Perfect for both residential and commercial spaces, the sliding gate allows vehicles and pedestrians to access the property easily and safely, while offering powerful control of the gate.
How Does a Sliding Gate Work?
Let’s first compare a sliding gate to a swing gate. A swing gate has doors that swing out to open, while the sliding gate uses a floor track to swiftly slide out the doors in a linear motion along the track to meet in the center. The sliding gates use a specialized motor as well as a single leaf with wheels beneath its base to run on the track.
Criteria to Consider Before Choosing a Sliding Gate
Although design preferences are important, the biggest concern regarding choosing a gate style is regarding how much space is available on the property. If you are considering a swing gate (single or double), it’s important to think about if you will have enough room for the doors to swing out and open.
If you don’t have access to this much space, a slide gate might be a better option as this style tends to use less space as the doors are not required to swing out. The sliding gate does not require a lot of space, in fact, all that is required is a straight track across the length of the driveway that attaches at the two pillars on either side of the driveway.
If you are ready to select a style of gate, a qualified gate installer such as Techno Gate GTA is required to help you ensure that you are selecting the most appropriate style for your property. After conducting a safety audit that identifies all potential risks, our team can let you know our professional recommendation. Ultimately, the sliding gate option should be selected if there is not enough room to have swinging gates open and close.
Cantilever Sliding Gates
The cantilever sliding gate is a trackless gate system that holds the gates above the ground. This style of gate remains suspended off the ground when opening and closing as the gate is weighted on one side. The three most significant advantages of this style of gate is that they are suitable for all-terrain, they are easy to maintain, and they have a long lifespan if they are properly installed and maintained.
This style of gate has guide rollers positioned to prevent the gate from falling over. These guide rollers are located at the top of the gate. Typically, a solid foundation is needed to install a cantilever sliding gate. This is because the carriage wheels need to be mounted carefully to ensure the weight of the gate. Most commonly, industrial spaces opt for this style of gate as they allow for wider openings and allow for there to be uneven grounds.
If you are looking to receive professional gate installation advice, our team at Techno Gate GTA is ready to be at your service. With years of experience under our belt and a qualified background, our team is able to help you choose the right gate for your property. Contact our team today.
How to Choose the Best Automatic Gate Opener
When deciding to purchase an automatic gate opener, there are many critical features to review. This includes characteristics such as space, weight, remote controls, power source, and more. Whether you are selecting a gate for your residential or commercial space, the following factors are all something to consider.
Opener Type
Essentially, there are two options of gates that one can purchase. The first is a swinging gate, and the second is a sliding gate.
Swinging gates is a style of gate that allows the doors of the gate to swing open and swing closed. This style requires space on the property to allow the doors of the gates to swing open without hitting anything around. Swinging gates can operate through either a single gate panel or a dual gate panel. The user of the gate can open one or both gates simultaneously. Although dual versions can require two mechanisms (one for each door), this style can become more costly.
Sliding gates, on the other hand, use a track that runs across the span of the gate opening. When the gate is to be open or closed, the gate just slides either away from the middle or towards the middle. This style of the gate usually runs parallel to the adjacent wall or fencing.
Gate Weight & Size
When deciding how to choose the best automatic gate opener, it’s important to consider the weight and size of the gate in order to select the proper opener. Most electric gate openers have different lengths and loads they are able to handle. The longer that the gate is, the weight that the opener can handle starts to decrease. For example, a 20-foot-long gate can handle 300 pounds whereas a 5-foot gate can handle 900 pounds. Most times, different manufacturers will include weight maximums based on length in the diagrams.
Power Source
A variety of sources can be used to power the gate although typically, a motor used for a gate needs a hardwired 115-volt electrical connection to work. Sliding gates can be used in both industrial and commercial settings in order to open wide metal gates.
Frequency of Use
Depending on how often you plan to use a gate will help determine which style of gate you want to select. For example, if you are only using the gate twice a day (once in the morning and once in the evening) it will see less wear and tear than a gate that is used multiple times a day for numerous deliveries.
Interfaces
If you are looking for a certain interface for your gate, it may impact which style of gate you purchase. For example, you could have your gate opener connected to your smart device, controlled locally through a keypad, or be hard-wired to the home. Hardwired controllers are often times more difficult to hack leading them to provide stronger security features.
Additional Features
As mentioned, different gate openers can offer different features. In addition to this, different brands can include some different features. Let’s compare a few of the most popular.
- Stop and Reverse Functions: This feature is highly to do with safety. This is because if the gate sense resistance when opening or closing, it will respond by stopping and reversing. This will help reduce potential injuries.
- Remote Functions: Today, gates can be highly controlled through a smart device as well as remote controls like garage door style remotes and keychain remotes.
- Infrared Photo Beams: This technology is able to sense when a vehicle is coming towards and getting and in turn, it opens the gate for the vehicle and closes it behind them.
- Auto-Close: This is probably one of the most important features of a gate. This feature allows you to set an appropriate time for a car to pass through to ensure no one is tailgating to get in.
- Loop Detectors: Safety loops are wires that are able to detect when a car is near as they can sense the metal. This feature is typically used to help instruct the gate to open or close.
