Driveway Metal Gate. Which posts and pillar strength.

[Bouba]

I am about to get my driveway gates installed at the back of my garden.End terrace house.
The gates are of timber but with metal frame around it.Total height is 6 foot and width is 3 metre(1.5 each gate)

Got different advice from 3 builders with regards to the gate posts and pillars.Please advice who is right or better informed.

1. Wants to build a pillar of 2 bricks wide ie, 18 inches square on a footing of 500mm and then use 6x6 timber posts next to it to install the gates.The pillar will be around 6foot tall.

2. Wants to dig a trench 1 metre deep continuous from 1 pillar to another and fill it with 10mm rebar.Build brick pier of 1.5 bricks wide square,and advised me to get some box hollow section of 4x4 of 9 foot long.These will be hidden in the brick pillar with 3 foot in the concrete as well.

3. Also wants to dig a trench of 1metre from 1 pillar to another,with rebar in it.But wants me to fit the gates directly to the brick pillar using bolts(not sure what he called in his terminology).He is also advising to use some wheels at the end of gates to take weight and said that if i ever want to make them electric in future it would be easy.

Please advice who is correct,as the gates are very very heavy and, I will not want to pay again in few years time.The current gates are on 4x4 posts and they do not even close properly and the bolts are twisted due to weight.

Excuse my ignorance as i am naive to this installation field.Many thanks for your help.

 

[Rosco906]

I've fitted gates of options 1 and 2.

What is there the now? Nothing?

For really heavy gates I fitted just before Christmas we dug down easily 1m and bolt the post to the piller.

Set the concrete and gave it a week to set. Came back dropped gates on walked away.

Is it thunderbolts your maybe thinking of?

 

[tony1851]

If the gates are as heavy as you suggest, an unreinforced brick pier would not take the tensile stress induced, unless it was very large.

You really need to consider fixing the hinges directly to steel posts rather than to brickwork. In this respect option 2 seems the least problematic, as long as the brickwork is purely cosmetic.

Even here, with a pier 1 1/2 bricks square, the 4x4 post will be tight to the brickwork internally, it will eventually rust, and split the bricks.