Automated cantilevered entrance gate

[Chasingmytail]

Had a price from a company using steel and cladding in timber around £14k with coded entrance all singing and dancing.

We reckon with working with our welder chap and buying the kits should be able to halve this plus Im getting some funds from the company that uses our entrance.

What recommendations, advice and mistakes can you give me on this?

Ive seen the kits and information on line. A track system isnt going to work with the weights going over and want it to look and be functional for ever. But overall has to work. We have contractors entering the site all times so dont want someone banging the front door in the middle of the night cos they can get in.

Any recommendations on this appreciated. Some ideas im looking at

 

[Wombat]

The issue is the fact it will come under H and S regulations if used for a business purposes, so a DIY approach may not be suitable unless you go on the necessary courses.

Ensuring powered doors and gates are safe - HSE

www.hse.gov.uk

 

[Yale]

These do them,reputable company however I’ve had no dealings with the gates.

Gate Automation | Automatic Gates | Jacksons Fencing

Automate our gates with our gate automation systems. Electric gates available for driveways, entrances, and commercial spaces.

www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk

 

[Chasingmytail]

The issue is the fact it will come under H and S regulations if used for a business purposes, so a DIY approach may not be suitable unless you go on the necessary courses.

Ensuring powered doors and gates are safe - HSE

www.hse.gov.uk

My welder is a professional fabricator, electrician will be doing the electrics its still DIY

 

[Steevo]

Safety, safety safety.

There are big margins in this business - they seem to almost charge what they like. Each installer knows this and it works if they all keep their prices high.

The issue is it's classed as a machine and there is a significant crush/death risk.

 

[Dman2]

Came uk do training courses ( or did before covid 19 )
Well worth the 100quid or so

 

[deleted user 837354]

Just bear in mind, these things won't be insured on a house insurance policy and it will be the first thing no fixed abode criminals will attack to gain entry.

If it's a gate to a farm yard or place of business I would think a pair of oak gates will not be secure enough. I'd have a bit metal fudger than a pickup truck could ram and come worse off.

 

[Chasingmytail]

Ive got a H&S advisor I'll get him to draw up the risk assessment on this and get it checked over. Im sure there is plenty of help on the kit companies.

 

[Chasingmytail]

Just bear in mind, these things won't be insured on a house insurance policy and it will be the first thing no fixed abode criminals will attack to gain entry.

If it's a gate to a farm yard or place of business I would think a pair of oak gates will not be secure enough. I'd have a bit metal fudger than a pickup truck could ram and come worse off.

Yes it will be a fixed steel mounted gate on cantilever (option is to clad) - its the farm yard so Im sure it will help with security and cant see why the gates wont be insured. I can easily check with the NFU.

 

[2wheels]

where my son works they have a pair of swing elactro/hydraulic gates which meet in the centre. they are a pain in the arse. even with big rams the gales can push them open so a good push from a vehicle would open them. i think they wish they had put in a sliding one on a sunk rail.

 

[br jones]

The electrician is responsible for the gate for the life of the gate,or until amother electrician takes responsibility

 

[steveR]

The "beefiest" electric gate I have seen was one fabricated for the farmer/light industrial customer out of very heavy duty steel box frame and vertical steel railings. Sure to have weighed a ton... or two!

It must have been at least a 12ft opening and used a electric driven wheel to open and close the gate over a farm track, so could cope with an uneven surface and a bit of crap left on the roadway. The locking pin was a solid piece of steel in the clapping post, and it had some sort of pin that came up out of the roadway as well, but I have no idea how that worked to be honest.

Looked about as ram proof as you would get and still be usable.

But... not a cantilevered gate... However, it would/should/could be a fairly safe unit in operation...?

 

[Wombat]

The "beefiest" electric gate I have seen was one fabricated for the farmer/light industrial customer out of very heavy duty steel box frame and vertical steel railings. Sure to have weighed a ton... or two!

It must have been at least a 12ft opening and used a electric driven wheel to open and close the gate over a farm track, so could cope with an uneven surface and a bit of crap left on the roadway. The locking pin was a solid piece of steel in the clapping post, and it had some sort of pin that came up out of the roadway as well, but I have no idea how that worked to be honest.

Looked about as ram proof as you would get and still be usable.

But... not a cantilevered gate... However, it would/should/could be a fairly safe unit in operation...?

It’s just going through all the risks of crushing etc. If it’s on a business property and someone turning their car round in the gateway gets out and gets crushed then the hse turn up and will want to see all the risk assessment, design statements etc etc

As they open they create crush points And same with closing so it’s just having everything done properly and with the correct sensors etc

 

[Blackleg]

Automated gates are a minefield, not that there isn't clear regulations for making and installing them but because the rules aren't enforced and a lot of companies supply gates that don't conform.
It doesn't matter if you make them yourself, the gate still should meet the regs.
I've been dabbling in them for years and nine times out of ten fail to get work because someone buys a kit off eBay and doesn't worry about conformity.
That's fine until a kid gets squashed - and they do. It's utterly frustrating and I don't look for gate work now.

I did a pair of automated swing gates in a primary school a month ago and looked at a sliding gate job yesterday but this is work that has to be done right, the customers understand the need for compliance and are prepared to pay for it.

Doing it yourself and achieving compliance isn't difficult, this is cost effective for two reasons - you get a gate at a good price and don't get a massive fine if someone gets squashed.

Last year I quoted £3500 to automate a pair of existing gates which included all the required safety kit/risk assessment/force test/CE marking/technical folder...... The customer went for a slightly cheaper quote which when I "happened to drive past" was a pair of cheap arms bolted on - £1000 and two hours work so he paid well over the odds.

Ideally all automated gates should achieve compliance whether homemade or supplied by a company, if you want to take the risk of non compliance that's fair enough but don't pay over the odds for someone to bodge a motor on.

In all cases it's the owner of the gates who are liable in the event of injury, it's a civil case for a domestic gate and it's criminal liability in a workplace. If you have a cleaner/gardener/home office it's a workplace.

The Door and Hardware Federation (DHF) are recognised by the HSE as one of two organisations providing training and information. Their TS 11 publication tells you everything you need to know about making and installing gates that conform, it's freely available to download but does take a bit of reading.

dhf | Gate Safety

www.dhfonline.org.uk

TS 11 "How to make a safe gate"