I’m planning to fence my place in Q1 of 2017 and build a gated entrance. What I have in mind will look very much like this pic, which is my neighbors place from Google street view. Scope of work is approx 2200 LF of 3 rail, PVC ranch fence. Gate will be 12’ single swing wrought iron or aluminum gate on an automatic opener. Some specific questions are.

1. Which gate is preferred, wrought iron or aluminum?

2. Brick columns will be 24” square x 7’ tall beside the gate and outlying columns will be 20” square and 6’ tall. How thick should the concrete pads be these columns are built upon? The concensus seems to be 6-8” thick, the columns in the pic are sitting on pads 36” thick. I’m a big fan of “overdoing” but that seems a bit much ,even for me.

3. The top selling gate opener seems to by “Mighty Mule” and they are about the least expensive. Any knowledge or experience with gate openers?

Thanx in advance for your input.

2O2S

That would look great! I have a lot of similar structures around my place. My piece of advice is, if you ever think you might want to put lights on top of those columns, build that capability in by providing for wire access during construction.

If you can get the look you want, I would go with aluminum. Less weight on the hinges and opening system and no worries about rust.

I'm not familiar with the automatic gate opening brand you're talking about. When we lived in a place that had a system like that we had an intercom to talk to visitors and could open the gate from the house. Those were nice features.

After replacing a one gate opener I can tell you they are not cheep. I would take an extended warranty if offered. I bought the one offered at Tractor supply, it did not last very long (just over the warranty). I am looking at this time for a better brand.

2O2S, we have a brick gate, and have a 6" pipe on the gate hinge side, and IIRC, we sank it 4' deep, with concrete. It's held up well. I think our pad for the brick columns is 8".

I agree with Bill. If you can, add electricity.

I replaced our old gate opener with a Mighty Mule this last spring. I started having circuit board issues after a few months, and got with MM's phone support. Outstanding real-human customer service, and I had a new circuit board on it's way that same day.

I got the 20' model for our 14' steel gate, and it handles the weight well.

What type soil are you on?

If it is like some of the expansive clay soils we have in parts of north Texas I would do deep piers. It is sad to see those expensive brick entryways cracked and leaning after a few years.

Regarding the gate openers I went with solar powered Apollo that has worked well(knock on wood) for the last 3years. Also had a ground sensor added to make exiting easier for guests. I later added a wireless transmitter so we could open the gate from inside the house when guests arrive.

120volts is probably the best solution but it was not an option for me due to distance.

I have two friends with Mighty Mule openers and they are happy.

Thanx for the responses, much appreciated. I’ve decided to go with an aluminum gate to minimize weight to reduce stress on the gate opener. I plan to go with the Mighty Mule opener, I see no reason to spend more money for one at this point. I think the key to longevity is proper installation and grounding. I plan to run AC power, water, CAT-5 and a coax to the gate, you never know what you’ll need tomorrow.

The soil in south Georgia is sandy (think Florida), so I’ve decided not to mount the gate on the brick column, instead I’ll install an adjacent steel post with outriggers per the attached pic. This should ensure the gate and column remains vertical.

I’ve got all my bids back for building the columns, two of them tied at $3500, or $700 per column, material and labor. The columns in the first pic I posted were installed 10 years ago at a cost of $600 per column, so I think this is reasonable.

I also forgot to mention the fence cost of $7.25 per foot, material and labor. From the research I’ve, I think this is pretty reasonable.

Thanx again

2O2S

I finally made some headway on this project, finished the brick work and got the fence installed last week. Ordered a powder coated aluminum gate (105 #’s) and it should be ready next week. I know that without pix, it never happened so here are a few.

2O2S

Beautiful! Thanks for posting pictures.

Outstanding! Well done Sir!

looks great!

That looks a lot nicer than the barb wire fence that runs beside our property. Showed it to wife and she likes it, but fortunately got no new ideas.........yet.

nice job... that fence is a beauty

That looks great!!!


In regards to gates, does anyone have any experience with gates that slide open vs. pivot? Here in snow country, pivot gates might have problems..... A client has an 18' wide gravel drive and is looking at putting up a gate.

That looks great....really nice, upscale....I have the same white fence.

My only concern is the width of that entry...could a cement truck, FedEx truck, or a Fire Truck easily squeeze through that entry? And if they can, is it so close that eventually bricks are gonna get hit? Maybe you have another side entry, or of course a section of the white fence can be easily removed if needed. Irregardless it looks really nice, almost like a race horse farm in Kentucky.

2O2S,

Great progress. Keep it up!

Thanx for the kind words. The opening between the gate columns is 12' 2", which is pretty standard for most entry gates. That will accomodate a 12' gate plus 2" for the hinges. The max width for vehicles allowed by federal regulations is 9', so I don't anticipate any problems. Camera's can trick the eye sometimes, around the holidays they even make me look fat! The distance between the gate columns and the columns by the road is 40', between the gate columns and the edge of road is 58'. Here is another perspective that shows the width with a vehicle in it.

perfect man...congrats!

ps: love the pine trees

2old2soon, 12 feet is more than enough for a fire truck to pass through. they only require a 10 foot lane. They do take a lot more room for a turning radius but it sound like the width of the road to you first column is ample distance to make the turn into your place. Your fence and columns look great.