Gate hanging and posts

[Devon James]

We have a few field gates that we want to put in place. Galvinised gates will be used and some railing will be needed each side. What to use for the gate posts?
I don't like the steel round posts that can be bought, or using the motorway crash barriers, ok for in field gates but for me don't look right on a road gate.
So railway sleepers or any other ideas?

 

[An Gof]

Granite, nothing beats it ....... until some
Muppet hits it and snaps it off

 

[Bury the Trash]

Dont be so fussy
114 mm Round galv from bridgemans are good value atm. 6ft ones but needs a bit of steel something welding on 18 inches or 2ft to add length. Doesnt have tobe pretty underground .Not difficult to do and they look good above ground.

and For the authentic weathered or antique look , paint them with black waxoyl

Could even put a fancy finial (spelling) / gargoyle on the top like a duck or something ....

 

[ploughman1963]

We have a few field gates that we want to put in place. Galvinised gates will be used and some railing will be needed each side. What to use for the gate posts?
I don't like the steel round posts that can be bought, or using the motorway crash barriers, ok for in field gates but for me don't look right on a road gate.
So railway sleepers or any other ideas?

Telegraph poles are far better than sleepers IMO

 

[ploughman1963]

..and telegraph pole posts can be driven with a post knocker - I suspect the metal ones won’t look so good after same treatment

 

[Bury the Trash]

Anything timber is a waste of time and money , I wish someone had told me that when I was younger.

If the post doesnt rot at ground level or get lose, the hangings will get lose ,

Painted 7x5 rsj is the best , then use a genny to weld the hooks on exactly where you want them.

CB's or Dyfed steels and cut you're own lengths to suit.

Happy days.

If I had had more time , I reckon casting concrete would be worth a go, but rsj will take a ' brush ' with a wheel or somethin at least.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Mini digger and small bucket . Cut at right angles to the main swing of the gate then make a ' box ' 18inches diameter by 3ft deep or so out of old galvanised roof sheets cut and pop riveted in a circle. slide in the hole put in the post and fill with concrete.
Will last for an average mans lifetime .

Time for tea.

 

[Fast Farmer]

Telegraph poles dried and re dipped in creosote will be more than adequate

 

[Fast Farmer]

Worst case if in a hurry cut a bow out of an oak tree, take bark off with chainsaw and Bobs your uncle free gate post for a couple of decades, we have some here 30+ years in the ground and still strong..

 

[ARW]

You can get proper timber gate posts
We now only use larch 8ft 8x8 gateposts, should do 35 years

 

[Bury the Trash]

Trouble with that is in 35 or yrs time if you still around you will be replacing them.
A contractor wont mind that I guess as it will guarantee work for the future


Been there done that. Some have been replaced twice. Creosote , oak electric poles and so on.



And Timber never stays true with a 15ft gate particularly, after so many yrs hinges loosen the base around the ground level etc .
Were replacing several atm, I would rather not have too. Once in a career would be more than enough.
Cant beat galvanised steel.

Mind you the very best ever I've found is railway line , boy that s the bees knees.

Ask father what he thinks, James , that's all you need to do

 

[ARW]

What we use now is good enough, £40 a post, we can set a gate in 30 mins easy, it’s cheap and can last a long time, of it get knocked over it’s easy to replace and reset
Good quality well treated timber is the key for crooks to stay in, crap softwood you could pull a drive in crook out with a
Steel is great but it usually involves digging lots of soil and replacing with lots of concrete, which does last a lifetime, but is a huge hassle when someone hits it, you have a bent gate post and a huge lump of concrete which has to all be replaced.
we don’t like the standard round galv gate posts, they aren’t long enough and you need a lot of weight of concrete to secure them, and they bend or snap easily

just for the record we do not want to go back and re fence what we already have fenced.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Use a hydraulic earthdrill drill / post hole borer on a mini or midi digger for a perfect sized hole. big digga one will not stop in hard going either. 400 mm auger. down 3ft.
I know of someone who hires one out if you need , weve used a few times. its ideal .

 

[ARW]

Use a hydraulic earthdrill drill / post hole borer on a mini or midi digger for a perfect sized hole. big digga one will not stop in hard going either. 400 mm auger. down 3ft.
I know of someone who hires one out if you need , weve used a few times. its ideal .

We have a post hole boarer, postcrete is a savour. Try and avoid a digger as you just have lots of work tamping soil back in

 

[MrNoo]

Anything timber is a waste of time and money , I wish someone had told me that when I was younger.

If the post doesnt rot at ground level or get lose, the hangings will get lose ,

Painted 7x5 rsj is the best , then use a genny to weld the hooks on exactly where you want them.

Completely agree with you, I need to sort out some old gates and this will be the way I will go, RSJ's cemented in with bloody sturdy steel home made gates, the sort that wont move if hit by a car or truck, something solid with a covered lock box so the barstewards cant angle grind the lock off or ram through them as seems to be the norm down here now after hares or deer.

 

[Bury the Trash]

We have a post hole boarer, postcrete is a savour. Try and avoid a digger as you just have lots of work tamping soil back in

post crete is too expensive but can use a bit in the base to help as a bare need.

set. hanging posts one day and falling posts 2 days later (.when the gate is hung and swinging ) . when the concrete is in prop them well before leaving them perfectly plumb.

if ones you are going to weld hangings on, (which is what i prefer to do ) are slightly out of plumb its not so bad ,but you must then weld the hangings on so that the pins are perfectly plumb thats the main thing , unless you want a self closing or opening gate

 

[Devon James]

Dont be so fussy
114 mm Round galv from bridgemans are good value atm. 6ft ones but needs a bit of steel something welding on 18 inches or 2ft to add length. Doesnt have tobe pretty underground .Not difficult to do and they look good above ground.

and For the authentic weathered or antique look , paint them with black waxoyl

Could even put a fancy finial (spelling) / gargoyle on the top like a duck or something ....

It's got to look the part. Also, needs to be substantial as don't want this boys ground being knicked [emoji6]
[emoji23][emoji23] about the ducks. I will ask the landlord what he thinks.

 

[Devon James]

Anything timber is a waste of time and money , I wish someone had told me that when I was younger.

If the post doesnt rot at ground level or get lose, the hangings will get lose ,

Painted 7x5 rsj is the best , then use a genny to weld the hooks on exactly where you want them.

CB's or Dyfed steels and cut you're own lengths to suit.

Happy days.

If I had had more time , I reckon casting concrete would be worth a go, but rsj will take a ' brush ' with a wheel or somethin at least.

Rsj would look better than crash barrier [emoji106]

 

[Jd Everytime]

7" x 4" rsj galvanized will carry alot if gate for along time. Do it right...once. ok it may take longer as you need to concrete in gate post first, then return and concrete in other side to close the gate. I use 3"x 3" box or pipe for the closer side.

 

[S J H]

You can get proper timber gate posts
We now only use larch 8ft 8x8 gateposts, should do 35 years

Where do you get them from if you don’t mind me asking @ARW ?