A sliding gate runs sideways across the drive instead of swinging. That makes it the answer on a short drive that meets the pavement, a drive that slopes, or anywhere a swing pair would hit a car, a wall or the public footway. We fit manual sliding gates in metal and in metal and timber, hung on posts that can carry the weight.
The first question is never the pattern. It is whether there is room beside the opening for the gate to slide into, and what the ground is like where it runs.
Sliding or swing: which suits your drive
A swing pair needs space in front to open into and reasonably level ground. A sliding gate needs a clear run alongside the opening but almost no space in front. So the deciding factor is usually what is beside the drive: a fence, a lawn or a flower bed can often take a sliding gate; a garage wall or a neighbour's boundary right at the edge cannot.
How much space a sliding gate needs
The gate has to slide fully clear of the opening, so you need a run beside the drive at least as long as the opening itself. A cantilever gate needs a little more, because its counterbalance tail extends beyond the gate. We measure this on the visit, including anything in the way such as meters, drains, steps or trees.
Track or cantilever
A tracked gate runs on wheels along a rail set in the ground. It is simple and strong, but the track needs to stay level and clear of gravel, leaves and ice.
A cantilever gate is carried on rollers mounted beside the opening and does not touch the ground across the drive, so it suits uneven surfaces, gravel drives and drives that fall towards the road.
- Tracked sliding gates for level, hard-surfaced drives
- Cantilever gates for slopes, gravel and uneven ground
- Steel frames, hot dip galvanised and powder coated
- Metal-and-timber designs to match a timber fence
Foundations, posts and levels
Most sliding gate problems start below ground. The track or roller base needs a proper concrete foundation, and the receiving post and guide post must be set plumb so the gate closes into the same place every time. Where the drive falls across the opening, a cantilever design or careful levelling avoids the gate binding halfway.
Automation-ready, not automated by us
A sliding gate can be made ready to take a motor later, with the right base and a clear route for cabling. The motor, control board, sensors and any later repairs to them are carried out by a specialist automation engineer, and we refer that work on. Our own work is the gate, the posts and the foundations, built to slide freely by hand.
Send us photos and rough measurements, we send a written estimate, then we visit to confirm before work starts. We cover London and Hertfordshire.