Hanging and Leveling a Gate Leaf

The scrape of a bottom rail on concrete is the sound of a gate hung without enough attention to level, and the notes kept at metal gate installation carlsbad museum house on bloor treat hanging the leaf as its own step. A steel gate in Carlsbad, CA can be heavy and awkward, and once it is welded or bolted onto its hinges, small errors grow into a sagging leaf or a latch that will not meet.

Lifting the gate

A light walk gate can be held by two people. A large driveway leaf is moved on dollies and lifted with a gate jack, blocks or a small crane. The gate is set on wood blocks at the right height under the bottom rail so the crew can adjust it without holding the weight.

Setting the hinge height

Hinges are positioned so the bottom rail clears the highest point in the swing path. On sloped drives in La Costa and Aviara that clearance is checked at the end of the arc, not just in the closed position.

Level and plumb

With the gate on blocks, a level goes on the top rail and the hinge side stile. Shims under the blocks bring it level. The hinge post is checked for plumb at the same time, since a leaning post makes a level gate drift open or closed.

Attaching the hinges

Weld on hinges are tacked first, the gate is swung to check the arc, and then the welds are finished and coated. Bolt on and adjustable hinges are tightened in stages so the gate can be nudged into place.

Double gates

On a pair of gates, each leaf is hung and leveled on its own, and then the two are checked against each other in the middle. The center gap should be even top to bottom. A gate that drops at the latch side is lifted before the hinges are final, because correcting it later takes more work.