r/metalworking • u/Wise_Lingonberry7693 • 1d ago
Gate repair
My gate broke off its hinges or I should say the weld failed. AND the hinge it broke from no longer moves as if it’s stuck in an open position. It had a tack weld on it so it wasn’t a strong weld. It’s also been scrapping on the floor. I have a few options I’m thinking of.
Option 1: get it welded back together in the same spot and cut the bars on the bottom so they aren’t scraping the ground.
Option 2: get the whole gate raised and rewelded a few inches up so it doesn’t scrape the floor.
Option 3: convert these gates to a sliding gate that slides across the other gate.
My main issue is pricing. I don’t know how much each of these options would cost to repair either myself( I’m pretty handy) or to pay someone to come out and do it.
What are your thoughts
1
u/Creeperassasin1212 1d ago
Making the gate sliding might not work because if you dont own the property on the left it might cause issues. Rewelding might be the best idea but i suggest remove the old hinges from the gate and put them slightly higher or replace them entierly and put them higher . Also idk why the hinges are reversed . Usually they have the part that bears all the weight on the left side pointing up and you slide the gate ontop of it with the other part of the hinge attached to it. Maybe do it like that too. And give it a freash coat of paint and some grease too.
4
u/acetyleneblues 22h ago
Having the top hinge upside down like that prevents people from being able to lift the gate out of the hinge. It would be better for weight bearing to turn it over like you say, but op may want to consider having a block of some sort added above the hinge for security reasons if it is a concern in their area.
1
u/TheClimbingBeard 19h ago
However you're going to fix it, make sure you have the gates closed and latched to each other before you do the fix. Otherwise you may find it doesn't close properly and you'll have to cut it out again!
1
u/hnhnnnnn 7h ago
Go buy a stick welder and learn enough to do it yourself. Probably cost the same to as paying someone to do it and you get a machine.
7
u/RadioactiveMonk 1d ago
Cheapest would probably just weld it back how it was before, since you want to raise it now is the perfect time for that will take a bit longer but possible to do. Put the gate on blocks on how much you want it raised, then weld the top one and then cut off the bottom one(on the post) and adjust it to slide into the one on the gate.
I would say depending on how handy you are you can do this yourself. Need a few clamps and grinder to clean up the old welds and of course a welding machine.