post
The main support beam needs to be heavy duty. Since this post will hold the entire weight of your gate, you’ll want a big thick post (at least a 4”x4”), and you’ll want to set the beam into a buried column of concrete. Posts that aren’t set into concrete are far more likely to lean and fail. Plus the concrete prevents rot, so you’ll have a gate structure you can count on for decades.
In short, gates fail over time. With weight, weather, and time, any gate is bound to sag. But a properly installed gate lasts far longer, and is far easier to maintain or repair. Call on a professional fencing company to get a proper gate installation. Call on VanHoose Fence.