Swing or Slide, Picking the Best Driveway Gate for Your Place
Start with the Site, Not the Catalogue
Every block sets its own rules. Measure clear space behind the opening, note the fall of the drive, watch how the wind moves on blustery days. Those three checks will push you toward one style before you buy the best ready made gates.
Room Behind the Line: The Swing Test
A leaf needs room to travel. A single twelve-foot readymade gate price swing leaf pulls the full dozen feet into your drive. Park a hatchback behind it and you may scrape paint. Split that width into twin six-foot leaves and the sweep halves. Tight urban lots often fail this test; wide rural drives pass with ease.
Ground Slopes Matter
A drive that rises toward the house steals head-room from a leaf. The steel edge clips the paving long before it reaches ninety degrees. Some owners flip the hinges so the gate opens toward the street, yet local government by-laws and a neighbour’s plan soon spoil that plan. On a steep apron, a slider saves grief.
Single Swing: Lean on One Post, Spare the Wallet
Single ready made gates Perth leaves ask less of the budget. Only one motor, one hinge set, one post sunk in concrete. Use a chunky steel or treated hardwood post that laughs at weight. Keep spans modest—nine feet is the safe top end for most off-the-shelf frames—or the post will sag and the latch will miss. An aluminium frame trims kilos and cuts wear, though it can rattle in a gale.
Double Swing: Classic Look, Wider Gap
Twin leaves share the load, so posts stand straighter for longer. A pair can cover fourteen, even sixteen feet without drama. The opening play feels grand—many buyers simply like the theatre of two panels peeling apart. Remember the extra kit: second motor, extra photo eyes, a latch post. Parts cost more and the electrician spends longer on site.
Wind Turns a Leaf into a Sail
Coastal sites from Geraldton to Albany cop strong winds. A solid infill board catches that blast and slams shut or stalls the motor. Louvred or slatted cladding helps, yet a slider stays calmer. Wind hits the face then slips around; nothing tips or twists in operation.
Sliding Gates: Side Space Over Back Space
A slider glides along the fence line. Allow the full width of the opening plus half a metre in the run-off zone. That tail tucks behind a shrub or a low wall. Track-and-wheel kits suit level drives; a cantilever rail floats clear of pebbles and leaf litter. Count the parts: rack, wheels, guide post, end stop, safety edge. Fit is fussier, so labour bills rise.
Double Slide and Tandem Tricks
No room on one side? Two slim readymade gates for home panels roll apart in opposite directions. Even tighter? Tandem rigs stack panels like train cars, each hitching a ride on the one in front. The hardware looks like something from a rail yard, yet it solves driveways hampered in by house walls or pool fences.
Money Matters, but so does Service
Parts tell half the story. Digging footings, dropping conduits, welding brackets—labour often tops the parts invoice. Sliders need a true concrete strip or galvanised track, then fine shims to keep wheels square. Swing motors bolt on faster, which helps the invoice. Ask installers for a line-item quote so you see where dollars land.
Safety First, Always
A leaf that opens toward the street risks bumper dents and worse. Photo eyes and edge sensors cut power when a child runs through the beam. Gate code AS 1926.1 spells out clearance and force limits; a licensed contractor knows the numbers. Do not skip this step, search for “ready made gates near me” to find the nearest contractor. Metal can maim.
Care and Upkeep
Grease hinges each quarter, hose dust from slider tracks, check rams for oil sweat. Tighten anchor bolts after the first big storm. A ten-minute look on the first Sunday of each month beats an after-hours call-out ready made gates Perth cost when the gate sticks at midnight.
Quick Checklist Before You Ring a Supplier
- Drive width in metres
- Clear depth behind the line
- Slope rise over run
- Prevailing wind direction
- Power point location
- Style wish list—vertical bars, slats, solid sheet
Parting Word
Choose with tape-measure in hand and you will sleep easy. Swing ready made gates for sale works when space lies behind the line and the breeze stays light. Slide shines when yards are shallow, slopes steep, or wind fierce. Match the gate to the ground, fit quality gear, and your driveway will welcome visitors, rain or shine, for years to come.
