Footings
- Below the 1.2 m frost line
- Sized for leaf weight and lever arm
- Cured before the gate is hung
Where gates actually fail.
Swing or sliding driveway gates?
The choice is usually made for you by the driveway rather than by taste — slope decides it more often than anything else. Here is the comparison, from someone who installs both.
Based in
Whitchurch-Stouffville
Estimates
Free & on-site
Before we start
Written scope
On site
Same crew throughout
Side by side
Where each one wins.
| Swing gates | Sliding gates | |
|---|---|---|
| Space needed | An arc in front of or behind the opening | A clear run alongside, about the gate's own length |
| Sloped driveway | Difficult — leaves must clear rising ground | Handles slope well |
| Short driveway | A car can block the arc | No arc, so no conflict |
| Moving parts | Fewer | More — track or cantilever, rollers, counterweight |
| Install cost | Lower | Higher |
| Opening speed | Faster on a narrow opening | Steadier on a wide one |
| Wide openings | Two leaves, or a longer single leaf | Handles wide openings comfortably |
| Winter | Leaves can foul on snow build-up | Track types need the track kept clear |
| Footings | Below frost line, both | Below frost line, both |
The part that does not change
Both stand or fall on the footings.
A gate is a heavy lever on a post. Whichever type you choose, a post set above the frost line leans within a season, and once it leans the gate stops closing cleanly.
Power
- Conduit run during hardscape work
- Feed and hookup by a Licensed Electrical Contractor
- ESA notification under their licence
The gate is ours. Energising it is theirs.
Safety
- Sensors and auto-reverse
- Clear travel path
- Manual release demonstrated
Choosing
Which one for you.
Choose swing if
- The driveway is level at the gate
- There is room for the arc
- The driveway is long enough that a car won't block it
- Install budget matters
Choose sliding if
- The driveway rises from the road
- The driveway is short
- The opening is wide
- There is a clear run alongside
Either way
- Footings below the 1.2 m frost line
- Conduit run before the hardscape closes
- Safety sensors and reversing
- Manual release you know how to use
Non-negotiable on both.
Questions
Questions, answered.
Which is more reliable?
Swing, marginally, because there is less to go wrong — two leaves, two hinges, one or two operators. Sliding gates have a track or a cantilever beam and more moving parts, and on a cantilever the counterweight arm needs room behind the opening.
What if my driveway slopes up from the road?
Then swing gates are difficult, because the leaves have to clear rising ground as they open. That is the single most common reason we specify sliding.
Which needs more room?
Swing needs the arc in front or behind. Sliding needs a clear run alongside the opening roughly as long as the gate itself. Whichever you have more of usually decides it.
Can either be opened in a power cut?
Yes. Every automated gate has a manual release, and it is worth having whoever installs it show you where it is and how it works before you need it in the rain.
Related
Other things we build.
Free estimate
Get a quote for either.
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Or call directly(647) 473-3454