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How to repair metal driveway gate?

Honest52
Cultivating a Following

How to repair metal driveway gate?

Hi experts,

My old metal driveway gate doors are rusty and falling.  The nuts and bolts are falling out and need to be replaced.

I need to buy the two new metal plates about 300 x 100 x 10mm and used to replace two old one to hold the gate flange.

Also, the new bolt and nut for metal flange and brick wall need to be bought too.

I am only a beginner and needs recommendations of exactly the details of material to buy in bunnings.

Would anyone helps?

 

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Dave-1
Home Improvement Guru

Re: How to repair metal driveway gate?

Good Afternoon @Honest52 

A couple of questions,

Where are the plates 300*100*10 going to go? 

The rest of the gate dosnt look too rusted, or am I missing something? 

Id be replacing that vertical timber post on the left and move it back just a little and installing a vertical timber post on the right behind the chimeny but level with it to attach to the gate. (vertical as you can use multiple contact points to secure the post  to the brickwork and distribute the weight) 

With the surface rust  points I would use a wire brush and buff the rust off then paint with a rust converter before painting the gate again. 

 

I do like the bucket of sand to keep the gate in place :smile:

 

Dave

EricL
Bunnings Team Member
Bunnings Team Member

Re: How to repair metal driveway gate?

Hello @Honest52 

 

Thanks for sharing your question about repairing your driveway gate. Looking at the pictures you've posted it seems that the nut and bolt assembly used for your gate have deteriorated. 

 

There are a few galvanized plates available, but you'll need to have a look at them at the store in order to see which one will fit your needs. Size, length and position would be critical otherwise it will get in the way of your gate opening. To anchor the plate to the gate I suggest using a new set of nut and bolt assembly. But it will be necessary to measure the thickness of your gate and the metal plate in order to get the correct size. 

 

Looking at the rusted bolt on the floor it seems that a Dynabolt was used but has completely rusted off. It's possible to use a new Dynabolt, but It's difficult to tell if the old mounting holes are still in good condition or if you need to drill new mounting points.

 

It is quite involved and drilling new mounting points must be accurate. I suggest engaging the services of a trades person who has the necessary tools and equipment to fix your gate. Welding a new mounting plate on your fence might be required in order to mount it properly again.

 

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1, @TedBear and @JoeAzza for their recommendations.

 

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

 

Eric

 

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Noyade
Kind of a Big Deal

Re: How to repair metal driveway gate?

Good morning @Honest52 

 

How did you get on (or getting on) with your driveway gate?

Sipping coffee and looking at your photos - I was wondering if it was fabricated specifically for the opening, or it was a lucky fit?

Is a welding solution (as per @EricL ) out of the question?

 

My whiteboard solution for the brick area would be welding up pre-drilled plates with an extended lip - say 75mm extra.

Mount it to the meat of the bricks, avoiding mortar, edges and corners.

Push the gate frame up to the lip (as per the markers illustrated below) and clamp into place.

 

This is where we want to see if that gate now swings freely. It may even need to be packed out from the wall at the bottom. Trial and error. That's where I thought this method would be useful as opposed to forcing that leg frame against the brick wall and upsetting the swing clearance. It would also be a stronger corner join - should you accidentally nudge the closed gate with your car's front bumper.

Once we are satisfied - weld the gate frame to the lips and angle-cut the excess off.

 

I can't tell what's happening on the wooden post side - does it just need better screws/anchorage?

Cheers.

 

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EricL
Bunnings Team Member
Bunnings Team Member

Re: How to repair metal driveway gate?

Hi @Noyade 

 

Thank you for that excellent suggestion, and as always, your diagrams are top notch! That whiteboard is certainly getting a lot of use!

 

Eric

 

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Dave-1
Home Improvement Guru

Re: How to repair metal driveway gate?

@EricL and @Noyade 

hahahah I hadnt realised it was a whiteboard until now but have been impressed with the qualityof the sketches! 

 

Dave

Honest52
Cultivating a Following

Re: How to repair metal driveway gate?

Thanks Dave, Eric, Noyade for your valuable advice.

I followed your advice to buy high quality connection plates, L shape plates with outdoor galvanised M10 anchor.

The loosen metal flange is drilled new holes for mounting to the brick wall.

The timber side looks still stable. 

I repaint the whole gate with high quality antirust paints.

Thanks for Bunning workshop that I could find the material in Bunning without wasting time.

 

This workshop is very helpful for me.

EricL
Bunnings Team Member
Bunnings Team Member

Re: How to repair metal driveway gate?

Hello @Honest52 

 

Thank you for the update, would it be possible for you to post a photo of the repaired gate? I'm sure our members would be keen to see how you did it.

 

Eric

 

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Honest52
Cultivating a Following

Re: How to repair metal driveway gate?

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Dave-1
Home Improvement Guru

Re: How to repair metal driveway gate?

Good Morning @Honest52 

Nice! :smile: No more bucket needed to hold the gate up! 

It looks like it will last a bunch more years. And I do like your solution for the brackets.

 

Dave

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