Disclaimer For All Wood Products
Sagging wood gates are considered a fact of life around the Frederick Fence Co. office. When you take a natural material, such as wood from a tree, it will eventually dry out, crack, chip, and rot with age. Gates made from this material are not going to stay exactly in place forever. This may make the situation sound hopeless, but there are some helpful tips and fixes that will allow you to get a good, long, sag-less life out of your wood gate.
Too Much Weight
Many gates sag because they are too heavy. This could be because the gate leaf itself is too large. Frederick Fence does not install any one single gate leaf larger than 5’ wide (unless it is a double gate that has extra support for a wheel on the end of the leaf). Anything larger than 5′ will be too heavy for the hardware to hold well.
Some wood types are also too heavy to be used for large wood gates. We recommend cedar for gates, either in part, or as the whole. Pressure treated wood is fine for some style options, but if the gate is for a privacy fence, cedar will be quite a bit lighter and easier on the hardware. Cedar is best for gates for a variety of other reasons. You can learn more about that here.
Inadequate or Poor-Quality Materials
Ensure your gate has the proper hardware to hold and operate the gate well. Hinges that are too small will allow the gate to sag more quickly and consistently. We mentioned how we recommend cedar material for gates previously, but we insist on building all Frederick Fence gates with cedar framing. Cedar resists warping and twisting, giving your gate a longer life of proper function.
Age
As mentioned in the disclaimer about wood fence products, wood will eventually split, crack, rot, or twist in ways that make it hard for the gate to be operated. Since gates are required to move back and forth, often times being slammed shut, they endure much more stress than the rest of your fence. This, coupled with the need for it to be aligned in order function well, make it necessary to replace gates long before the rest of the fence.
Weather
Weather tends to have an affect on wood gates. Wood is a natural material that soaks in moisture, making it much heavier when it does. You may notice that your gate becomes harder to operate when it rains. Fear not, it will dry out again and go back to its original weight and function. It is wise to keep a secondary latching solution on hand for when your gate becomes difficult to close, such as a bungy cord, especially when pets need to be contained.
How Can We Help?
Your gates are the most important part of the day-to-day operation of your fence. If you have an old wood fence with gates that no longer work or are showing other signs of aging or sagging, Frederick Fence can come out and replace the gates and gate posts only. This is an affordable way to refresh your fence, even as a whole.
Frederick Fence offers free gate adjustments to customers for the first 18 months of the life of your fence. We understand that the ground settles over the first year or so after posts are set, and we are here to help when settling causes your gate to go out of alignment. Need a gate adjustment under warranty? Call the office and let us know! 301-663-4000
