Anyone have an idea of why my gates are leaning at the top? The gates are 10′ long each and were built on the ground with proper bracing. Everything is square and joined with 4 inch lag screws. The bracings are tight and secured with 2 pocket screws on each end. They are attached with 4 heavy duty hinges to a 4 x 6 post and the gate posts are plum in both directions. I also used a support caster on each gate to help prevent the gate from sagging.
See the images below. The bottoms of the gates line up perfectly, but the tops lean out. Appreciate any ideas.
Replies
A couple possibilities.
New treated lumber can warp as it dries.
Could your wheels be set too high and is pushing out the tops?
Any slop in the hinges?
The slide bolt joins them well but is too short to align those monster gates.
How far out of plumb are the gates where they join?
Remember that a hair out of plumb (or level)gets magnified over long distances. Easy answer on what might correct it could be installing a long removable square steel bar at the top.
No slop in the hinges. I used lag screws and drilled out the hinge holes to be the same size as the lag screw to eliminate any movement in the hinge. The tops lean about 4-5 inches in relation to the bottom.
After looking at them some more, I think it could be caused by the casters. The casters have a spring to account for variations in the surface but I removed any slack by compressing the spring when I installed them otherwise the gates would sag.
I wonder if I move the casters more toward the center of the gates if that would help but still prevent the sagging.
Thanks.
If you remove the casters, and replace with a lever, you can see how the top moves in response to the vertical variation of the ends of the gates.
A long 2x should do the trick.
This should also let you see what would happen if you moved the support from the end of the gate.
the weight of the vertical boards is on the outside.
If you move the wheels to the outside of the gate, under the center of gravity, it might help.
Correct elevation of the wheels is also a good point to consider.
a turnbuckle/tension on the inside might also help.
That is a pretty heavy gate.
if you are still looking for solution just go to youtube and type how to fix leaning gate? i was also facing the same issue with the gate of my office Tawakkalna. I just implement all of the steps and now gate is Perfect
are you still looking for help?
Where are those cross braces? are they flush against the vertical boards?
Can you share a photo with closer detail on the bracing in relation to the rest of the gate?
UncleMike, below are closer pictures of the bracing. Thanks.
Edited-images weren't showing.
The gates are warped. There is absolutely nothing keeping them in plane.Put some string lines on the gates and you will find they are not flat. As I see it the only way to flatten them is with absolutely rigid diagonal braces from corner to corner of the entire gate. Wood will undoubtedly bend. I suggest metal.
I wanted to provide a quick update and appreciate all the ideas and recommendations.
I was able to get most of the forward tilt out by adding a support roller to the front side of the fence. The rollers on the back side were pushing up on the bottom causing the tops to lean outward. After adding the two on the front, it's evened it out quite a bit, I just need to play with the spring tension to fine tune it.
I still may add a cable and turnbuckle that goes from the gate post to the top of the gate ends for some added support.
If you put in a cable/turnbuckle, you can put it on the gate, top near the hinge, bottom at the opening. While the cable might not blend well with the overall design, a set, inside and outside on each gate, would let you balance the torque.
I say it from my own experience.