Kory Kozar

Maintenance and Repair

In uncertain and difficult times, fence and gates usually are the last to get the attention they need.  Fence and gates provide security, access control and safety to your employees, property and quite possibly even the general public.

Not sure of what repairs are necessary?  We can walk your fence and gates and help you determine what repairs are needed for your peace of mind and what repairs perhaps can wait.  Want to get ahead of the issue before they snowball out of control?  Life Time Fence has seen a lot of fence that is ready to fall over and cause more damage and problems.  Perhaps the answer is not even replacing, but moving a problem fence line.  All of these things come with decades of experience designing, installing, maintaining and repairing commercial and industrial fence and gates in Denver.  For peace of mind and help in choosing the correct automatic gate for you commercial application, call Life Time Fence. Life Time Fence is the most trusted name in fence installation, repair and maintenance in the greater Denver area and neighboring states.

Electric gates, automatic gates, actuated gates…all these names are associated to one of the most common commercial gates, the automatic gate.

One of the hardest decisions regarding a vehicle gate is whether to install it to operate automatically.  This can be an extremely critical decision affecting the effectiveness of a gate and its longevity.  Most property owners don’t know the pros and cons of automatic gates and simply use cost to determine whether a gate is manual or automatic.  Understandably cost can be a critical factor determining your gate power source however, this article will help you understand some of the other things to consider with automatic gates.

Power Source

The key difference between a manual and automatic gate is the power source to open and close.  Manual gates use human power while automatic gates use electrical power, hence the common designation of electric gate.

Power reliability with automatic gates is almost bullet proof.  Almost, because most automatic gates rely on electric power to operate and anyone in an area with intermittent electrical supply understands what happens to the automatic equipment when there is no power.  That being said, there are ways to help ensure an automatic gate still operates when the electrical power grid is down.  Battery backups and solar power backups or are the two most common ways to keep your automatic gate operating.

Safety

In a commercial or industrial setting manual operating gates can be extremely dangerous and an expensive liability to your company.  An individual intending to operate a manual gate has to enter the flow of vehicle traffic in order to open or close a gate.  This could lead to an accident involving both vehicle and pedestrian.  Additionally, if your gate is heavy, the individual opening or closing the gate could become injured in the act of moving the gate due to the shear weight and resulting strain on their body.  Furthermore, the gate itself could come free of the individual’s control and strike the individual, passersby or even vehicles or other property.  Automatic gate remove these dangers while ensuring your facility is secure.

Security

Manual gates use both your power to open and close AND to lock.  Automatic gates however, use power to open and close AND to lock in either the open OR closed position.  Often overlooked, this can be of great importance if your gate needs to be secure in either the open or closed position WITHOUT manual intervention. Securing your gate using an automatic operator can also help keep the gate out of harms way from vehicle traffic or from weather, such as gust of wind that can send manual gates slamming into their fence or any objects in their way such as pedestrians or employees.  Often overlooked and simply an extravagant spend, automatic gates can actually save your company money in the long run in accident avoidance.

Gate Types

All gates can be manual or automated, some more easily than others.  For the sake of this article we will discuss the most common automated gates

The most popular automatic gate is a full cantilever.  This design requires both the space to locate an operator and room to slide the gate back behind an adjacent fence line.  The second most popular is a swing gate.  This design requires the space to locate the operator, the room to nest the gate along the adjacent roadway AND the space and clearance to swing the gate through the roadway and out of the way.  The third most common automatic gate is the vertical pivot gate.  This drawbridge style gate is the most expensive because of the mechanical design of the gate and hydraulic operator necessary to move the gate up and down.  Pivot gates require a larger location to install the operator.  However, unlike full cantilever and swing gates, pivot gates do not take up additional space in the opening or closing action or in the fully open position, except vertically.  So how do you choose between these three major types?

Narrow Necked-down Driveways

If your driveway and adjacent fence lines necks-down to a narrow opening, without adequate fence space to either side, you cannot install a semi cantilever gate.  A swing gate or pivot gate are your best options.  If the area is also obstructed vertically then a pivot gate is out of the question and your best solution is a swing gate.

Short Driveways

If your driveway apron is short, preventing vehicles from waiting some distance from your gate to open, then a swing gate is not your option. Additionally since most swing gates do not open fully, resting on the adjacent fence panels, instead open 90 degrees or more to their closed position, if your driveway apron is such that a swing gate would obstruct vehicles or pedestrians in the open position, then again a swing gate is not a good option for you.  Another obstacle to swing gates are pitched driveways.  If your driveway pitches to either side and there are obstructions, either geographic or man-made, a swing gate might not work.  Pivot gates might therefore be your best solution.

Vertical Obstructions

Pivot gates excel except when there are obstructions overhead.  Power line and trees are the most common obstructions however signs and light poles might also prevent installing a pivot gate.  When vertical obstructions exist then a full cantilever or swing gate might be your best option. Additionally, Pivot gate operators can take up to three times the space needed for a more traditional operator.  If space is a constraint for locating a pivot gate operator, then again, swing or full cantilever might be your best option.

Safety Devices and Automation Integration

In addition to advances in gate design, lending more to automated gates than ever before, there are also new safety measures and automation integration devices that help automated gates become and even safer and more secure solution.

Vehicle Proximity Sensors

Traditional gate loops buried below or cut into the driveway can be unreliable over time.  Also, photo eyes can be easily compromised due to weather or debris. New to the automatic gate industry are vehicle proximity sensors.  These safety devices uses microwaves to detect vehicles and are therefore not obstructed by weather or damaged overtime along with driveway conditions.  They are slightly more complicated to install and setup however the payback can be great with longevity and peace of mind.

Smartphone Integration

Most of the major operator manufacturers offer ways to integrate an automatic gate into your security and access control systems.  New to the market however, are smartphone applications that can allow you to control your gate, schedule operation or even review history and setup alarms associate with operation.  Gone are the days of having to jump in your vehicle or call an employee after hours to close your gate.  With a push of a button on your phone app, your gate is open or closed.  Imagine that!

When it is all said and done, there are no right or wrong answers to generalize automatic gate design and installation, only your answers.  Every gate is different and only the true professionals can help guide you to the best solution for your application.  Time and time again Life Time Fence is called to help diagnose or replace a bad automatic gate.  Most of the time an automatic gate was improperly design and poorly installed.  For peace of mind and help in choosing the correct automatic gate for you commercial application, call Life Time Fence.

What to do? You’ve got a fence and need a gate. You’ve got a gate and need a fence. Their breaking into cars. Their vandalizing your property. Your property is pitched. Your neighbor is pissed. Or, you’ve simply got nothing. Not even a clue of what you want or need, except help.

Your problem is design. Unfortunately, many fence and gate applications aren’t straight forward. The land surrounding you is your first obstacle. What is the type of soil? Rocks on top and beneath the soil? Are there bodies of water to navigate or significant changes in grade?

Your problems may not stop there. What are the physical requirements of your fence or gate? Do you want it tall and strong or short and sparse? Is it holding out cattle or keeping in dogs? Is it for industrial security or commercial privacy? All these things determine how a fence is designed.

Last but not least is the aesthetics. Do you really care what your fence is made of so long as it surrounds the property? Lucky you! Most customers want a bit of style to their fence, like matching neighboring business’ iron picket fence. How about staring at a dull looking wildlife fence for the rest of your days on that large property? Nope? Neither would we. Your wildlife fence can have style and character and still do the job of keeping herds of deer and wildlife out (or in).

What happens when a company has been installing fence and gates for over 30 years? That company ends up installing most every time of fence and gate imaginable. Along the way they’ve helped customers vet the best applications and designs for the fence and gate they need. And when the customer defies reason or advice? Well we give them what they want, and that customer ends up learning a really good lesson in the process.

All these fence design challenges are easy conversations when you enlist the help of Life Time Fence. We know how to deal with your land, above and below. We know how to install a fence and (hopefully) keep everyone happy. Gates are a challenge, but not for us. We are the experts, the professionals and the only ones you should call. Free advice.

Call Life Time Fence and we will take care of you.

Life Time Fence has been designing and installing fence and gates in and around the Rocky Mountains for over three decades.  We partner with customers to help them tackle the hardest installation challenges.  Many repeat customers engage Life Time Fence for pre-

construction design consultation.

Is your property heavily sloped with varying pitches?  Does your property have rocks above and below ground?  How about densely packed trees and shrubbery?  Life Time Fence knows how to tackle the toughest terrain profiles and keep your fence and gates looking clean and aligned with the surroundings.  We have the right equipment and skilled crews to handle any geographically challenged projects involving natural vegetation and rocky terrain.

Do you have various fence elements you need blended together for a seamless and professionally designed fence?  Life Time Fence knows fence and how to make different material work well together.  Over the decades we have installed so many variations of commercial fence systems that your challenge or idea won’t stump us.  Chances are, we’ve already installed it!

Nothing wreaks havoc on a security gate like difficult terrain or building obstructions and tie-in requirements.  Time and time again, Life Time Fence has provided customers with a variety of options to meet their security gate needs.  From simple manual swing ranch gates, to extended length aluminum box frame full-cantilever actuated gates, to complex hydraulic powered vertical pivot gates, Life Time Fence installs them all.  We are the preferred gate provider for many local and national construction companies and access control integrators.

Does your fence and gate need to have a bold look to emphasize your company presence? Or do you want it to simply blend into the surroundings and not create a visual distraction?  Life Time Fence has designed and installed all types of bold, statement piece fence and gates.  We also know how make the fence and gates as minimal as possible while providing the maximum benefit.

Who doesn’t want a beautiful statement gate at the main entrance of their property?  Well, not everyone, but those that do, call Life Time Fence.  We have an extensive range of gate fabricating and welding capabilities, putting us right up there along side industry leading steel fabricators….and we are only a fence company!  Don’t be fooled by the rest, trust your custom gate fabrication to the experts that know how to design, fabricate and install your big, bold, statement gate.
Need that gate automated?  Need it tied into existing electrical service?  How about a turnkey installation to make the headache of being your own GC go away?
Life Time Fence offers all types of customer installation options to make your fence and gate project as easy as possible.

Call Life Time Fence and we will take care of you.