You have three choices to square that gate and make it trouble free.

1. Install a solid header column to brace the opening from above, like a ranch gate.

2. Attach a picket line and turnbuckle from the top of the pole to a stake opposite the gate opening. (Hard to conceal)

3. Square the opening, brace it, trench between the gate posts and lay a continuous footer. (Best looking for a stand alone gate, and negates the need for the tall upright).

 

Torque1st is right. One of the blessings of our Texas soil that we share is that it moves. Thats why if you notice they put caskets in a big vault looking box before they put them in the ground (unecesary information). At our FFA barn most every gate is out of kilter. If you wait around till maybe summer or so you may notice a difference. When it is hot and dry the gate on the back of my stall at the barn works just fine. however, when it gets cooler and we actually have rain, the ground settles and the concrete it's anchored in can move, a la no worky. Some news that may dissapoint you, theres a support that runs all the way across the top, so that may not be the best solution It sounds like a solid concrete footer all the way across would be best, although it sounds pricey.

 

Who cares if the gate has a wheel/tire for astetics ?

I thought the subject was to keep from this gate sagging and need re-aligning every year after the earth heaving and settling.

 

You may need to find the point thats holding it down and simply cut it with a hand grinder and then jack it up and spot weld the stress point back together. This type of iron is easy to work with but it will require a metal primmer and paint to cover this repair. Thats the way I would do it .

 

To brace the post go to a steel yard and buy some 1/2 or 3/4" rod to reach from the top of the gate post into the ground at about a 45° angle. Get both ends threaded. Get three nuts to fit and a big flat washer. Drill a hole near the top of the problem post at an angle to fit the rod. Insert the rod and thread on a nut an inch or so. The rod will bend and the threads will get messed up unless you put a fancy 45° angle block inside the post under the nut. The steel yard may have something for that. Dig a hole where the other end of the rod falls. Thread a nut + washer + nut on that end of the rod. Bury the end in the hole filled with at least 8 bags of sackrete. When the concrete sets in about a week tighten the nut inside the post to draw the gate up. If the top of the post is solid you will need to do some welding or have some ironworker come out and fab something. Occasional adjustments will still be needed because of movement in the soil.

If you trench down and pour concrete between the posts the bottom of the posts will spread. Concrete between the posts is difficult to do right after the fact.

 

Won't be easy, but it will look good when it's done. THe wheel is defintely the easiest option if it's rolling on concrete. Otherwise, it'll wear a path and sag all over again.

 

Yes, I know that Dennis. ...

The OT poster left out some vital information in his opening thread. If it is a gated entrance to a nice real estate, then aesthetics are important. When ornamental gate builders build steel gates for properties, they build them inside a set of design parameters , suitable for the gates intent. ..

The multimillion dollar horse farms around here have these ornamental gates custom built, that are built to impress. The gated entrance makes the first impression for the person driving up to the estate. So, the gate builder is careful in their design and support system, to assure the need for cables and additional diagonal bracings are not needed. They build the supports in to the gates that will blend in to the design and are not blantant eyesores that clutter up the gate and take away the professional look of it...

If the OT's poster gate is simply a service entrance for farm equipment then the use of wheels , cables, turnbuckles, exposed diagonal supports would not matter...


The OT poster needs to ascertain what is causing the misalignment of the gates first, before investing one dime in materials or one hour in labor, creating a fix...

He needs to determine if the posts are giving as the heavy gates make their swing arc, OR are the gates sagging themselves, OR is it a combination of both. Once the cause of the problem is noted THEN , take he can take the appropiate measures given here to correct the problem. jmo

 

sorry, this is not to a multi million dollar estate. Im more interested in it being RIGHT than PRETTY. However, i want to eventually add an automatic gate opener, and i want the gate sturdy so it doesnt sag so much. Ultimately, i dont want it to sag and bind up the opened. I think it will be ok like it is since its not going to have to latch with the opener, but i wanted some input.

 

I wasn't saying anything against it and I do understand multi-million dollar properties and the need for astetics.....Lord knows I have driven thru a few (when they were open)

I mean if I am visiting some Rich friends house I'm not looking for a tire on the gate.Most gates are that large either though.

Nope, I'm looking to see if I could practice golf shots around the house

My comment was a "tongue in cheek" one.

No TIC smilie's around to use.