A metal gate rarely fails all at once. It drops a few millimetres, starts to catch the ground, the latch stops lining up, and rust gets into the joints it scrapes. Most of these faults can be repaired rather than replaced, and the visit is about working out which part has actually gone.
This page covers manual steel and iron gates, both pedestrian and driveway. General timber gate repairs are on our gate repairs page. Motor, sensor and keypad faults on electric gates are referred to a specialist engineer.
Why metal gates drop and catch
The weight of a steel leaf sits on its hinges and the post it hangs from. When a gate drops, it is usually one of three things: the hinge pins or bushes have worn, the post has moved in the ground or the masonry, or the frame itself has twisted. Each has a different fix, which is why we check the post first.
A post that has leaned needs resetting in concrete or refixing into sound masonry. Worn hinges are replaced, often with adjustable or ball race hinges so the gate can be trued. A twisted frame is straightened or the bent section rebuilt.
Rust, and what can be saved
Surface rust on a galvanised and powder coated gate is usually a scratch or a cut edge that was never protected. It can be taken back and treated. Deeper rust on older iron or bare steel, especially at the bottom rail and around welds, is where we decide whether the section can be repaired or should be replaced.
Damaged uprights and bars can be cut out and new sections welded in on site, then primed and painted to match. If the rot is through most of the frame, a new made to measure gate is the more honest answer and we will say so.
Common repairs we carry out
- Resetting leaning gate posts in concrete
- Replacing worn hinges and fitting adjustable hinges
- Cutting out and welding in damaged bars and uprights on site
- Treating and repainting rusted sections
- Refitting latches, drop bolts and keeps so the gate closes cleanly
- Adding a stop so double gates meet in the same place
What we do not do
We do not repair gate motors, control boards, photocells or intercoms. If your electric gate is not closing, the cause is often the safety system or the drive rather than the gate, and a specialist engineer is the right person. Where the gate itself is dragging or has dropped, and that is what is overloading the motor, we can put the mechanical side right.
How a repair is priced
We look at the gate on a free site visit, or from photos if you send them first, and give you a written quote that says what is being repaired and how. If replacement is cheaper over the life of the gate, the quote will say that too.