Ways to mount a Gate to Columns or Walls

Please let me introduce myself. I am Darrin Jones, the RSM for the Caribbean, the Pacific and Latin America. In the past I worked as an installer and have an engineering background. Often when attaching any hinge, including the Ultra Hinge to a column or wall, there are potential problems that may arise.


you may notice on this 10 year old Ultra Hinge located on the Gulf Coast in Alabama, The attachment is to a post. Imagine attaching to a masonry substrate. You have four very specific locations for masonry screws to attach a flat plat (that must be vertical, or it throws gate alignment off) 1/16th of an inch out of plumb magnifies on a gate to be a major problem. Plus, if a fastener is ever so slightly over tightened, it loses its strength. In most installations you have little to no choice as to the specific location of these plates that are part of the "male" side of the hinge component.

Many dealers use the following approach for this reason....

Getting a full post as close to column or wall requires calculation to be deducted before ordering gates... This can be challenging since it is sometimes difficult to precisely judge how close the post will be due to wall/column irregularities, out of plumb walls or columns, or footer locations.



As shown here, the top detail of a set of columns was modified to allow posts to be set far enough apart to make the gate dimensions that were used during ordering work. This still leaves the posts to do all the "heavy lifting" and does not take advantage of the residual strength of the columns or walls for gate support.


  I prefer the following installation technique:

This allows for the Ultra Hinge Plate on the "male" side to be attached metal to metal and can even be through bolted with lock washer and nut or nylock nut on the back side of "C" post that is integrated into the wall/column and has multiple, strategically located masonry attachment creating what I refer to as the "piano hinge approach", many screw taking the place of just a few.


Notice how the top portion of this column/wall is a smooth CMU block while the lower third is a decorative CMU block with no flat surface to mount the plate to. Plus the column mounting of the plates would create attachment points on different planes. This can be adjusted with our adjustable Ultra Hinges, but will limit future adjustability and still not be as pleasing to the eye as an integrated "C" post.

 The next question I get is - "Isn't this a lot more work?"
Actually it is far quicker and less expensive than setting a post next to a column, which usually means busting through part of the footer for the column (which will weaken the column).
It is FAR, FAR easier than trying to make these plates mount precisely where they have to be. Sometimes folks that mount the plate to the wall/column get lucky and everything works out, but more often than not, it becomes an arduous task.

With a carpenters pencil and level you can mark the column where it needs to be.
Identify the best locations for masonry screws, (usually two near bottom, two near top and two every two-three feet in between). Then locate you Ultra Hinge Mounting Plate location and verify by matching with gates welded female side of hinges.

Note/Tip:  I like to use a Stainless Steel Machine Bolt and cut washer with a Nylock type nut and through bolt.


Then I use a $15 diamond imbedded blade (used by tile installers) to cut a trench 1/4-1/2" deep where I made my marks for the "C" post to column/wall interface. Try to make depth fairly uniform.




  Then I pay out/apply bituminous (roofing) caulk into the grooves I have cut (sparingly).
Note/Tip: silicone, lexel or even latex will work in a pinch.



Then, as a final step you attach masonry screws through the holes you drilled to mark your column/wall for hammer drilling, and tighten by hand with socket to prevent over-tightening.
Note/Tip: Order touch-up paint to match gate and pre-paint SS plate machine bolts and masonry fasteners so they will blend in seamlessly.

I like the Tapcon brand and always use the hex-head variety, so I can use a socket to tighten by hand and not strip-out the hole in masonry.

These would NOT be recommended for attaching the mounting plate directly to the masonry substrate. They are more than sufficient when used with "C" posts and cost a fraction of larger masonry fasteners (shown below).


I hope this is helpful. I believe it is the fastest, easiest, strongest, most durable and best looking way to hang a gate from a column or wall.

Darrin Jones
Regional Sales Manager Southwest USA
and all of Latin America and Caribbean
Ultra Aluminum Mfg., Inc. and
Ultra Access Controls, Inc.
(256) 214-0633 cell
(951) I M ULTRA or 468-5872 Google Voice

1-619-374-7064 eFax

ultraaluminum@gmail.com

www.ultraeasy.blogspot.com

www.ultrafence.com

Many ways to stay informed

   In the Fence Industry there are many ways to stay informed. Most of you know and participate in many of these:

1. Become active member of your regional AFA
2. Visit Fence Tech every year and check out the booths
3. Subscribe to World Fence News (May Issue Ultra makes cover again), Fence Post Magazine or other trade journals
4. Use the Internet to browse and research new products and approaches
5. Read and Subscribe to blogs written specifically on the product line you offer
6. Join Social Networks and Groups to discuss varying subjects
7. Get out there in the real world and visit your suppliers, your allies and even your competition

 This last one is what brings me to discuss most of what you will find on this blog. I go out in the field and see something that reflects well on this industry or I see something that shows that the folks that just want to make a quick buck and are not focused on doing the job well. My standard for a good fence, gate or railing installation is simple;

 I ask three questions:

    Does this installation serve the intended purpose reliably?


    Was this installation made in such a way that it will continue to serve its intended purpose for at least a couple of decades (if not more)?


   Does the installation add to the overall aesthetics of the scene or does it detract?

 For a Great Fence, my standards are much higher. Here is a photo of a INDUSTRIAL Premium Grade Installation in Plano that garnered letters of praise from the nearby homeowners all the way to the city manager. The installation was done as well as any I have ever seen. 

And here we are on the cover of this month's World Fence News again...

Introducing ...Ultra Access Controls

Louisiana is on FIRE !!!

  Let me explain.....I don't mean that it is burning as in

I mean it is Full-Throttle Active from consumers asking for Ultra's products.

We get many leads every day from our web site at UltraFence.com , and after someone

fills in the online form about what, where and how much.....then this data gets sent to

the VP of Sales and Marketing, then he forwards it to the head of the Inside Sales Department,

then he sends it to the appropriate Regional Sales Manager. 

It sounds more complicated than it is, it all happens pretty quick and efficiently many times a day.

After I get the lead, as an RSM in South Central and responsible for Latin America and the Islands in The Caribbean,
  I make a choice as to how it should be handled.
Usually I forward it to an existing Ultra Dealer. Sometimes I have to share it with multiple dealers, depending on the scale of the project.

 But I have noticed lately that we are getting a ton of leads in the Louisiana area and it got me thinking.

Is it because the people of Louisiana are more patriotic and appreciate 100% American Made 

Goods that are supporting fellow American's jobs and improving our Nation's Economy?...

Or is it because they just want the look of "Old-Fashioned Wrought Iron", but

are too close to the Gulf of Mexico to put up with the battle with Rust that

plagues our steel competitors? 

I will be interested in your comments. Why do you think Louisiana is on Fire?

True Buying Benefits from Ultra