Should I mount gate hinges through-bolted or with the included screws?

[nicmarxp]

I have built a gate that is 135x65 cm and will mount it on a concrete wall. I will place a 70x70 post in the wall, which I will then mount the hinges on perpendicular to the wall so that the gate opens inward.

I have two questions:

1. Is it enough with hinges that are 50 cm wide?

2. I will use carriage bolts for the lengthwise metal. Should I also use through-bolts for the 4 holes that attach to the post, or is it sufficient to use the included screws? I don't have them in front of me now, but I think the screws were about 30 mm.

Here is a picture of the gate and the hinges (showing a shorter model, I chose 50 cm in length). They will be mounted exactly as shown in the picture.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Marcussjogren]

I recently installed a gate that is 100cm and only had 30cm hinges, so 50cm should be OK for you.

I installed them lengthwise with lag bolts (the thickest that fit in the holes) and then as thick and long wood screws as went into the post.
Always pre-drill for the lag bolts.

But you should probably also install a cross brace in the gate itself, there's a big risk it will start to sag over time due to its width.

 

[nicmarxp]

Thanks for the tip with screws! Do you really think the gate will sag over time, as I’ve made a frame where the horizontal pieces are screwed from above into the vertical ones, and then all the slats are screwed from the side.

It feels like it's significantly more torsionally rigid (?) than a regular gate with two horizontal boards, where the slats are vertical and screwed directly into the boards, as it can easily twist and become skewed.

I think it looks nicer without, and since it's only 8 mm from the slats to the edge in depth, a cross brace would stick out quite a bit (20 mm) if I use the same slat as the horizontal ones.

However, I haven't seen many people make gates like this...

 

[nicmarxp]

Here is a similar one, but it doesn't have a frame so it has the same weakness as a "classic gate". Isn't mine stronger?

 

[thomas33]

Even with a frame, you need a brace for the gate to remain straight, as it is longer than it is tall.
You could leave it and see how it works without one, and when the gate starts to sag, it is not too difficult to add a brace afterwards.

 

[nicmarxp]

Thanks, planning to do that. Thanks again

 

[JKrister]

I would have driven without the snedsträva until it starts to sag, but I think it will sag (the screws will pull into the wood over time). If you want a nicer design than snedsträva, you can tension a cable.

 

[nicmarxp]

Ah, wire was smart. But is there any disadvantage to waiting until/if it starts to sag? Does it affect the durability?

 

[Marcussjogren]

No, not directly, but be sure to put one in if it starts to hang, otherwise it can get damaged/crack if it remains unevenly loaded for a long time.

Just like the others, I was about to say that you can certainly wait with the diagonal brace until the need arises if you prefer it without