What is a Cantilever Gate?
American Security and Gate Company provides Fargo customers with services besides fence installation. As alluded to in our name, we’re also North Dakota’s foremost gate contractor, a reputation deriving in part from our various divisions, which include America’s Gate Company and Patriot Custom Metals. Between our collective designers, fabricators, and installers, we assemble the best gates on the market, tailoring each according to the customer’s individual needs and scenario. The team’s trained to manufacture gates of various types—one of the most popular being cantilever gates.
What are cantilever gates? How do they work?
At first glance, cantilever gates look and function like traditional sliding gates. However, there are noteworthy differences. A slide gate opens/closes via wheels attached to the bottom frame; the wheels move along a track installed into the ground spanning your entrance. A cantilever gate also slides horizontally across the entrance and, when open, stows against the attached fence. However, the crucial difference is that cantilever gates don’t use wheels, and no part of them actually makes contact with the ground. Instead, the gates are suspended via large rollers—shaped sort of like train wheels—which grip, suspend, and roll out the gate by its frame.
What are the advantages of cantilever gates?
In short: slide gates require significantly greater upkeep due to the fact that they make physical contact with the grade—resulting in greater wear and tear. The track itself brings a number of maintenance needs as well. The slightest dent or deformation can potentially result in the wheels not being able to pass through, and the gate consequently not being able to open or close. The track interior is also prone to collecting debris and clutter, meaning it must be cleaned out on a semi-frequent basis. Also—and most inconvenient—sliding gates can only be installed over consistently even terrain. Neither the track—nor the gate that moves across it—can so easily accommodate bumps or dips in the grade.
Cantilever gates, hoisted off the ground, are not subject to these conditions. What’s more, they usually only need lubrication and professional service once a year. And since they don’t make physical contact with the ground, cantilever gates endure significantly less wear and tear than their slide counterparts. They also make less noise as they operate: convenient for cantilever gates installed in residential applications.
What are the disadvantages of cantilever gates?
Due to the need to counterbalance the weight of the mounting posts, a cantilever gate needs to be 50% longer than the length of the opening it is to enclose. This requires more material to manufacture the gate and, thus, the cost’s increased. (If you have limited space alongside the part of the fence featuring the gate, a traditional sliding gate might be the better choice.) Cantilever gates also cost more due to their greater size and sturdier frames. They’re also more complicated to install and require a more powerful gate operator to function.
What is the value of custom-made cantilever gates?
Patriot Custom Metals is the name of our fabrication division, which custom-manufactures everything from unique fence parts to specialty items (gazebos, pergolas, etc.) to architectural screening. They also manufacture all the metal gates designed, sold, and installed by America’s Gate Company. In-house custom fabrication means that each gate is tailored to fit the opening it will cover as well as match contours in the grade. The team works out of a massive facility stocked with the most contemporary, reliable equipment.