Sliding gate design. How to make sliding gates with your own hands without automation? DIY sliding gate frame

Sliding or sliding gates are a complex mechanism, but nevertheless, due to their convenience, they have become quite widely used both at industrial facilities and in private households. There are a lot of manufacturers who make ready-made gates and components for them; qualified labor will quickly and competently carry out the installation, but those who want to save money and apply creative energy in business will be interested in installing sliding gates with their own hands. Moreover, this is quite possible.

Types of sliding gates

Sliding gates come in different designs, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages. Let's mark them.

Hanging sliding gates

These gates were most often used at the entrances of enterprises and other protected areas. At a considerable height, so that cargo transport could enter, a metal beam was mounted, and no longer Not The gate leaf was suspended using roller trolleys.

Hanging gates - reliable, but material-intensive

This design is quite reliable, and such gates, created more than 50 years ago, still work, but are now rarely used for two reasons:

The upper beam still limits the dimensions of the gate opening.
This design is very material-intensive and what was allowed during the USSR at the then metal prices is simply unacceptable now.

Sliding gates on rails

This is the simplest design of sliding gates and theoretically the most reliable. The door leaf, standing on rollers, rides on a special rail located on the surface. The gate is still supported at one upper point in the place where the gate goes when opened. Such gates are best used where the territory is periodically and constantly cleaned, which is often unattainable under Russian conditions. Normal snowfall will easily block the operation of such gates, and it can be very difficult to get them to work again.

A significant advantage of such gates is that to open they need to go beyond the fence exactly the width of the opening, and this, in conditions of limited space, can be a determining factor for making a decision in favor of such a design.

Cantilever sliding gates

In order for the gates to have no size restrictions at the top and to avoid contact with the ground rail, cantilever sliding (sliding) gates were invented. This is the most complex gate design, but these “sacrifices” are absolutely justified. The leaf of such gates does not have contact with the surface, but is suspended on cantilever roller blocks using a guide beam. Most often, such a beam and roller blocks are located at the bottom of the gate.

There are cases when the guide beam and roller blocks can be located in the middle or even on top of the door leaf. This may be justified when the cantilever units can be hung on the main wall of the building or there are any building structures or structures that can withstand the loads from the door leaf. Otherwise, you will have to specially construct a power structure for the gate, which is not always profitable.

That is why in most cases, cantilever sliding gates with a lower support beam are used.

Prices for sliding gates

Sliding gates

Description of the design and operation of cantilever gates

A schematic diagram of a sliding gate with a lower console position can be seen in the figure.

The door leaf is mounted on a frame (1) made of a profile metal pipe. A supporting beam (2) is welded to the frame, which has a special profile, into which the roller carriages (3) fit tightly. In this case, the beam can move together with the gate left and right along the carriages, ensuring the opening and closing of the gate. Obviously, the beam and roller carriages bear the greatest load, especially when they close or fully open the gate. In order to unload the gate when completely closed, an end unloading roller (4) is used, which enters and rests against the lower catcher (5). In another part of the gate, to fix the door leaf when fully open, they can also use an end roller with a catch stop, but it is not visible in this diagram.

To ensure that the gate does not have lateral swings, there is a guide with rollers (7) and an upper catcher (6), which fixes the door in the closed state. To prevent dirt and foreign objects from getting into the inside of the beam, plugs (8) are used. The entire gate structure is mounted on three main power elements: a support post (9), a counter post (10) and a foundation for roller carriages (11). If the site already has sufficiently strong gate supports (brick, concrete or metal), then they can be used as support and response posts, and if not, then they will have to be built separately from a profile metal pipe. In any case, the foundation for the console will have to be built separately.

In sliding gates, an electric drive is quite easily implemented, which is fixed between the roller carriages. To set the blade in motion, a toothed rack is attached to its side surface. The drive is equipped with a control unit, as well as various safety devices.

Advantages of cantilever sliding gates

Cantilever-type sliding gates have a number of advantages:

Such gates do not have detachable leaves and therefore do not reduce the usable area of the territory, and if the gate is accidentally opened, there is no danger of damaging the vehicle standing in front of it.
The gate opening has no lower or upper restrictions on dimensions.
Abundant ones do not interfere with the operation of the cantilever gates, since the leaf is hung at a distance of about 10 cm above the ground surface.
All rolling elements that ensure the operation of the gate are located inside the beam, and therefore are not affected by weather factors. Even a child can set the gate in motion, thanks to its thoughtful design and low friction.
The powerful foundation of the console and a well-thought-out system for holding the door leaf in a vertical position allow such doors to withstand high wind loads.
Sliding gates are easiest to equip with an electric drive and safety elements.

Sliding gates still have disadvantages, but they are few:

Cantilever sliding gates are one of the most complex in design, which is why their installation is not easy.
To install them, it is necessary to have a free section of the fence one and a half times larger than the size of the opening, which is not always achievable.

Determining the feasibility of installing sliding gates

Even with the great desire and remarkable financial capabilities of the site owner to install sliding gates, situations may arise when installation is either impossible or very difficult. What are these situations?

The space where the gate will roll back along the fence should be free by at least one and a half width of the gate opening. This is explained by the fact that on the door leaf, in addition to the part covering the opening, there is also a technological part, which in length occupies at least half of the width of the opening - this way the loads from the gate will be better distributed on the cantilever block.

Sliding gates move in a straight line, which means that the required area of free fence space must also be straight.
In the place where the gate will move there should be no uneven terrain that would interfere with the free movement of the gate.

There should be no gates in the path of the gate; it is better to make them on the opposite side. Sometimes sliding gates with built-in wickets are ordered, but they will inevitably have high thresholds, which is extremely inconvenient for children and the elderly.
It happens that the owners intend to use the gate as a wicket - when the canvas moves away to a distance sufficient for people to pass through. This is not necessary, since any gate mechanism is designed for a certain number of cycles and frequent use of them will greatly reduce the service life.
If you enter the site from a narrow lane, then to make maneuvering easier, you need to increase the gate opening, which will affect the dimensions of the doorway.

If there are no such difficult situations on the site, then you can start installing sliding gates with your own hands.

In order for sliding gates to be installed correctly and have a long service life in the future, the technological process must be divided into several stages.

Preparatory work

The first and one of the main parts of the preparatory operations is assessing the location of the gate installation. What should you pay attention to?

If the gate is installed to replace the old one, which has a different design, then the presence and condition of the support pillars will be assessed. If they are made of brick, reinforced concrete section at least 20 per 20 cm, profile metal pipe cross-section at least 60 per 40 cm, their strict verticality is maintained, and they are securely fixed in the ground, then they can well serve as a support and response post for sliding gates. If not, you will have to rebuild your pillars.
Near the support pillar it should be possible to dig a hole for the foundation, which should be located close to the pillar, run parallel to the fence and have dimensions of 500 mm by 2000 mm.
If there is a new fence on the site, then all work on its construction and preparation for the installation of sliding gates can be combined, which is most preferable.
Very often, brick pillars are erected at the entrance to the territory, which is both practical and beautiful. When constructing them, you need to make embedded elements in the form of steel plates 100*100 mm and 5 mm thick, three on each pillar. The top plate must be placed on the inside of the post close to the edge that is closer to the opening. The distance from the top of the column to the plate is 200 mm. The lower embedded plate is located similarly to the upper one, but at a distance of 200 mm from the zero mark. “Zero” is considered to be the level of entry through the gate. The middle plate is placed midway between the top and bottom. Gate elements will subsequently be attached to them.

When building a new fence, you can take into account that most often the width of the passage for sliding gates is 4 meters. This standard has long been adopted in European countries. All manufacturers of components and fittings have the necessary sets of elements specifically for this size of gate. To make your work much easier, it is better to use a ready-made solution.
It is necessary to decide what the door leaf will be and what it will be lined with. There are a lot of options, and in each of them the gate will have a different weight. This may influence the selection of the required strength elements. Most often, corrugated sheeting has been used lately, but there are options for cladding with wooden lining, forged decorative elements, or simply leaving a lattice structure made of steel pipes.

Before purchasing the necessary components, you need to draw up your own detailed drawing with specifications or use ready-made solutions that are available in the albums of gate manufacturers and on the forums of country house owners on the Internet. In any case, you need to be very clear about the design of how many materials you will need and which ones.

Marking work

When the gate posts are installed, regardless of whether the fence is erected or not, you can begin marking. To do this you need:

Determine the level of the zero mark, which is taken to be the surface level at the entrance to the garage opening. Moreover, it is not at all necessary that the entrance surface will already be ready when work begins. This can be done later. This level must be marked on one pillar and then transferred to another using a water or laser level.
At the level of the zero marks, the cord is pulled close to the inner surface of the pillars, and the cord must pass beyond the support table (the one where the gate will move when opened) to a distance of at least two meters. The horizontality of the tensioned cord is checked.

Sliding gate foundation installation

In order to absorb the loads from the weight of the gate at rest and when moving, you need to build a foundation. To do this, a channel No. 20 with a length of 2000 mm is needed as the upper part on which the roller units and electric drive will be mounted. For the foundation it is necessary to dig a hole, which is adjacent to the support pillar, has a length of 2100 mm, a width of 500 mm. The depth is determined by the level of soil freezing in winter. In most regions, a depth of 1500 mm will be sufficient.

To reinforce the foundation and create a connection between the channel and the foundation, three square-section frames with a side of 150 mm from reinforcement No. 16 and a length of 1400 mm are welded. For cross braces, you can use reinforcement No. 10-12 with a pitch of 300-400 mm.

The finished frames are welded to the lower surface of the channel in the middle of its flange. The center lines of the outer frames are located 400 mm from the edges of the channel, and the third – exactly in the middle. After this, you need to add 10 cm of sand or sand-gravel mixture to the bottom of the hole, compact it and begin installing the finished channel with reinforcement cages. In this case, you should take into account:

The channel is laid close to the supporting post, strictly parallel to the line of movement of the gate, flush with the zero mark. A previously stretched cord will help to do this.
To prevent laitance from leaking into the ground from the concrete mixture, which reduces the strength of concrete, it is better to line the bottom and walls of the pit with plastic film.
The surface of the channel should be at the zero level, therefore, when installing frames with a channel, it is good to use pieces of reinforcement that can be used to fix the structure in the pit. When supplying concrete, a significant load will be applied to the frames, so the fixation must be reliable.
To make it easier to level the upper part of the concrete with the channel, it is very convenient to install edged boards on top with the surface at zero level.

If you plan to use an electric drive with an automation unit and a security system, then you should immediately take care of laying the necessary cables. The laying diagram can be seen in the figure. Cables should be laid either in a corrugated pipe, or better yet, in a polyethylene pipe with a diameter of 20 mm.

It's time for concrete work. To fill the foundation of sliding cantilever gates, you must use concrete of a grade of at least M250-M300. To prepare it you will need components in the following proportions by volume:

One bucket of M400 cement.
Two buckets of washed sand.
Four buckets of crushed stone or gravel.
The amount of water depends on the moisture content of sand and cement and ranges from 0.7 to 1 bucket. The use of plasticizers reduces the amount of water required and increases the mobility of the mixture, which is useful during installation.

The amount needed for the foundation will, of course, be greater, the main thing is to maintain the specified proportions. To prepare the concrete mixture, it is best to use a concrete mixer or a powerful construction mixer. When mixing manually, the quality of concrete deteriorates.

A concrete mixer is an indispensable assistant for constructing a gate foundation

First, sand and cement are poured into the concrete mixer. After mixing them, add some water to mix the solution until smooth. Next, crushed stone or gravel is added and water is gradually added until the concrete becomes homogeneous and mobile. When laying concrete in a hole you must:

Feed the concrete mixture gradually so as not to move the leveled structure.
After laying the next portion of concrete, you need to pierce it in several places with a reinforcement bar to remove possible air bubbles.
After laying and leveling the top layer, wipe the surface of the channel with a wet rag so that it remains clean for subsequent operations.

Complete maturation of the concrete occurs within 28 days, but after a week it will already gain the strength that will allow installation of the gate. And at this time you can do other technological operations.

Manufacturing of sliding gates

When making gate leaves, if you do not have sufficient skills in welding metals, it is better to go where specialists in a workshop will make them to the required dimensions. Sliding gates are a fairly large structure and at home it will be difficult to ensure that all parts are located in the same plane, which is extremely necessary. Another advantage of making gates in workshops is that priming and painting can be done with a compressor, and this gives a better quality finish. But if you still want to do everything yourself, then this is quite possible.

One of the possible door leaf options is shown in the figure. The main frame is made from a 60*40 mm profile pipe, and the stiffeners and internal filling are made from a 20*40 mm pipe. The supporting beam, which is located at the bottom of the drawing, has a length of 6 meters and it must be welded to the gate, so it is time to purchase a set of components for sliding cantilever gates and profile pipes for making the door leaf.

A wide range of accessories for sliding gates is presented in various stores and construction markets. It is available both from a Russian manufacturer and imported. When purchasing fittings, you need to take into account the weight of the future door leaf and the size of the opening. In our case, the size of the opening is 4000 mm, and the weight of the canvas, if covered with corrugated sheeting, will be up to 400 kg, which must be reported to the seller.

The standard gate kit includes:

The guide beam is 71*60*3.5 mm, 6 meters long.
Two roller bearings.
End roller.
Lower end roller catcher.
Upper catcher.
Guide device with two rollers.
Two plugs for the beam.

To weld the gate, you will need to make an assembly table consisting of three stands of the same height. The supports can be stakes driven into the ground at the same level and boards laid on top. The main thing is that all three stands lie in the same horizontal plane.

Another option for an improvised assembly table can be timber or building stones laid on the ground and placed at one level.

A profile pipe purchased at a metal warehouse rarely does not have pockets of corrosion, so before making the gate, all pipes should be thoroughly cleaned of rust stains and contaminants. The most convenient way to do this is with a grinder and a special grinding disc.

According to the drawing, 60*40 mm profile pipes are cut for the main gate frame. In this case, you must try to make sure that during welding there are no holes left for access to the internal cavity of the pipe. Marking should be done with a tape measure and a square, and cutting should be done with a grinder with a cutting disc, or better yet, with a cutting machine that allows you to accurately observe all the angles.

Pipes are laid out on the mounting surface, guided by the drawing, compliance with dimensions and perpendicularity is checked, and then all seams are tacked sequentially. After checking the dimensions and plane, all pipe connections are welded with a continuous seam. All remaining open ends of the pipes are welded with plugs. After this, all welding seams are carefully cleaned with a grinder and a grinding disc.

Profile pipes 40*20 mm for stiffening ribs are cut to size, which are then applied to the inner surface of the main frame, tightened with clamps and pinched pointwise. This is how the entire internal frame is assembled. After checking compliance with the dimensions in the drawing, checking the diagonals of the rectangular part of the gate, the plane of the structure, all seams are welded. At the connections of the pipes of the internal frame, continuous seams are applied to each other, and to connect the side surfaces of the main frame with the inner one, seams of 10-15 mm are made with an interval of 400-500 mm. Welding must be done in a checkerboard pattern so that excessive overheating in one place does not cause the entire structure to “deteriorate.”

A guide beam is welded to the bottom surface of the gate. To do this, it is fastened with clamps, the correspondence of the axes of the gate leaf and the beam is checked, and then welded with seams of 30-40 mm every 400-500 mm. After this, all seams are cleaned with a grinder.

For priming and painting, the gate must be installed in a position close to vertical. It is best to use an automotive anti-corrosion primer, which must be applied in two layers. It is preferable to do this with a compressor and sprayer, but you can also use a brush, but it will take longer and the quality of the coating will be worse. Particular attention should be paid to pouring primer into the gap between the beam and the gate. It would also be appropriate to cover this gap with “sausages” of acrylic sealant. After this, the entire gate can be painted in two layers. Under no circumstances should the inner surface of the load-bearing beam be painted!

After the paint has completely dried, you can install cladding on the gate, the most preferred of which is corrugated sheeting, as it combines light weight, strength, beautiful appearance and a reasonable price.

Installation of sliding gates

The installation of a cantilever structure on a previously installed channel can begin no earlier than 7 days after concreting. To mount roller carts, it is recommended to purchase a mounting plate with studs, which will allow you to:

Adjust the gate position in height and horizontality.
It is easy to remove the gate for repairs or replacement of roller blocks.

To install the gate you need:

Place the roller carriages onto the mounting plate, making the height the same and average on all studs. Do not tighten the upper nuts too much.
The position of the mounting plates must be marked on the foundation. To do this, measure 150 mm from the edge of the channel that is closer to the opening and draw a line perpendicular to its length. This will be tangent to the edge of the first mounting plate.
To find the position of the second support, you need to measure the total length of the gate and subtract 100 mm from it. The resulting distance must be set aside from the beginning of the return post parallel to the goal line to the channel. At this point a perpendicular is drawn, which will be tangent to the second mounting plate.
If the load-bearing capacity of the pillars is good and the anchor bolts will be fastened in them well, then the use of additional metal pillars is not necessary. If not, then a profile pipe with a height equal to the height of the gate plus 200 mm, with a cross-section of 40 * 40 * 2 mm, is welded vertically using the previously prepared mortgages. On the support post it can be welded close to the edge, and on the return post it can be welded at a distance of 20-50 mm from the edge of the post.

At a height of 150-200 mm at a distance of 20-30 mm from the branch and supporting pillars, a cord is stretched horizontally, parallel to the line of movement of the gate. It will indicate the position of the tangent to the edge of the supporting beam. The cord must be stretched throughout the entire movement of the gate: from the edge of the table to the position of the edge of the gate when it is fully open.
Roller carriages are placed in the supporting beam and moved approximately to the middle of the gate. Then, with the participation of assistants, the door leaf is placed vertically above the channel. The roller carriages are moved along previously marked lines, and the stretched cord should touch the guide beam along its entire length. This position can be fixed using stands made of planks. After checking the verticality, the roller platforms can be “grabbed” by electric welding in several places.
The movement of the gate is checked, its verticality and horizontality, which is checked in the closed position. If necessary, correction is made using adjusting nuts on the studs of the platforms. The gate should move easily along the guide, parallel (lightly touching) the tensioned cord. The gaps between the support and response posts should be the same, and from the zero mark to the bottom edge 80-100 mm. If everything is normal, then the carriage fastening nuts can be tightened and the platforms themselves can be welded in a circle.

A plug is mounted on the rear console part of the load-bearing beam. An end roller is mounted in the front part of the beam. Each manufacturer has its own installation method, so you must use the instructions.
A guide device with two rollers is mounted on the support column in its upper part. To do this, a bracket for attaching the guide is attached to the pole, and holes are marked. In brick or concrete it is necessary to fasten with anchors with studs with a diameter of 10 mm, and in metal - with appropriate self-tapping screws. If welding will be used for fastening, it is better to temporarily remove the plastic rollers. After mounting on the post, the rollers are positioned so that they tightly cover the door leaf, maintain its verticality and do not interfere with the smooth movement.

The gate is rolled out to the fully closed position, and the location for attaching the lower catcher is marked on the return post. The end roller should fit tightly onto the catcher shelf, partially relieving the load on the roller blocks. The catcher is mounted using appropriate fasteners and the movement of the gate and the ease of its fixation in the closed position are checked.

An upper catcher is installed, which prevents the gate from swinging in the wind. In a completely closed state, the position of the catcher is outlined and its fastening is made. Very often, the upper catcher in the kit also has a protective bracket that is put on the door leaf, which protects against damage to the coating. The bracket is mounted so that when closing it is the one that enters the catcher.

If necessary, a rear limiter is installed to prevent the gate from rolling back far when fully opened.

After proper installation, the gate should move very easily and be fixed in its extreme positions. The final work will be cleaning all welds, covering them with anti-corrosion primer and painting. Next, handles for opening and closing can be attached to the gate leaf, and also installed. Each drive manufacturer has its own installation features, which are described in detail in the accompanying documentation. But this work will be much easier, since the main thing has already been done - installing sliding gates with your own hands.

Video - Installation instructions for sliding gates

Video - Installation of a ready-made gate kit without welding

Video - How to make sliding gates yourself

Sliding gates are very popular. When opened, they do not take up much space like regular gates.

A set of materials for such gates can be purchased at any store.

This article describes how to install the foundation, what tools are included in the main set of gate fittings, and presents photos of this design.

Preliminary calculations

To make a homemade sliding gate you need a diagram. It should indicate the dimensions and characteristics of the structure.

It is also desirable that the diagram include a construction estimate - costs of materials, etc. To make a set of fittings cheaper, you can order it on the Internet. But before that, it’s better to compare prices in the store.

In addition to the diagram, you need to make drawings of the future gate in order to imagine how it will look on the ground and how best to position the structure.

The drawings should include how much space on the site the sliding gates will take up and their approximate parameters.

For example, for an entrance with an opening size of 4 m, a gate 6 m long is needed. The distance between the doors and the road should be 75 mm.

The foundation for the gate must be installed using concrete pillars, the base should be at a depth of 1.5 m. This scheme is more suitable for a monoscreen.

In addition to the dimensions of the valves, the drawings should include how deep the foundation should go and what size the pillars for the foundation should be.

Drawings are especially important for those who are going to install an electric drive on sliding gates. The location of the counterweights should also be shown on the design drawing - this will help to do everything correctly.

When drawing up diagrams and drawings, do not forget that the total weight of the leaf for the sashes should not be very large.

Otherwise, you will have to tinker with the rollback mechanism, which can be quite complicated for a beginner.

However, at the same time, the canvas should not sag too much from the wind. In addition, it should not deteriorate from water getting on its surface.

If you want to make a drive for automation, then it is advisable to use metal or polycarbonate as the material for the blade.

According to their characteristics and properties, they are very well suited for automatic design. The drive itself for automation is not difficult to purchase - it is inexpensive.

Once the drawings, diagram and construction estimate have been drawn up, you can begin purchasing materials.

To make a sliding gate you will need:

roller carriage (2-3 pcs.);
removable roller (needed to support the gate when it is closed);
upper and lower catcher (the part on which the removable roller rests);
gate stand (gate supports are made on it);
bracket (cantilever support element that secures the sash);
guide rail (ensures smooth rollback of the sashes).

A set of these materials can be purchased either together or separately at any store. This is the basic set of tools, you may need more depending on the type of construction.

Features of installing foundations and supports

We must not forget that before moving on to installing the gate itself, you need to make a support and foundation for it. This is the most difficult part, so you need to pay special attention to it.

Most often, wooden beams and pillars made of concrete or brick are used for this. In general, the material can be almost any.

In the photo you can see what a gate support using the material will look like.

The main thing that needs to be taken into account when installing it is that the pillars need to be made to a depth of about 1 m (this is the depth of freezing of the ground). First you need to make holes, then insert supports and pour concrete. Concrete usually hardens within a week.

The base for the gate must be made using a channel (about 20 cm wide) and reinforcement (with a cross-section of 15 mm). The reinforcement is cut into meter-long pieces, which are then welded to the channel. The result should be a structure resembling a banquette.

After this, you need to dig a hole 0.5 times the length of the gate. The foundation pit should be located to the right of the supports.

It turns out that you need to measure it from one of the pillars that will hold the doors. The depth of the hole should be about a meter, maybe a little more. The dimensions may be different, depending on the parameters of the sashes and other parts of the structure.

Then you need to install the channel in the hole with the shelf down and fill it all with concrete mortar. The foundation structure ends here. After 28 days, the concrete will dry and the foundation will be ready.

The frame of the structure also has its own characteristics. Most often, metal pipes are used for it. If there is rust on them, then it needs to be removed with a grinder or other similar tool.

After this, the pipe should be treated with a solvent and primer. You can use a brush for this.

The standard dimensions of a profiled pipe for a frame are a section of 50*50 or 60*30 mm, but this also depends on the size of the entire structure, so you need to decide for yourself. The frame is made by welding - pipes are welded together to form one structure.

Then a sheathing is welded to the frame, due to which the sliding gate will be stronger. Subsequently, metal, wood or corrugated sheeting is attached to the sheathing. The standard size for a pipe for sheathing is a cross-section of 20*20 mm.

After the frame is ready, you need to weld a guide rail to it from below. It should be remembered that the guide and pipes for the sheathing must be welded in a checkerboard pattern. Otherwise, the structure will be unstable.

Then everything is treated with a primer and coated with paint. After drying, you can begin sewing up the gates and installing the leaves. If you are planning automatic gates, then you should not forget about the drive.

After studying the step-by-step instructions for sliding gates with your own hands, as well as studying the drawings and diagrams, looking at the sketches and instructions in our article, choosing the desired option, get to work, get to work immediately, purchase the listed materials, feel free to get to work, and then enjoy the result of your labor.

Everyday life cannot be imagined without enclosing structures. The gates play a dominant role in them.

How can you install the design you like in your yard, so that the family budget doesn’t suffer too much? You can make them yourself.

A real hit today are sliding gates. Many people prefer this type of structure and even make sliding gates with their own hands.

Appearance

The mechanism looks more complicated than the usual swing gates, however, in many ways it outperforms the latter. Especially in compactness, because the sliding gate leaf runs along a guide rail along the fence, and does not require much space around it. In most cases, it is this fact that attracts buyers.

Advantages over swing doors

Also, if you compare them during operation, then sliding gates again have advantages over. For example, in very windy weather it is quite difficult to control hinged doors; moreover, they must be secured with a limiter to avoid being hit by any gust.

With sliding canvases you can forget about such difficulties. And remembering how much time it takes to open the doors one after another and then close them, there is no doubt in whose favor you want to make a choice.

Types of sliding gates

Sliding or sliding gates are two leaves of a certain size that move along a guide rail.

There are mechanical and automatic gates. The difference between them is clear from their names. But there is no clear answer as to which of them is preferable.

Mechanical

They are usually equipped with a handle for easy control of the blade. To install them, you don’t need to bother with connecting an electrical circuit and their cost is much lower. The mechanical method of controlling the gate eliminates possible breakdown of the automation and blockage of the passage as a result.

Automatic

But automatic ones are much more convenient to use. Until recently, garage doors with remote opening were just a dream. Many knew about them only from foreign films.

Now this function is available to everyone, and it is a pleasure to use it. The automatic gate mechanism consists of a radio receiver, a photocell, a drive and a guide rail.

Mechanisms

There are three options for sliding gate mechanisms:

Each of these options has some nuances.

Hanging

For example, the suspended method limits the height of the passage. For owners of tall cars, this is a serious disadvantage. In the case when the rollers move along the ground, there is a danger of clogging the guide, which is located below, near the ground. Therefore, they are mainly used either indoors or in countries with dry climates, where dirt around the rails can be avoided.

Console

But the cantilever design is devoid of such disadvantages; its guide is mounted directly on the frame. Between the roller carriage and the rail, the same console is formed, from which this version of sliding gates takes its name.

In terms of price category, console panels are of a higher level, because complex special fittings are used here. But if you have the time and desire, you can try to reduce the cost of sliding gates. How? Yes, just make them yourself.

Making sliding gates with your own hands

Equipment

First you need to have all the necessary tools and material.

Tools that will be needed in the process of making sliding gates:

Construction mixer for concrete, apparatus for welding work, grinding machine or grinder;

Important! Welding must be done in staggered patterns. Otherwise, the frame may overheat and become deformed.

Everything you might need for laying bricks;
, metal shears, drill, are used at the stage of constructing the frame and its cladding;
A shovel, a hammer, a crowbar will be needed when performing earthworks;
Stepladder, tape measure and wrenches;
Tools for .

Materials

Everything is usually simple with the tool, but choosing materials is already difficult.

The fact is that when selecting components separately, they may simply not fit together, and this will affect the quality and functionality of the design.

For example, the gate will be skewed in one direction or there will be noticeable gaps between the elements. Therefore, if possible, it is better to buy components in a special set, where all the details have already been agreed upon.

There are many companies that sell such kits with the possibility of delivering the order locally.

Basic elements of a sliding gate kit

Frame;
Carrying trolley;
Support beam;
Plateau with rollers for lateral swings;
End roller;
End roller trap.

Before starting work, it is important to draw up accurate drawings indicating the overall dimensions of the structure and markings of clearances and distances for rollback. Only then will it be possible to decide how to make the gate.

Important! It is better to install carriages at least 7 days after laying the foundation.

Afterwards, the catchers and the rolling roller are attached to the tire, the upper blade holder to the post, as well as the gear rack.

Filling the canvases and installing them on carriages. Fill the door leaf with any finishing material. For example, from a metal profile, wood or a metal picket fence.

Important! The filling of the canvases should be completed before their installation.

Filling is done using rivets or self-tapping screws.

Installation and commissioning automatic drive and security systems.

These were the basic steps in creating a sliding gate with your own hands. In reality there may be much more manipulation, it will depend on the chosen model.

Homemade sliding gates will be much cheaper than ordering from a commercial company at retail price. But you will have to make an effort and delve into the rules of their construction, so that later you do not regret the money saved, but enjoy the design.

A good, reliable fence with a beautiful gate not only protects a suburban area from uninvited guests, but also gives a clear idea of its boundaries. To make the fence more convenient and practical, its gates are equipped with devices that simplify their opening and make this process automatic. One of the most popular designs is a system with a mechanism that allows you to move the fence to the side. Today, many companies are engaged in installing sliding gates, but we suggest making them yourself.

Design and principle of operation of sliding gates

Depending on the type and location of the supporting surface, sliding gates are divided into rail and roller, but since the latter have a more reliable design, systems with a bottom rail guide are practically not used today. As for the mechanism with support rollers, it is not difficult to assemble it yourself, since all components can be purchased at a retail chain or made independently.

The previously popular sliding gates with a bottom guide rail have today been replaced by a more reliable design with support rollers

This gate can be built in two ways:

monoscreen,
double synchronous design.

A monoscreen is a structure of one leaf, which rests on roller guides (carts or cantilever supports) installed on the side of the opening. The gates move along them to one side, opening up space for cars to pass through. This system does not require an upper banner between the pillars and is used when the height of the canvas is no more than 2 meters. The simplicity and convenience of a monoscreen contribute to its popularity for arranging private areas, open areas and courtyards.

Roller sliding gate diagram

Double synchronous gates have a pair of leaves that slide in opposite directions. Unlike a monoscreen, the structure has two supporting foundations and an upper beam, which serves as a guide for additional rollers. The cantilever system is capable of supporting increased weight of the leaf, therefore it is used for gates with a height of more than 2 meters. It is a good option for equipping garages for trucks and high hangars, various warehouses, industrial facilities, etc.

Since the need to install high gates in a private courtyard rarely arises, we will further consider single systems. Among other things, such sliding gates have a simplified design, so they are more suitable for making them yourself.

Roller trolleys are the main supporting elements of the structure

In addition to the guide and roller supports (cantilever blocks or trolleys), several other elements ensure the operability of the structure.

Lower and upper catcher. They are U-shaped brackets installed on the edges of a catching post (support, rack) and designed to fix the gate in a closed state. The upper catcher prevents the sash from falling to one side, while the lower lock, in addition to this function, also relieves the load on the rollers and guide.
Catchers are made of thick metal, because the reliability of fixing the gate in the closed position depends on them
Support rail or bracket (roller stop). It is installed along the upper edge of the main post and serves for additional fixation of the canvas.
Support bracket assembly with rollers
Support roller. Attached to the front end of the guide and serves as a plug, damper and support element. When the sash enters the lower catcher, it softens the blow and takes on part of the weight of the structure.
Support roller with rubber damping pad

In addition, some parts of the system are equipped with plugs that prevent snow accumulation and serve as decorative elements.

Design Features

Before you start purchasing materials, you should draw up at least a small drawing or sketch indicating the main dimensions and calculation of the required material.

Canvas dimensions

One of the main issues in gate design is determining the width and other dimensions of the structure. First of all, you should determine the distance between the gate posts, since all further calculations depend on this value. This takes into account:

the size of vehicles that will enter the site;
vehicle entry angle;
free gap between the overall width of the car and the gate supports, which should be 0.3–0.5 m on each side.

For middle-class passenger cars, a gate with a width of 2.5–3 m will be sufficient, while a truck or tractor requires an opening of at least 3.5 meters.

Design and dimensions of the sliding gate leaf with a frame for a metal profile

If movement perpendicular to the fence line is difficult and entry at an angle is required, then this value must be increased by another 1.5 times. But we must also take into account the fact that for any reason (slippery surface, inexperienced driver, improperly secured load) the car may shift or tilt to the side. Therefore, the optimal gate width can be considered to be about 4.5 m - this will be enough for any situation.

When calculating the width of the canvas, add 20 cm to the size of the opening. This must be done so that when the gate is closed on the side of the support rollers, the yard is not visible through the gap. If this possibility was not taken into account during the manufacture of the sash, then you can get out of the situation by slightly moving the pillars towards each other. When determining the height of the gate, many believe that it should be the same as that of the fence, but usually the leaf is made a little smaller. This is due to the fact that the lower edge of the fence is installed with a minimum gap from the level of the site, while the sash does not touch the ground and is installed with a gap of about 10 cm.

Drawing of a sliding gate leaf without a frame for an infill profile

In fact, the distance between the lower guide and the level of the yard is adjusted using support platforms, which set the height of the roller carts. Depending on their position, the doors rise above the site to a height of 10 to 15 cm.

In addition, the height of the canvas is influenced by the dimensions of the frame of its frame and the width of the lower guide. In order for the gate to end up on the same level as the fence, when designing it is necessary to take into account all these nuances and make an accurate calculation.

Drawings and diagrams

The basis of the design of sliding gates is a guide that moves along cantilever blocks.

To prevent the support rollers from obstructing the passage, they are moved behind the side clearance. In this case, the sash is lengthened due to a special slope that acts as a counterweight. You can avoid distortion when closing sliding gates if the length of the slope is equal to ½ the width of the gate.

The entire load during operation of the mechanism is taken by the roller carts, so their installation requires a strong, reliable foundation. The foundation is made in the form of a massive reinforced concrete structure with an upper foundation platform made of a wide metal channel. In the future, it will be convenient to use not only for mounting roller bearings, but also for attaching the automation drive.

The recoil type has a very simple design. Understanding the operating mechanism is enough to independently draw up the necessary sketches and make calculations. Nevertheless, we present to your attention diagrams and design drawings that will serve as visual aids and help in the work. Among other things, you can take one of the finished projects as a basis for making sliding gates yourself.

Drawings for manufacturing

Installation diagram for the manufacture of sliding gates Roller support drawing Drawing of a blade with a guide rail Support bracket drawing Installation diagram of the laying platform Block diagram of sliding gates End roller drawing Specification of sliding gate design details Drawing of a guide with a roller assembly

What you will need to build it yourself

When starting to build a gate, you need to have a set of components (accessories), which can be purchased as a set or made independently. As for tools, you don’t need any specific devices - everything you need can be found even by a novice home craftsman.

Selecting parts for the recoil mechanism

There are several options for components for sliding gates, depending on the width of the opening and the weight load:

for gates weighing up to 400 kg and width no more than 4 m;
for canvases weighing up to 600 kg and a width of no more than 6 m;
for sashes weighing from 600 kg and width 6 m or more.

When choosing one or another set for your needs, you should definitely take into account the filling material of the leaf, because it has a significant impact on the weight of the sash.

The creation kit consists of the following parts:

bottom guide;
support bracket with rollers;
roller support - 2 pcs.;
roller platform support stand - 2 pcs.;
support (end) roller;
lower and upper catchers;
plastic plugs.

The guide of the lower rollers must be rigid enough to maintain its original shape and not deform under wind load. To ensure this condition, responsible manufacturers make the rail from high-quality structural steel with a thickness of at least 3.6 mm - this parameter should be taken into account when choosing it.

Set of accessories for assembling sliding gates

Since the entire mass of the gate is supported by roller carriages, their bearings must be of high quality, and the rolling surfaces themselves must have high hardness. On sale you can find cantilever blocks with plastic rollers that reduce the noise level when the gate moves. Keep in mind that these parts will have to be replaced after some time, as even the highest quality thermoplastics are no match for case-hardened steel. Before installation, it is recommended to open the support roller bearings to check the amount of lubricant - this determines whether the gate will creak when moving, and how long these parts will work without play or jamming.

The sash is secured from above by a supporting bracket. To ensure the stability and reliability of the structure, its thickness must be at least 4 mm. As for the guides installed on it, rubber rollers have proven themselves to be the best. The load on them is not that great, but the fact that they do not scratch the gate frame during operation has a positive effect on the aesthetics of the structure.

When choosing a lower catcher, keep in mind that it works in tandem with a support roller. Be sure to check how freely the end switch fits into the latch. In addition, the end roller is designed to redistribute the load when the gate is closed, so the same requirements are imposed on it as on the main supporting elements of the system.

The metal plate from which the catchers are made must have a thickness of at least 4 mm, since the reliability of fixing the sash in the closed position depends on its quality. In addition, the strength of these parts must be ensured by the welding connection.

Any guide rail plugs will do. The main thing is that they prevent the ingress of snow and perform a decorative function.

The choice of material for lining depends entirely on personal preferences and financial capabilities, so you can use:

corrugated sheeting, which is lightweight and easy to install using rivets or self-tapping screws. Profile panels can be selected according to thickness, color, depth and width of the wave, and their coating can protect the metal from corrosion for many years;
steel sheets - selected by thickness and size. Most often used as a basis for forged gate elements;
polycarbonate, with which the gate will be the lightest;
picket fence or lining - they must be treated with antiseptic agents and coated with varnish or paint. Only in this case can you count on the durability and aesthetic appearance of lumber;
forging - can be used either alone or in combination with polycarbonate, lumber or steel sheets. Today in the retail chain you can buy individual forged elements, from which, using welding, it is easy to build a real work of blacksmith art;
panel (chocolate) - to obtain it, metal sheets are stamped. You can find “chocolate bars” of various sizes on sale. They are attached to the frame by welding or rivets.

When using forging, steel sheets or panels to cover the door, you should take into account the significant increase in the weight of the gate when choosing roller supports and other structural elements.

On sale you can find panels of various sizes, which allows you to create gates of original design

What tools and materials will be needed

The construction of sliding gates will require not only plumbing, but also concrete work, so you should prepare:

shovel;
crowbar or pickaxe;
tamper;
containers for bulk materials and concrete;
welding machine;
grinder (angle grinder or angle grinder);
cutting and grinding wheel for angle grinders;
hammer;
screwdriver;
set of open-end wrenches;
roulette;
scriber or pencil;
a compressor with a spray bottle or brushes for painting.

If the sash trim will be made not of metal, but of wood, then you may need a circular or miter saw, a plane, a chisel and other carpentry tools.

Profile steel pipes are best suited for the manufacture of gate leaves.

In addition to components and cladding elements, you will need many other materials. So, to make a sliding gate for a 4-meter opening, you will need to bring to the site:

at least 18 meters of profile pipe 50x50 mm or 60x40 mm with a wall of 2 mm - for welding the frame frame;
up to 20 linear meters of pipe 40x20x2 mm, which will be needed for the internal parts of the frame;
channel No. 20 with a length of at least 2 m - for the construction of an embedded support platform for roller guides;
Instead of a channel, you can use two pieces of steel angle with a flange 100 mm long, which are welded along the length. It is not recommended to install embeds only under the carriages of roller supports, as well as to concrete the studs - in this case it will be difficult to align the rollers and adjust the automatic closing device (drive).
thick sheet metal for flashings - mortgages, which are installed in the masonry during the construction of side supports (pillars);
about 15 m of reinforcement or steel bar with a diameter of 10–12 mm, which will be needed for fastening the channel and constructing the foundation;
sand, crushed stone and cement for preparing concrete.

You should take care in advance about the aesthetics of the structure, so to paint the frame or the entire canvas you will need paint and a primer. Any alkyd enamel for exterior use and primer for metal surfaces are suitable.

Step-by-step installation of sliding gates

The correct approach to the manufacture of sliding gates will allow you to obtain a strong, reliable design and avoid errors in operation. Therefore, it is better to divide the whole process into several stages:

construction of support pillars;
arrangement of the foundation;
production of canvas and individual structural elements;
installation of the structure.

To achieve success, everything must be done according to the work plan. Each step must be accompanied by control of geometry and other technological parameters. Only in this case can you count on the fact that even a child will be able to open the gate.

Installation of pillars

Installation of support pillars is one of the most critical stages, since in the future they will be responsible for the stability of the entire structure. Racks can be made from various materials - oak timber, solid metal, brick or concrete. It is recommended to concrete the pillars to a depth of at least 1 m, and in areas with high groundwater levels to build a common foundation for all structural elements of sliding gates.

Diagram of sliding gate support structures

If metal pipes are used for the racks, then installing the catchers and support rail does not cause difficulties - they can be secured by welding. In the case when the pillars are made of stone or brick, it is necessary to install mortgages in the masonry. These fasteners are metal platforms made of thick sheet steel, to which pieces of a metal rod or thick wire are welded. During the construction of pillars, flexible elements are laid in the seams, installing the strips at the required height.

So, to install the support posts, they dig a hole with a diameter of at least 0.5 m and a depth of more than 1 meter, into which the pillar is installed. Next, level it using a level and fill it with concrete. For reliability, several crossbars made from pieces of angle iron, pipes, fittings, etc. can be welded to the lower part of the metal rack.

Construction of the foundation

Before starting installation work, it is necessary to mark the foundation of the support platform and prepare a foundation pit for its arrangement. For these purposes, 0.5 m is retreated from the plane of the fence - this will be the width of the trench. The foundation should be 20–30 cm longer than the sash counterweight.

If automation is used to open the gate, then even at the stage of installing the pillars and constructing the foundation, electrical cables are laid in the ground. To protect them, a corrugated plastic casing is used.

A channel up to 20 cm wide is used as a foundation. Its length is equal to half the width of the opening plus an allowance of 10–20 cm for installing roller support platforms. To ensure the solidity of the mortgage, it is reinforced with a frame made of reinforcement.

Drawing of the foundation of the support platform

The foundation is built like this:

dig a trench 1–1.5 m deep. On sandy soils, as well as with a high groundwater level, the bottom of the pit should be below the freezing point;
rods are cut from a metal rod or reinforcement: long 1–1.5 m (according to the depth of the trench) and short 0.2 m. The latter will be needed half as much - they will be used as jumpers;
long pieces of reinforcement are welded to the side shelves of the channel at a distance of 30 cm from each other, obtaining a structure similar to a bench with many legs;
opposite rods are connected in pairs using 20-centimeter jumpers at a distance of 0.7–0.8 m from the channel;
The embedded structure is lowered into the trench, leveling the channel to the height of the site.
The channel must be aligned strictly horizontally so that its upper plane coincides with the level of the roadway. If tiles, concrete or asphalt pavement is still being planned, then an increase in the height of the driveway must be taken into account.
install formwork and armored belt;
pour concrete and compact it thoroughly.

According to the technology, the foundation must stand for 28 days for the concrete to reach brand strength.

Arrangement of the foundation of the support platform

Making the sash

To manufacture the load-bearing frame of the gate leaf, profile metal pipes with a cross-section of at least 50x50 mm are used. In order not to get a sash that is driven by a “propeller”, it is necessary to arrange a platform with a strictly horizontal plane. To do this, choose a wide, flat place and lay wooden slats or bars on the ground with small gaps. Level control is carried out using a laser or bubble tool and a construction cord.

It is convenient to use wooden supports for welding the sliding gate leaf

The fabric is welded from the bottom up, laying individual structural elements on the prepared plane.

An outer frame is made, which is the main frame of the sash. To do this, a frame pipe with a cross section of 50x50 mm or 60x40 mm is welded to the guide rail. After this, vertical pipes are attached to its upper plane, and the upper cross member and slope are mounted. The welding seam can be made with tacks 2 cm long every 0.5–0.6 m.
The frame is welded in a staggered manner. This will prevent overheating of individual areas and disruption of the flatness of the structure.
Elements of the filling frame are welded to the base of the frame, which will be needed to attach the corrugated sheeting and will make the structure more rigid. Internal bulkheads are made of 40x20 mm pipes.
The welding areas are cleaned with an angle grinder, after which the structure is coated with a primer.
Using a spray gun, apply two or three layers of alkyd paint.
After the protective layer has dried, the canvas is sheathed with corrugated board. To fasten it, use self-tapping screws or rivets, holes for which are drilled with an electric drill.

The frame, which will be sheathed with corrugated sheets, wood or polycarbonate, must be painted before filling

If steel sheets or forging are used as filling, they are welded at the stage of constructing the frame, after which they are cleaned and only after that the gate is prepared for painting.

Assembly instructions

Installation of sliding gates begins with markings. In order to indicate the trajectory of their movement, it is necessary to stretch a cord along the roadway. The gap between it and the road surface should be 150–200 mm, and the distance to the support pillar should be 70 mm (with a recommended thickness of the road surface of up to 70 mm). In the future, the cord will serve as the center line when installing cantilever supports
Determine the installation location of the front roller carriage. The principle here is simple - the farther the supports are placed from each other, the less will be the load on the bearings. However, the set of support rollers closest to the roadway is installed not along the extreme dimensions of the post, but at a distance of 15 cm in the direction of rollback. This is done so that the rolling roller protruding from the sash does not protrude onto the roadway. To determine the extreme position of the rear console support, subtract 100 mm from the total length of the web (with counterweight). The resulting value is laid off from the receiving pole (on which the catchers will be mounted) - this point will be the outer boundary of the second cart.
Determining the installation locations of roller bearings
The supporting platforms of the roller supports are aligned to the obtained points and secured by welding, after which the rollers are installed on the adjusting plates.
The roller bearings are mounted on the base plate by means of supporting platforms. This allows you to avoid overheating of the rollers during installation and to be able to align the guide “horizontally”
The door leaf is placed in place by rolling the guide onto the rollers. The supports are checked for correct installation, after which the sash is removed and the trolleys themselves are dismantled.
The adjustment plates are securely welded.
Before welding the support platforms and installing the trolleys in place, the door leaf is removed
The roller supports and canvas are installed in place, after which the gate is fixed in the closed state.
The building level is set in the same plane as the guide, after which the adjusting bolts of the supporting platforms are used to set the gate “to the horizon”.
Correct installation of the roller carriage (with a supporting platform) will allow you to easily adjust the level of the guide beam
The knurling roller is installed inside the guide, after which it is secured with bolts and secured by welding for reliability.
Installation of the knurling roller
Opposite the post closest to the roller carts, a roller limiter is installed on the upper edge of the web. The support rail is secured by welding, after which the gate is adjusted vertically.
The support rail bracket can be attached to the post by welding - the wide adjustment range of each roller allows you to easily align the door leaf vertically
Install the lower catcher. To mark the location of its installation, the gate is fixed in the closed position, the catcher bracket is placed under the support roller and pressed until it touches completely. The catcher is secured with bolts so that its position relative to the roller can be adjusted in the future.
If you do everything correctly and carefully, you should end up with a design like this:
Video: how to install sliding gates with your own hands

How to equip them with automation
An automatic opening system can be installed on such gates only if they move easily and without jerking on the rollers. To do this you need to purchase:
- rack;
- electric drive;
- signal light;
- limit switches or photocells;
- remote control;
- Control block.
Today there is no need to buy components separately - ready-made automation kits can be found on sale. To install the system, you will need the same tools that were used in the manufacture and installation of the gate.
Automation kit for sliding gates
The electric drive is attached to the same embedded channel as the roller bearings. The work is carried out in stages.

For safety reasons, a signal lamp is installed on the outermost pole. After this, check the correctness of the electrical connections and turn on the power supply.
You can use a screwdriver or any electric motor with a gearbox as a sliding gate drive, and use an inexpensive car alarm for remote control.
Video: sliding gates with a drive made from a screwdriver

Although sliding gates require more financial investment than regular ones, the lion's share of costs can be saved if you make them yourself. Ease of use and comfort provided by the remote control system are combined with high reliability and the ability to save space on the site. Not a bad argument for a modern and functional design, right?

More and more owners of private houses are choosing sliding gates. Production is quite a costly endeavor, so many people decide to make sliding gates with their own hands. This will also require certain costs, you will have to buy materials and figure out the availability of tools, but in the end you will get a wonderful high-quality gate at an affordable price.

It is worth considering that even independent work will cost more than another type of gate, but quality, durability and comfort are an excellent motivation to choose them. To make sliding gates with your own hands, drawings and diagrams will be very useful. You can use ready-made diagrams that you will find in this manual.

How to make sliding gates with your own hands? First of all, you need to understand the materials.

You will need painted corrugated sheeting, rectangular pipes of different sizes, fittings, primer, screws and automation. The most expensive on this list are accessories, which you can buy as a set, and automation, which includes a drive with a control unit, a rack and remote controls. If you wish, you can take care of safety.

Thus, you need to select enough material. First, you will need a drawing and information on sizes so as not to overpay for unnecessary goods. For example, if the gate is 3X2, then 6 m2 of corrugated sheeting will be required, and a certain number of kilograms of pipes.

Once you know the dimensions and make sure that this drawing is suitable, you can start purchasing the material. You can use the drawings from these instructions; already tested diagrams will not cause any inconvenience. Next, you need to make sure that you have the tools necessary to build a sliding gate yourself.

Tool preparation

Prepare or borrow from a friend an angle grinder, a grinder, a concrete mixer, a bricklaying tool, a screwdriver, a stepladder, shovels, a hammer, a level, wrenches, a crowbar and a tape measure.

The list is quite extensive and if you have not acquired a specific tool, you should not buy it right away; perhaps your friends have it or you can rent it. Because with the purchase of equipment you are unlikely to save on installing sliding gates yourself.

When everything is ready, you should start working directly.

DIY sliding gates. Installation

We are preparing - an important stage

First, do some preliminary work. The plant layer of soil will have to be removed; if there is another covering in this place, you will still have to get rid of it. For convenience, markings for future sliding gates are needed.

Further, in the process of laying out, it is necessary to use four reinforcing elements of 1 meter each and electrodes - axes (permanent and temporary). Before hammering in the reinforcement, make sure that the diagonals of the rectangle match. After this, hammer in, leaving 20 centimeters on the surface. A fishing line is placed between the reinforcement. From the main axes you can create temporary ones.

Advice. Do not forget that the hole for the post must be slightly wider than its size. For example, with a pillar measuring 40x40 cm, the hole should be at least 42x42 cm. The foundation will be wider and it will be easier for you to lay bricks.

The embedded part also requires certain conditions from the foundation. The pit must be half the length of the gate opening.

Advice. Consider the climate of your area when creating pits. The depth must be large, greater than the freezing depth. If the foundation is too close to the top, the frozen soil will push it out, making the structure unreliable. Sometimes the depth can be almost one and a half meters; you should not be dismissive at this stage.

When the walls crumble during the creation of a pit, you cannot do without formwork. In this case, you can save money by choosing old material; the boards will already be covered with soil.

Pour water over the finished pits to ensure compaction. If further work continues later, be sure to cover them and protect them from rain, which could wash them out.

In order not to spoil the driveway later, dig a trench in advance where the sleeve with the electric cable will be laid, so that later you can connect the sliding gate automation easily and quickly. For this work you will need a regular plastic water pipe, choose a diameter of approximately 20 mm. At the moment when the sleeve is laid, cover the ends of the pipe with polyethylene, which will protect against dirt and moisture. When the liner has been laid and backfilled, pour water over the place where the laying took place to ensure compaction of the soil.

So far, the sliding gate sketch has been used little, but in the future it will still be very useful.

Preparing the pillars

The function of the core will be performed by metal products, in this case, pipes. It is better to take rectangular products with dimensions 80X80 mm or 100X100 mm. Round metal pipes are also suitable; we take a diameter of 80 mm or more.

The pipe above the ground (its upper part) should be slightly lower than the pole, a couple of centimeters is enough. If, for example, the pillar is 2.5 m high, then the core must be 2.45 m. The part underground should not reach the bottom of the pit. 5 cm is also enough. If the hole is 90 cm deep, then the lower part of the pipe is 85 cm.

Advice. To achieve maximum strength of the core, so that the design of sliding gates with your own hands is strong, you can make a kind of reinforcement by welding two reinforcing elements crosswise at the bottom. The length of the welded parts is 25 cm.

When the pipe is installed in the hole, protect it from moisture by covering it with something.

Do-it-yourself sliding gates: creating an embedded part

Your work as a whole will depend on the quality of this element, because the embedded part affects the movement of the gate and the electric drive.

For this element, a channel is quite suitable, the width of which is approximately 20 cm, but not less than 16. The length should correspond to half the width of the gate opening.

In order for the channel to be securely and durablely held in concrete, it will be necessary to weld the reinforcement. The welding machine will come in handy again. For work, select 4 pieces of reinforcement, the length of which should be approximately 90 cm. Weld on both sides and tie with reinforcement jumpers, choosing a diameter of 10 mm.

Concreting the foundation for sliding gates

The preparation of metal products is basically completed, you can move on to a new stage of work. You need to pour the foundation for the sliding gates yourself. As a standard, it is better to take the M200 concrete grade. Prepare the mixture: 1 bucket of cement, sand - 3 c, crushed stone - 5 c. (fraction 5-20 or 20-40). Considering the total volume of the batch, use 20% water.

Wait until the temperature is normal, because in cold weather you will have to use additional anti-freeze additives. If the outside temperature is normal above zero, you can begin the concreting process.

Before pouring concrete into the foundation for sliding gates with your own hands, make sure once again that all metal structures in the pits have not moved and are securely located. They may shift under the weight of the concrete, make sure this does not happen. Using a level, check that the installation is level by checking horizontally and vertically.

Channel - exactly at the level of the horizon surface; if the passage is not ready, calculate the distance of the top. Ideally, there should be 7 cm between the gate and the surface, so that in snowy weather the gate does not get snow in when it moves.

Advice. The design of sliding gates with your own hands must be durable; do not forget to constantly compact the concrete when pouring each portion of the mixture to avoid the formation of voids.

Once concreting is complete, you can begin leveling to remove any unevenness. If it is very hot outside, the concrete should be protected from cracking by covering it. Water it with water a couple of times a day.

While the concrete gains its strength, you can rest for a week. This is a strong recommendation if your goal is a reliable and durable gate.

Brickwork of pillars for sliding gates

Having dealt with the foundations and waiting until they become strong, you can begin laying bricks, installing embedded elements for the strips. Use a 50X50 mm corner, the length of which is approximately 8 cm, and the reinforcement with a diameter of 8 mm is equal to half the column. Weld it to the core.

The flashing requires three layings of three parts: 1 at the bottom after laying 3 rows of bricks, then the middle one in the middle, and 1 part at the top - knowing the upper edge of the gate in the future, lay it a little lower.

DIY sliding gate frame

To make it more convenient for you to create a frame, use pipes with a rectangular or square cross-section. To create sliding gates with your own hands, you will also have to use drawings and diagrams. The drawing - a detailed diagram of your work, which was discussed at the beginning, will now be very important. If you have a sketch of a sliding gate, there will definitely not be any problems. It also helps to save materials by using exactly as much as is required to make sliding gates with your own hands.

Clean metal pipes and all other elements from rust, degrease and prime. In the standard version, a 60X40 mm or 60X30 mm pipe is used for sashes and load-bearing elements. The second internal frame is 30X20 mm.

The entire assembly begins with the guide rail, which means that at this stage it must be prepared in advance. When assembling the frame, ensure its stability in a vertical position, weld two parts of pipes (square), they will act as stands.

In the supporting frame, weld the lower pipe to the rail using tack welds. Use a seam length of 15-20 mm, a pitch of 600-700 mm, on both sides, in a checkerboard order.

Advice. Don't make a continuous seam. This is not only impractical and leads to unnecessary consumption of electrodes, but also threatens that the guide profile will lead, the gate will jam, and movement will become difficult.

After this, we can install the vertical pipes, grabbing them with one weld. Using a level, check the resulting vertical evenness, when you are sure that everything is normal, only then do a thorough welding.

Next, inside along the perimeter, it is worth welding the pipes of the second frame, not the main one; corrugated sheeting will be welded to them later. The pipes must be in the center of the supporting frame so that the flooring, when it is already in the sash, is slightly recessed.

The welding work is completed, you can clean the seams with a grinder, prime them and paint them.

Advice. It is better to paint in three layers.

To secure the corrugated sheeting, use 19 mm self-tapping screws for special purposes - for metal, to make it easier, you can attach it when the sash is already installed in the opening on the support. Each sheet must be adjusted separately, it must fit against the frame. Leave the triangle-shaped part of the sash without installing corrugated sheets, because this part will not fit into the opening.

Everything is on the doors, but other equally important details remain.

There is very little left to complete the homemade sliding gate.

Coverings are created and installed from metal pipes 60X30 or 60X40 mm.

To create sliding gates with your own hands, select fittings:

The guide rail is a good quality profile, the surface is smooth, without flaws, not rough, without scale. The metal must be specific; it must contain more carbon than usual
Roller carriages - with metal rollers, polymers cannot be used. Bearings with metal rubber boots. Move without difficulty. Be sure to take care of corrosion protection.
The top plate has rollers, there should be 2 or 4 of them. It is better to take one with a rubber coating that will not scratch the canvas.
Bottom end roller – either polymer or metal will do.
Lower and upper catchers.
Rubber plugs, preferably with a corrugated part.
Roller bearing mounting plates.

Installing sliding gates with your own hands will not pose many difficulties. All that remains is to install the listed elements and start installing the automation. The design of sliding gates seems complicated, but you can do it yourself, without third-party paid help, using our instructions and watching the video instructions below.