Gate Installation in Athens, AL

A gate fails before the fence around it does, almost every time, because a gate carries load differently than a fence line. The hinge post takes the full weight of the gate on two or three brackets instead of spreading it across a run of posts, which means that post has to be set deeper and in more concrete than a standard line post.

Walk gates for a side yard or a backyard entrance run three to four feet wide, sized to the opening and the traffic through it, a wheelbarrow or mower needs more clearance than a person alone. Drive gates for a driveway or a wider access point run wider still and often carry more hardware: a drop rod, a cane bolt, or a latch that works from both sides.

Sag is the most common gate complaint, and it almost always traces back to an undersized hinge post or hinges rated for a lighter gate than what got hung on them. This crew sizes the hinge post and hardware to the actual gate weight, wood being heavier than vinyl or aluminum for the same dimensions, before the gate goes up.

Gate hardware gets matched to the fence material so the finished look is consistent, not an aluminum latch on a wood gate because it was what was on the truck that day.