Merchants sell new aluminum farm gates in several styles and colors. Each gate includes a hardware kit with lag bolts and hinge clamps for hanging the gate. Installing a gate that is level will help prevent sagging or rubbing on the ground as quickly as an unlevel gate. A wheel on the bottom of the closure side of the gate helps support its weight and ensures easy opening and closing without sagging. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Measure the distance between the hinges on your farm gate. The hinges attach to the gate on the top and bottom vertical spaces just below the top horizontal rail and above the bottom horizontal rail. Mark on the wooden post on the hinge side of the gate with a marking pen. Drill a hole on each mark with a 3/4-inch wood drill bit that is 3 inches deep.
2. Screw the two lag bolts ends with threads into each hole so that they fit hand-tight. Tighten each lag bolt fully with pliers so that the top lag bolt faces down and the bottom lag bolt faces up. Gate lag bolts are in the shape of a 7 with the top of the 7 being the threaded end and the bottom being the smooth end. Make sure that the smooth ends point in the correct position.
3. Attach the two hinge clamps to the gate and hand-tighten the bolt on each. Slide the hinge clamps into the protruding ends of the lag bolts at the bottom and then the top. Adjust the hinges by sliding them up or down vertically to sit on the lag bolts and tighten the bolts with pliers.
4. Level the gate so that it is level both horizontally and vertically. Use a level to determine if one of the hinges needs to be loosened or tightened to be plumb. It helps to have a second person hold the gate and level while the first person tightens and loosens the hinges.
Tags: hinge clamps, bolt faces, gate that, gate that level, horizontal rail