Getting A Gate To Swing Uphill | How Did We Do It?

If you've never tried this, you don't know how hard it can be. Today we overcome all the obstacles and get this gate to swing uphill.

[@kristopherburkholder9366]

That said the actual craftsmanship looks amazing. I’ve been doing uphill swing gates for years now . That bottom hinge needs gussets going from the hinge to the post and same on gate . Without it your weld points will fatigue and break over time.

[@markHolmes81274]

Wow, you guys are something else. I can't remember how many customers I've told "you can't swing a gate uphill". I pray none of them watch this video 😅

[@SWiFence]

I think you're safe. 😁

[@RHEC1776]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@newenglandman2413]

Good to see Allen. The three of you are gifted with articulate explanations. Had zero practical knowledge of this going in and clearly understood once you were finished.

[@petergrant9186]

We swing our rural gates uphill using a similar concept but modify our standard weld-on hinges in the field. Also, because they are rural gates, we can twist the gate so that it closes vertical against the 2nd gate or latch post. Obviously not an option for your security gate. Always satisfying getting a gate to swing perfectly in a difficult situation. Great work.

[@landmarkcreations1183]

This is a great video. True fencing professionals doing awesome work 👍👍

[@SWiFence]

Aw shucks!

[@mattstafford1067]

Ive used these on several occasions with heavy gates and have had the arms on those hinges bend over time. Had to add gussets and had the gussets bend them even more the first time because i didnt factor in the shrinkage. But eventually got it. Great hinges for that application but just with they offered one size up in plate thickness.

[@coen555]

This is really so good guys. Well done, bravo.

[@SWiFence]

Thanks!

[@Oberon4278]

You guys are geniuses, but if I were the property owner I'd be pissed that whoever dug the entryway there didn't make it level. Add some slope before the gate, or after the gate, or wherever, but having to get creative with the hinges and putting the step in between both sides is just a mess.

[@JoshIngle-SuperDrummerJosh]

Definitely made the best of an awkward situation, Nice work!

[@SWiFence]

Hey, thanks!

[@AM-dn4lk]

That was awesome. I never thought about that concept. I never saw such robust hinges either. I wonder if a sliding gate would have been better suited for that application.

[@shean1611]

theres not enough room along the actual fence before a corner to open a cantilever gate unless you were to cut out a picket so the gate slides through the fence out of the property. but theres a lot of liability that comes with that

[@ronfussell8244]

I've done many slope gates,the best way is to C clamp top hinge ,take a 2x4 and a digital angle finder lay it on your slope,take said 2x4 put on top hinge C clamp bottom hinge make the hinge same angle as 2x,tack it on,I invented a weight compensation device so gate won't slam or pull on operator,

[@joco2826]

Tell us more, please? 🤔

[@ronfussell8244]

Well,first there was terrible planning,contractors have to work together,making the ground level between post,second,gravity increases the closing load on the operator,so it will overload the system with the weight of the gates going down hill,just like the gates have to pull the gates uphill,I can't describe the mechanics of the weight compensator,but it's a garage door spring that loads closing and unloads opening, it works amazing.

[@ronfussell8244]

Well,the first part is finding the angle of the slope,10* whatever it might be,that is about the max,if the road is unpaved ask the dirt guy to level about 18" wide area from side to side,if you don't when the gate is closed it will look bad no matter how good you did the gate,don't try and go over 14 feet,it will be a mess trying to slow it down closing,the weight compensation device is a box tube with a garage door spring inside,like 24",when the Gate is all the way open there is zero pressure on the spring,using a stainless 1/8 cable to a pully,then uphill about 8',it's hard to describe like this,but the idea is that when it starts to close it starts loading the spring,slowing the gate down,taking the load off the operator, try and imagine it,it was one of my secrets.

[@twissj]

Nice work

[@NSPROGATE]

good work

[@markenwolfram9101]

If doing bi part gates always take into account for weight of the gate when setting them at the same height when closed

[@paullewis252]

Very clever and cool 👌

[@SWiFence]

Thank you!

[@peetsnort]

So much more than meets the eye

[@rogerbettencourt9654]

I don’t care what Mark said about you two, you guys are all right! Lol. Nicely did gents.

[@iamdrewski39]

what did he say…?

[@arielsima6650]

Why did I never think about using the pull jack to lift the gate!? Smart

[@michaelschuler5214]

Definitely looks like the Mormon Temple in Casper! 🤔

[@davidmichael2390]

Dan the man

[@mainchef5240]

Whats the distance from footing to the ground level? And did you fully poured concrete to the hole until it level to surface?

[@kirbysmith847]

Does that creat a large gap at the post? We’ve had 2 wood fences with steel frame gates recently that needed to swing uphill. I’m currently using a hinge system to fold the bottom of the pickets up when opening but would love uphill swing hinges.

[@markenwolfram9101]

Not at all the two plates sit top of each other so the gap is only as wide as the flat stock think of it like a regular door hinges with longer flat stock

[@michaelestrada235]

Id have a hard time putting up gates up that way but with that said..... As long as the customer approves and they work. That's what matters.

[@shean1611]

are these the SHUT IT badass uphill hinges?

[@WayneJones-bl6yv]

can I ask where you got the hinges?

[@cosmin2267]

Idk how I got here but I'm impressed lol

[@SWiFence]

Thanks!

[@hooooter]

lol been doing this for years. Just be careful if you're adding a motor, up size it to account for the added weight when pulling up on angle.

[@SWiFence]

Good advice.

[@jeremiahbullfrog9288]

Wow that looks terrible from every angle, good job i guess?

[@SWiFence]

No, really, tell us what you really think. Don't hold back. 😂

[@jeremiahbullfrog9288]

@@SWiFence Wow, that original poster was such a dick ... he shouldn't drink and comment. (Sorry for the negative comment, thanks for taking it with good humor. Obviously you guys worked hard to solve a unique problem and I was out of line.)

[@sassafrasvalley1939]

Dan and Allen… buds, I was with ya until you swung it uphill… totally defeating gravity in one fell sweep! I mean, you must have used those 6012 anti-gravity rods or sumpun??? Please do tell what secret sauce you put on it to willingly swing uphill, without crashing back down into the pickup’s front grill. My daddy did something similar on a farm gate. He used through bolt pin hinges and put them through the side of the gate post. When tightening them, he had a washer and nut on both sides of the post so that he could change the pitch of the post easily. But, he had not figured out how to defy gravity like you boys did. If the ground rod didn’t catch… the old Studebaker pickup got another dent in the grill… (Not that anyone could tell the difference from all the cow kicks, limb slaps and baseball pitches that had already dinged it!) Please advise me on the anti-gravity trick and, I’ll relay it to dad when I visit him on Memorial Day… I’ll have a good danged day knowing he’ll rest a little easier! PS: I enjoyed the live feed. Thanx for the invite.

[@rickrisseeuw327]

Hinge pins need to Aline. Arfter working out your spaceing then Weld both Hinges to a strait pole Aline the pins. Then weld to the post and hang the gate . Westgate Manufacturing south africa

[@samdavis4327]

align

[@paulabaus4774]

Allen, if that's is 20" to you (18 sec) I'm impressed! Most men think 4" is a foot. If you know what I mean.😉

[@mrredpill3121]

thats a hing, thats a hing, and that f@CKed up.

[@alexander_alis]

Hello colleagues, I’m watching you from Ukraine! They made a very cool gate with a lift!!! I have never seen such a simple solution))) I had an order for a similar gate and used a special axis with a ball joint kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWa1hZh9Zq98jac And then you have the usual welded orientations - Incredibly simple! Well done masters!

[@SWiFence]

Дуже цікаво!

[@catahoulla8488]

Is that a gas cap that he's grinding over 😅😅😅

[@SWiFence]

Er... not answering this. 😂

[@vegitagt]

Could they not do a rolling gate?

[@SWiFence]

Not in this scenario, no.

[@SarahSmith-zj2ek]

I have another way, maybe not a better way, but another way. It all starts with some dynamite...

[@SWiFence]

Lol! 😂

[@peterhorn5042]

Why not a nice Dutch sliding gate??

[@SWiFence]

This is what spec called for--and they wouldn't budge on it. Even so, a sliding gate would've had an enormous gap at the bottom since you wouldn't be able to drop a leaf.

[@aguiaia1]

If you're doing many consecutive calculations, my recomendation, go metric.

[@pashadobrowolski496]

When the rest of the world tunes into videos like this, and you start talking in feet and inches, our eyes just glaze over and we picture the scene in Space Odyssey, where the apes are beating each other to death with a bone. This shit is seriously that primitive!!!

[@SWiFence]

Sorry! It's how it's done here. 😁 If I just started putting everything in metric everyone around me would hate me.

[@biju_asokan]

A better way is to use millimetres for measurement..

[@SWiFence]

Old habits die hard. 😁

[@ardent963]

All the great work manipulating the swing geometry on the first gate... only to fail on the second gate. Why? The misaligned gates in the closed position, are ugly AF. If I were the customer, I would never sign off on it.

[@SWiFence]

Well it's either drop a leaf or have an enormous gap underneath one. The customer doesn't want an enormous gap. You got a better way?

[@ardent963]

@@SWiFence Not a lot of video footage on the other gates mounting... But raising the mounting point to the 6" post, on the left gate should have worked. Also shim the bottom mount on the left gate with a thicker plate to take out the sag. It looks like the gap is off between the gates. The gates should look aligned, and ascetically pleasing when closed. Open, nobody cares, as long as they clear and work. You said that the drive is getting a top coat of asphalt still. Talk to the GC about having them fudge/raise the plane under the left gate.

[@SWiFence]

You're never going to raise the asphalt high enough to make up for that gap. Sorry.

[@ardent963]

@@SWiFence I respectfully disagree. Between my 3 suggestions, it would get the gates pretty close to aligned and spec. You still have another 3-4" of asphalt going down. They can easily float another 2" to one side if needed. And, I bet the architect didn't draw it up like that. So the GC is going to be figuring out who needs to fix what. And that's never a fun phone call. What do the prints show? Because that's what the customer expects, and approved. Look, I have seen some really impressive work from you guys, but this just isn't one of them. Sorry man.

[@jonnyeagle839]

​@SWiFence look at the hysecurity lift gate models. Hydraulic power lifts the gate, swings and lifts some more. Can even use drop rods into the ground without ever moving them. Really neat. I was wondering, as much as these swing uphill, do they slam shut on you or are they balanced?

[@enerstoalmazo4951]

Have better idea 🎉

[@gmdsir2]

That is ridiculous. The side angle on the gate. Are ye insane to think that looks okay 🤣

[@SWiFence]

Oh sorry Gary, we forgot to check with you first! 😉

[@mlauntube]

I never like or comment these kind of videos... except when you edit in diagrams.

[@SWiFence]

Our editor absolutely loves this comment. 👍🏻

[@richardmckrell4899]

Obviously the customer will never accept the gates being different heights. About what you'd expect from a couple of knuckleheads.

[@SWiFence]

They prefer that over having an enormous gap beneath the fence. Waiting on your video to show us how it's done.

[@richardmckrell4899]

@@SWiFence I thought about your problem and would recommend you build an adjustable gate and hinge test rig either full scale, to take on site before you fabricate and install, or possibly half scale to do tests at your shop. I think a light weight gate rig could be clamped to your posts and easily adjusted and then measurements taken for fabrication. Guessing how the heavy final gate should be welded on site is a bad plan. You could use the adjustable gate/hinge rig on all your jobs to eliminate mistakes and reduce installation time. I'd be glad to come to your installations to supervise, just let me know.

[@SWiFence]

C'mon now Richard. 🙂 How does this sound like a good idea? An adjustable gate & hinge? Is the customer supposed to lift the gate before they swing it? Did you notice we had to hang the gate with the skidsteer? I appreciate your idea and the fact that you prefer the gates to match, but this is simply just how it works if you're forced to build on a hill. To inflate the cost and time of the job inventing a new solution isn't practical and isn't needed--especially when the customer is perfectly happy with what they have.

[@richardmckrell4899]

@@SWiFence You misunderstood which does not fill me with confidence you will ever understand. Good luck with your half assed work.

[@ericelam1014]

Sorry to tell you but those hinges were actually mounted wrong, pause the video at 10:02 and look closely how the hinges were mounted and if you have any type of a mechanical mind then you'll see a better mounting design. Over kill on the extra heavy plate welded to the post to attach the hinges to, unless the post is thin tube which is no good, should be 1/4" or thicker. F A I L!

[@SWiFence]

I can see how you think the hinges are upside down, but those are beast hinges and there's no reason to be concerned about failure. As far as the steel block goes, the customer changed their mind after the posts were set that they wanted the gates to swing inward (if we'd known that going in there's a whole of things we could've changed). This required different hinges, which changed the dimensions of the gate opening. We used the blocks as a shim to close the gap in-between the gates and still preserve the integrity of the post. We actually see that as a win. 👍🏻

[@frankie4827]

Or you could dig to make it level 🤦

[@SWiFence]

Regrade the road? I suppose the customer could've done that. Would've cost a fortune.

[@frankie4827]

@@SWiFence shoulda been graded right in the first place... That's why they created blue prints. I guess I'm used to working in the UNION..

[@SWiFence]

We have to work with what's there when we show up.

[@kristopherburkholder9366]

So tacky that it doesn’t you didn’t modify it to meet properly in the middle…. Pretty amateur guys