Need a gate across the main drive – saw this. How hard to do?

This guy does it in wood and it looks nice. I was thinking of doing something as our old 5 bar gate sagged beyond repair. We have 2 brick wide square pillar either side of the entrance about 6 feet high.

I was thinking the fence could be behind the gate posts inside our land so it doesn’t make the entrance too narrow and does not impede the pathway.

I don’t like the exposed rope and pulleys on his design and was wondering if it could be done in metal rather than wood for longevity, although wood is probably easier.

Any cleverer ideas that his string and pulley design for raising and closing the fan?
Any electric/electronic people want to tell me about remote activation from the car so I can open as I approach as well as a button to press if stood by the gate. There would need to be some way of deactivating the button to lock the gates at night.

Day 1 of thinking for me so help and alternatives welcome

The multiple pulleys seems complex.

Could they be replaced with a ‘catch hook’ on bottom of each plank which sticks out far enough to collect the next plank, as it is pulled up.

That way you could have only one pulley/pull mechanism.

I reck0on he’s used CAD for that, especially given the shape of each individual ‘blade’.

Then theres the mechanism and those discs on each piece, with I would guess pins set at different points.

From the vid you should be able to roughly recreate the shape of the blades but theres going to be a hell of a lot of tweaking each one, and how the metal discs interact with each other as it starts to life- I think the first pin will move so much then connect to the 2nd pin so it then lifts that, till the 2nd pin connects to the 3rd lifting that and so on and so forth.

Why not as per the start try to make a mini model of how you think it would work, and see if that throws up any obvious progressions.

We know the metal discs have ‘pins’ or connectors spaced around it obviously different points. I think I’ve a rough idea in my head of how that all works, but as ever im not too good at conveying that beyond what I’ve said.

Great idea and a great project. Should keep those hands busy for a year or so.

Have you googled the concept, it might not be his original idea.

That is sort of where my thinking was.

If each leaf was a relatively thin vertical slat with a 90 degree bend at the bottom to form a long L with the bottom of the L facing the floor, you fix some cable to the bottom leaf and route it up at a slight angle towards the gate pillar through a hole in the next leaf, round a small bearing and repeat until you reach the gate pillar.

As the cable is reeled in it will pull the bottom leaf mostly upwards and as it reaches the catch on the next leaf they are both lifted. The slight change in angle of the holes means the direction of pull for the cable starts almost vertical on the longest, heaviest piece and moves by degree to almost lateral as the last of the leaves is pulled to the pillar.

The commercial ones talk about 14-20 seconds to open which gives a rough target. It would be a lot easier if I only needed to get power to one side of the gate but that makes for some quit long slats so I might need to do some digging.

Something for me to think about. As I said, help, diagrams and advice welcome.

There are some serious professional grade automated gates at a site I visit regularly for the last 8 or so years. Given how often it’s broken I’d not be in a rush to fit anything unconventional and home built! They are currently broken again because the sensors that make sure they don’t trap a toddler/kitten/cyclist is over reacting.

Will you have a pedestrian gate too? I can’t see my Hermes waiting for your gates to open so expect your shit chucked over it!

Dyna-ti – It is not original and I do plan to make a model. I am hoping to get it sorted by the spring so my planned new car is kept a little safer than an open drive. I will post progress here providing MrsWCA doesn’t overreact when I suggest it.

Factor in UK weather ss well. It will be broken more times than it works

Don’t your wife and children like you or something? 😛 How on earth do you find the time for all these projects?!

so my planned new car is kept a little safer

That is not secure by any stretch.  My basic sliding gate that slots into a receiver is more secure and it isn’t exactly high security.  Are you just looking for more hits on a ‘are you bored enough’ video?

How on earth do you find the time for all these projects?!
1) No small kids
2) Think of then in the evening
3) Plan the different steps and stages while asleep
4) The individual steps when you get time, 5 minutes here, 30 minutes there, the occasional weekend stint etc

Go things come to those who wait. Those whop actually do stuff get the same good things, just quicker.

That is not secure by any stretch.

Not a high security gate I grant you but a lot more secure than an open gateway.

My overnight thoughts on the mechanism is that the longest bottom spar of the fan could be gear driven by a motor by the pivot point. This would raise or lower the bottom spar that would then be connected to the other spars in such a way that as it rises, it lifts the others out of the way and they all pivot to vertical. As it lowers it pulls the others behind it.

This would also add to the security as they would basically be a beam of steel across the drive held in place by metal gears and the motor. Yes, they could cut / break the motor and force the gates open but I live in Southampton, not the Bronx so I think it should be sufficient.

Factor in UK weather ss well. It will be broken more times than it works

Weather is why I was thinking of an improved mechanism. There are automatic gates out there that seem to be UK weatherproof so it should be possible, especially with steel for the main mechanism and wood providing just the pretty panelling.

Factor in UK weather ss well. It will be broken more times than it works

This. You’ve got a load of long planks which are only really supported at one end. After a year or so of standing out in the wind and wet they’re gonna bend and twist and start catching on their neighbours so your fancy gate needs constant tinkering to keep it working.

Looks like a solution looking for a problem, just get a new 5-bar installed – and if you want security make it a metal one and electrify it 😉

Remote control tailgate are the sign of a bawbag, don’t do it.

And besides, you’ll decapitate yersel either that thing.

You could run metal the full length. So a series of very long metal L shapes with wooden inserts. But I’m thinking the force, given the angles, needed to move it will be large.

As mentioned already, how would it cope with warping and wind deflection?

I reckon if you want it to survive UK weather then plastic blades would be your best bet (think plastic sofffit boards or decking boards) but:

It will jam in all sorts of unexpected ways that will make opening a 5 bar gate that’s a bit saggy so easy an no trouble you will end up leaving it up once jammed.

If you want to lock it you can’t just put a padlock and chain round it like a normal gate.

Electric gates are a safety nightmare. There was a case in the papers a couple of years ago where someone was jailed for their gate killing a child (I think they had defeated the emergency stop that stops the gate when it senses a blockage and is probably the bit that breaks and jams a lot of electric gates).

There’s a reason why normal hinged gates are normal. What about seahorse or crocodile gates? Unique and we might even be bored enough to watch a video of an man opening them 😉

Edit: if you want metal blades could you use the aluminium sections that trailer sides are made of. They’re similar dimensions to a plank and lightweight.

Your brick posts would struggle with those loads and as above, it’ll would work for about 5 mins before the weather kills it. Happy to be proven wrong, though

It’ll need some hefty engineering at the pivot, especially if its single sided. No way would it hang off an existing brick pier. Put a normal gate on temporarily while you think about this, then just keep the temporary gate.

Front of your house is pretty exposed on that hill to the prevailing wind isn’t it?

Visitors / delivery drivers will think it is hinged and push against it, accelerating the bork.

The worrying part of this thread is designing stuff while asleep…

I do this but never mentioned it to a living soul.

If there are two of us there will be more……

How were your welding skills again?

Sounds like you’ll spend far more time fixing the get than driving your fancy car stylishly out of it.

How about this instead?

Having said all that. We’re just naysayers. History is littered with naysayers and pioneers. Be a pioneer.

It’s a Gate of Dreams.
Build it. They will come*
.
.

.
*They = gate fixing engineers.

Horizontal sliding panels might be easier?

@kayak23 is an actual thing? Hypnotic!

How on earth do you find the time for all these projects?!
1) No small kids

Ah 😩

The worrying part of this thread is designing stuff while asleep…

I wish my dreams were so normal.

i think it looks flimsy, and complicated and kinda shyte.

just make a new five five bar gate from hardwood.

Okay. The practicalities are beginning to dawn. I wasn’t planning on hanging it off the brickj pillars but rather using them to hide the metal posts I would be using but even using man maths, the loads on the pivots and posts make it a non-starter.

The swing 5 bar gate we had meant we lost the use of a large area of driveway where the gate swung open. Swinging outwards was not an option as it would block the road.

Keep your eyes peeled for a Sliding gate thread while I try to think how to make it harder than it needs be, I mean stylish and unique.

Kayak – that and nmore have been considered while watching this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWhLwWaaDgA&t=1s&ab_channel=Interesting%26CreativeDesigns

Not sure I can dig a deep enough trough in the drive for the sunken ones which also piqued my interest

I’m with ton, sorry. Might look better if the wood was less “rustic”, maybe grey composite planks and therefore better durability too.

How were your welding skills again?

I watched that video solely for the Holden Ute content, but good idea on the gate opening upon weight. We just need them at every fence on every trail, so we can roll up on the bike and have the gate open automatically!

The swing 5 bar gate we had meant we lost the use of a large area of driveway where the gate swung open. Swinging outwards was not an option as it would block the road.

Some sort of gate that folds in half as you open it, thus avoiding the massive arc of a single-span gate? Our driveway gates open inwards from the middle, with each leaf hinging in half due to steep driveway and not having the clearance for a single-span gate to open before grounding out. Perfectly reliable but Mrs a11y wants leccy gates when we replace them (entrance is currently precisely 0.5mm wider than my van), but I’m convinced they’d shit themselves on a regular basis.

This shows some good options. The bi-fold would work for me as if it was hinged from the left it would just fold back against the fence and I think I have enough opening width to still allow a 2m wide car through.

A bit of thought on the pullies to try and hide them within the gate body might be required but looks like a relatively simple DIY option.

@kayak23 is an actual thing? Hypnotic!

Yeah. His door is amazing. His floor might need work though…

Okay, I think I have a solution. These guys are just down the road from me and to the kit to make two gates into a bifold with the folding mechanism. I just need to build the gate panels that this lot clamps to.

Starts googling designs. I was thinking maybe a metal and wood butterfly design to the gate folds like the wings of the butterfly…

The swing 5 bar gate we had meant we lost the use of a large area of driveway where the gate swung open. Swinging outwards was not an option as it would block the road.

Then get 2 smaller 5-bar gates, attached to each side. This is what we’ve got with a 4m width entrance.

That first one takes far too long to open/close and doesn’t appear to have much strength in the middle…I reckon you could push a gap in that and get through it.

Really like the idea but doesn’t reality (for me) doesn’t seem to match the vision.

Then get 2 smaller 5-bar gates, attached to each side.
There isn’t really space for the gate on one side to swing back without blocking access to the house. The bi-fold idea addresses this and allows two 5 bar gates or whatever to be joined in the middle and both swing to the same side.

Really like the idea but doesn’t reality (for me) doesn’t seem to match the vision
I agree. The move to bi-fold is practicality over silly flamboyance. not just need to decide on the design for the two halves.

You’ll die of old age before it opens judging from the speed of the one in the video. Looks over complicated and a bit shit. Just get a normal gate and have weird dreams like the rest of us.

That bifold option looks better. Would some sort of concertina design be possible?

Cant you just steal a railway level crossing? Bit of painting amd no one will ever know.
Or make a rack and pinion like a folding garage door mounted sideways on a gully, say 4 x 2 ft panels each side
Or a long bar that pops out the ground
Or a turntable with a crescent panel, drive in turntable rotates 90’to reveal a curved 5ft wall, exit vehicle. Time to go turntable rotates 90 ‘ and off you drive.
Cant be hard, a few upside-down castors, checker plate, super low geared motor

Maybe one like this where there’s a channel in the ground the gate goes down into? Just uses gravity to keep it closed. Clatter gate.