Sliding or swinging gates: which suits your entrance
This decision is usually made by the site rather than by preference. A few minutes looking at the entrance will normally tell you which type is going to work.
When a slider is the answer
Sliding gates are the right choice where the driveway rises steeply away from the road, where the drive is too short for a swinging leaf to open without blocking a parked car, or where the entrance is very wide.
The requirement is a clear run alongside the opening, roughly the width of the gate plus some extra, with a level surface and no obstruction such as a wall, hedge or manhole. Cantilever sliders avoid a ground track, which is useful where the entrance has to stay clear.
When swinging gates are better
Swinging gates look more traditional, suit period and rural entrances, and cost less both to fabricate and to automate. They need arc clearance, so the ground has to be level or falling away in the direction of opening, and there has to be space for the leaves.
Opening inwards is normal, since gates that swing over a public footpath or road are a hazard and are generally not acceptable.
Wind and privacy
Solid or louvre infill gates catch a lot of wind. On an exposed entrance a large swinging leaf with solid infill puts serious load through the hinges and piers in a gale, and a slider handles that better because the load path is different.
If privacy matters and the entrance is exposed, this is worth factoring into the choice rather than discovering it in the first storm.
Cost and maintenance
Swinging gates are usually cheaper up front. Sliders need a track or cantilever structure and a heavier foundation, but they have fewer problems with sagging leaves over time.
We survey the entrance, check the levels and the available run, and recommend the type that will actually work rather than the one that is easiest to sell.
Want this priced for your own job? Send us your drawings or a photo and we will come back with a fixed price, usually within one working day.
Common questions
Need this done properly? Talk to the workshop.
Send us drawings, a sketch or a site photo. We come back with a fixed price and a firm lead time, usually within one working day.