Does your ground slope at all or is it uneven?
If your entrance is sloping from left to right, is across uneven ground, or even gravel, then you will already know that the only choice for this is a suspended cantilever gate.
It is extremely unsafe to run a sliding gate either up or down an incline due to the massive forces placed on the motor. If a sliding gate motor were to fail, the consequences of the gate releasing from the operator are very severe and could cause harm or even death of anyone in their path.
A sliding gate requires wheels to run along a straight track in the ground, making uneven ground impossible for a slider.
The good news is that a cantilever gate, due to the nature of it being suspended, can easily accommodate hovering over a slope or uneven ground with no extra forces applied to the motors.
Does wind resistance matter?
Unlike with swing gates, it does not matter when choosing a motor if the gate is either closed boarded (i.e. cannot be seen through) or open patterned because wind resistance does not affect the operation of this gate type. The horizontal movement of the gate does not have to push against wind resistance.
Does your gate need to cycle quickly?
The same principle applies to all gate types, if your house or office is on a busy main road where there is nowhere safe to pull off whilst your gates open, or your commercial premises need rapid and constant access then speed really does matter.
In each of the specifications you will find the opening speeds. Generally speaking, the higher the grade of the motor, the faster the cycle speed will be.
What additional safety measures does a sliding or cantilever gate kit need?
Each of the kits that are sold come with a set of photocells. In addition to these, you will require safety edges and in some instances, a second set of photocells.
Because every installation comes with its own set of risks and areas for concern then the only recommended action is to get a registered Gate Safe or DHF installer to come to your site to perform a risk assessment on your install and follow their advice. We would also advise that your gate automation kit is installed by a professional of the same experience and qualification.
To give you an idea of how a basic safety set up works on a sliding or cantilever gate, have a look at this guide.
How much will it cost to automate a sliding or cantilever gate?
The cost of operators varies depending on the requirements. At the lower cost end are the motors suitable for normal domestic properties and the higher end are the extremely durable commercial motors which have far greater demands to meet.
Never cut costs by choosing a lower specification motor. Not only is this a false economy as you will continually battle breakdowns, your warranty will be invalid due to improper installation and could also pose a real risk to property and people in the event of a failure, for which you would be liable if you installed it yourself.
The manufacturers set the specifications as to what each kit is capable of so please choose your kit according to these details only and if you are unsure then please give us a call to get advice about electric gate openers.