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How to fix D latch on Colorbond gate?

The first thing to note is that we live in an area where the ground is primarily clay dirt. It swells with rain & then dries out.
The gate has a D Latch and sometimes is really tricky to open when the ground changes as the fence/gate moves you really have to push/pull to open it.

Now the screws keep coming loose, and I’m not sure what the best what to fix the latch is?
Happy to move the latch/change the type of latch.. but I can’t really do much about the fence/gate moving.

As you can see in the pictures there is plenty of space there at the moment as we’ve had lots of rain. I’m aware the rust may be an issue also.

Thanks so much!

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Comments

JacobZ

Hi @annie_andrew,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for your question.

If you can upload a photo from further back showing the gate when it is latched, this will certainly help. I'll need to see the gaps between the gate, the posts and the ground to get the whole picture.

When you say the ground is clay and the swelling allows for movement in the posts, is there concrete at the base of the posts? Is it possible to get a photo of the base of the posts?

If we can reduce the movement of the posts, any repair will be much more successful, so we should explore that option if possible. Once I've seen the base of the posts, I can offer recommendations on this.

When you say it is difficult to open, does the gate scrape across the ground at all? If this is the case, then we should also look at the hinges on the gate to see if they can be adjusted.

As you've mentioned, the D latch is quite rusted. If this affects the movement of the latch, then cleaning it up as much as possible, or replacing it altogether would certainly be worthwhile. You can give it a clean with CLR and a wire brush to reduce the amount of rust. Alternatively, this Pinnacle Stainless Steel D Pattern Dual Opening Gate Latch would be a good replacement.

Ultimately, the issue with the screws can be fixed either by shifting the tongue and d latch up or down or by attaching a piece of 32 x 3mm Aluminium Flat Bar over the holes with metal screws and then screwing the latch back in place.

Once you've provided some further details, I will be happy to assist further.

Jacob

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