Sliding gates are the most suitable option for arranging convenience in a suburban area. This type of gate is distinguished by its reliability, convenience and a long service life. Today, the building materials market offers such a variety of materials that it is not difficult to purchase everything you need to assemble this type of gate with your own hands.
Device overview
In order to successfully cope with the task of installing sliding gates with your own hands, you need to prepare a drawing in advance. You will also have to understand a little about the automation that is used to open it. In addition, it is best to first understand the principle of operation and the device of this equipment.
It is worth noting that until recently this type of gate was less popular. The most common were swing. This is due to the fact that the cost of components for the sliding device was quite high. To date, prices have dropped significantly, and it is not possible to purchase a complete set for automatic opening of sliding gates.is labor.
Types and principle of operation
It's worth starting right away with the fact that there are two types of this design. The first type of gate is called cantilever, the second type is called rail.
Today, the second type of sliding gate design is considered obsolete. You can meet him only in factories or factories that have been operating for many years. In private construction, it is the console version that prevails. This type suggests the presence of a console, which is a continuation of the gate sheathing. It is located most often behind a fence, part of which is adjacent to the gate.
The operation principle of the cantilever type gate is as follows. A rigid guide (console) is welded to the frame. Due to its presence, the movement of the sliding gate is carried out. The guide itself moves along retractable carts, which are fixed directly on the foundation.
Hardware Specifications
Each of the carts for such a guide has 8 bearings into which metal or polymer rollers are pressed. In order to extend the service life of sliding gates, it was decided to mount these bogies inside the rails. Thus, they have additional protection against atmospheric influences, which prolongs the service life. The approximate number of cycles, that is, open-close the gate, is about 60 thousand times. On average, this is about 20 years of service.
To other virtues of this typedesigns can be attributed to the following:
- control can be not only automatic, but also manual;
- there is no limit on the height of the machine, as there are no guides at the bottom and top of the opening;
- quite a simple installation process that allows you to mount sliding gates with your own hands;
- no need for extensive additional maintenance.
The only significant disadvantage is that it requires a large free space for their installation. For this reason, often the choice falls in favor of swing structures.
Set of necessary elements
In order to successfully install a sliding gate, of course, you need to know what components are needed for this.
The main elements include the following components:
- bearing carts, as well as roller-type carriages;
- in order to reduce the rolling of the canvas in strong winds, an upper and lower limiter is needed;
- bearing beam, the thickness of which will directly depend on how heavy the final model of sliding gates for summer cottages or houses will be;
- one small but very necessary detail that will significantly reduce the noise level, as well as the heaviness of the casing in the open state - the end roller;
- board that keeps the door leaf from swinging to the sides when opening/closing.
Set of accessories for automation
If opensliding gates, photos of which are in the article, using automation, you need to purchase several additional items. If you plan to open manually, then this kit is not needed. Includes:
- Rack gear type. If the gate is large enough - more than 5 meters - then the thickness of this element must be at least 9 mm.
- Reducer and remote control.
- The most important elements are photosensors or light elements. These devices are designed to synchronize the operation of the receiver and transmitter, and they will not allow the gate to close as long as there is an object in the opening. All this is possible due to the fact that this equipment registers IF rays.
- The base for the installation of automation and signal lamp.
The most reliable suppliers of equipment for automatic gate opening are Italian and German companies. Components of these manufacturers are able to work in almost any climatic conditions. It is worth paying attention to one important nuance. It is necessary to provide for the possibility of manually opening the gate, even in the presence of automation, for example, in case of a power outage.
Required tools and materials for installation
How to make a sliding gate with your own hands? Naturally, you need to start with the purchase of materials and tools, as well as consumables. The list of required tools includes:
- Welding machine. Most often, the inverted type is chosen.a device that has a power of more than 1000 W, as well as electrodes for it, with a diameter of 2.5-3.5 mm.
- Bulgarian or cutting machine with wheels for cutting and processing metal material.
- Concrete mixer.
- To paint the gate, you can use an air compressor or a regular roller, brush, etc.
- Hammer.
- Level.
- Scapula.
- Roulette.
- Screwdriver.
The most expensive tools, such as a grinder and a welding machine, can be rented so as not to buy them and save some material resources. In addition to the necessary tools, you will need the following materials:
- For sheathing the frame, profile sheets are most often used.
- The frame itself is assembled from profile pipes 65x44x2-3, jumpers 45x25x1-2 are also used.
- Sealant, primer and paint.
- Channel 15-25 mm and console equipment.
- Reinforcement with a diameter of 12-16 mm.
- Fastening for facing material: rivets and self-tapping screws.
The first stage. Preparatory work
How to make a sliding gate? The whole process begins with two main stages - this is the choice of a suitable place and drawing up a drawing. It is very important when drawing up a project not to make a mistake with the dimensions of length, width, height, etc. This is very important, since the mass of the structure will depend on the dimensions, and the thickness of the materials for the frame and so on will depend on this. Naturally, the width of the gate must be sufficient for normalarrival of transport. In order to determine the exact width in advance, you can insert a few pegs in the selected places and try to drive in.
When drawing up the drawing, it is also worth considering that the width of the gate will affect the amount of space required for the rollback. Another caveat - the height of the structure should be 10 cm lower than the height of the fence adjacent to the gate. After the place is chosen, it should be carefully cleaned from debris and dirt, and the site should be leveled.
Gate supports
Do-it-yourself installation of sliding gates, the photos of which are presented in the article, begins with the installation of support pillars. Brick, concrete poles, steel pipes, wooden bars, channels, etc. can be used as a support. It is very important to remember that the pole must be at least 1 meter deep. That is, if the height of the gate is 2 meters, then the pillars must be at least 3.
Installation of poles
It should be said that the installation steps of the pole are quite simple. First you need to dig a hole a little more than 1 meter deep. After that, the selected support is placed in it. Next, all the empty space must be filled with concrete mix. Here it is desirable to have one more person in the assistants who will hold the pillar strictly in level while the other will pour the solution.
It will take about a week for the mixture to dry. In order not to waste this time, you can proceed with the installation of sliding gates. It also begins with pouring the foundation for the frame. To starta U-shaped trench breaks out. Where the racks will be mounted, the depth should reach 1800 mm, in the places of the jumper up to 600 mm. A layer of sand of about 15 cm is laid on the bottom and compacted. Next, you need to cut the existing pieces of reinforcement into segments 1 meter long and weld them to the channels. After that, the channel is laid "paws" down and leveled. The resulting frame is poured with cement.
It is important to note here that the top of the channel must be at the same level with the ground for the normal passage of vehicles.
Assembling the frame
According to the previously drawn up drawing, you need to cut all the pipes to the desired dimensions for the jumpers and for the base of the frame. Before proceeding with the welding of the structure, it is necessary to clean all elements from scale and other debris. It is recommended to treat with a protective agent against corrosion and degrease.
Steps of work:
- In order to simplify the work, you can create a stand for welding. To do this, stakes are driven into the ground, and then jumpers are laid out.
- After that, the main pipes are laid on the existing stand, which will serve as longitudinal and transverse frames for the gate. They are seized with dots, after which the diagonal is checked. If everything is in order, then the joints are welded.
- Next, the crate for the gate is laid. It is also first tacked, after which the evenness of the surface is checked. It is necessary to weld the crate with seams of 1 cm in increments of 0.5 cm.
- The last stage is the cleaning of the welds, coating with a protective compound and paintingthe entire frame.
Gate automation
Automatic installation is carried out as follows:
- A base is installed between the rollers for sliding gates on the channel.
- An electric drive is attached to this base.
- Further, it is important to note that you need to mount the gear rack not on the guide itself, but on the pipe from the gate frame. It is very important that this part must be clearly centered on the gear of the electric drive.
- This element must be fixed across the entire width of the sliding gate.
- The switches are further installed on it, and the drive is also connected.
- From the street side, you need to install a signal lamp. Self-tapping screws are used as fixing elements.
- To connect and supply electricity to the drive board to open the gate, it is necessary according to the instructions that come with the automation.
Frame and trim
In order to successfully install a sliding gate, it is best to follow a specific plan. To begin with, a trolley with rollers is installed, after which the structure is placed on the foundation. After that, you need to install the beam in the gate opening. Here it is worth adding that there should be a distance of 5-6 cm between the end of the beam and the pole. To prevent the console from falling over, wooden beams are installed under it, after which the rear trolley is welded. It is also important to scald cart platforms. The frame must be welded to the beam on both sides. Welding the structure at the location of the rollers is not worth it, so as not to damage the device by welding.
Speaking in general about the installation of sliding gates, doing it yourself will be much cheaper than ordering ready-made ones from a construction company. Although, of course, you will have to buy all the components, as well as figure out how to install an automatic system for opening and closing the gate, if necessary. A lot of time will also have to be spent, in particular due to the fact that the concrete will dry for a long time.
