How to build a farm gate?

[PaulaD]

 

  

 

[KatieC]

Hi @PaulaD,

These are some really inspirational farm gate photos! Are you wanting to find out how to make one? Are you able to share the measurements of the opening of your fence and possibly a photo of where your gate would go? Our resident D.I.Y. expert @EricL will be online later this afternoon but I'll also tag our knowledgeable members @LePallet and @r23on to check if they have some suggestions.

Katie

[r23on]

Hi the gates you have shown are very straight forward and don’t come any easer to build. The most important parts are the hinges and the way you brace to stop sage and most of all the timber you use. do not use pine as they will twist and bend as they dry out that includes treated pine.

here is a link to kick you offhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRw5COVYkjE 

[EricL]

Hello @PaulaD 

Thanks for sharing your question about building a farm gate. It's great that you've received excellent advice from @r23on. I totally agree that the type of wood you'll be using is critical to a long-lasting gate. I propose having a look at hardwood such as redwood, oregon and cypress.   

Another factor to take into consideration is the weight of the gate. If your posts are not up to the task, I suggest reinforcing them first or replacing them with something stronger. It has to be strong enough to hold the weight of the gate and the forces applied to it when it is being used.

I propose drawing up a plan first and inspecting your mounting post. Once you have a definite size of the gate, you'll be able to calculate how much timber you'll need and how many screws you'll be using to assemble it.

Let me call on our experienced members @LePallet, @Yorky88 and @homeinmelbourne for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[PaulaD]

Thanks everyone for your help and advice. 
This is a photo of where I want to put it. The anchor posts are hardwood 300mm rounds and the fence posts are split posts. The finished fence height of the fence posts will be 1400mm and it will be done with hopefully 10/30 wire and rails. I wasn’t sure what to keep the anchor posts at but was thinking 1500mm. I still have to cut them down.

[EricL]

Hi @PaulaD 

Thanks for the photos of your posts. If they are buried deep enough, they should be able to hold a fair bit of weight. It looks like concrete was used for the footing. This is always a good indicator as it means that the post is very well supported.

I agree with your decision to cut down the posts to 1400mm. It will give your fence a nice uniform look, leaving it at 1500 will make it standout and make your gate look too big.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric