At MyFence.com, we design and manufacture our gates using the Fence Genius software and we adhere to the Fence Genius assembly methodology. As such, each gate is built with an enclosed frame around the critical Diagonal Brace. You can read more about this methodology here, but the short answer is NO, you should not need an unsightly metal frame when using our gates under normal operating conditions.

At MyFence.com, we design and manufacture our gates using the Fence Genius software technology. The software will design your gate to the measurements you input. When you measure using the patented Fence Genius methods, you will automatically bring in both the top and bottom slopes.

At MyFence.com, there is no “Commodified” AKA Standard size increment. Each gate is designed and fabricated using the patented Fence Genius software and technology. So whatever your opening turns out to be, the gate or gate set can be fabricated to fit that opening, within certain minimums and maximum size limitations.

The wider the gate the more costly the shipment and the more self destructive the gate becomes. In fact every inch wider is incrementally more and more destructive to the gate. So we limit our individual gate to 5’6” wide, meaning a double gate set could be made to be 11’ wide plus hardware clearance, amounting to perhaps 11’1-1/2” Clear Open Width.

The narrowest gate is 24”.

When designing your gate in the MyFence.com portal, you are using the Fence Genius software and technology. Different hinges and latches have different clearance requirements. There is a typical hinge clearance and a typical latch clearance. By default, the software allows for 3/8” clearance at the hinge and 5/8” at the latch, meaning a single gate will have 1” overall clearance and a double gate will have 1-3/8” clearance. However, you can override that if your hardware requires something different.

Hinges and Hardware are generally unique to the specific style and desires of the customer. By default, we do not include any hinges or hardware, however, you can choose to have them included for an additional cost.

When designing a gate, the weight of the gate is best compensated for with the style and size of the hinge chosen, but to some degree adding additional hinges can help. Typically, only the top and bottom hinges are truly bearing the weight of a gate. However, after the hinges wear in, the upper hinges can begin to work together to bear the weight as one wears the other carries and visa versa.

Yes, of course. You can put the hinges on the Rail or the Trim face. However, keep in mind choosing a hinge on the Trim Face of the top rail of a “Capped” fence style may require a discrete counter sunk hole into the cap to allow the barrel of the hinge to protrude past the top edge of the top rail in certain conditions and styles. (This depends on the overall height of the hinge barrel)

The gate swing direction can be dictated by obstructions, ground slope, or by a desire or lack thereof to see the hinges and hardware. IF the gate opens out towards the street for example, the most visual side of the gate will have the hinges exposed. To some, this is an aesthetic appeal depending on their hinge of choice. When considering swing direction, always check for obstructions and ground slope first and then choose the aesthetic aspect second.

Yes, the trim is partly cosmetic but functionally it covers the fasteners used through the fence boards and into the diagonal brace. So, IF you remove the diagonal trim, you will see the fasteners but this is common and you can remove it from the design.

No, every gate we produce we do so with the requirement it must be designed and manufactured to hold up on its’ own. IF you desire a tension cable, that should be an accessory you install but should not be needed if the gate is properly maintained and under normal operating conditions.

Gate Diagonal Braces are in proper compression UNTIL they exceed 45 Degrees. (It diminishes more and more as it approaches 45 degrees) Once a diagonal brace goes beyond 45 Degrees, it exponentially begins trying to tear the gate apart due to the gates desire to sag under gravity. To prevent this, when the software detects the compression diagonal brace will be greater than 45 degrees, it automatically reverts to the center of the top rail and creates a mirror image diagonal rail. It is important to note that this secondary brace is mostly cosmetic but it does serve as a Tension brace, as it works to hold the bottom outside end of the gate up. There are a variety of ways Gate Fabricators address this 45 degree Diagonal Brace issue, but this seems to be the best cosmetic outcome, and it does work well to prevent sag, so long as the top rail is adequate to carry the weight. Thus, our software automatically inserts a 2×6 for the top rail in this condition because there becomes a point load in the middle of the top rail.

Depending on the normal post size in your fence system, the gate post may need to be relatively more robust and of higher quality. If using a wood fence post, try to avoid large knots and when looking at the end grain do not use a “Bullseye” center cut post, as these are the most likely to twist. Large knots are more likely to develop a sharp bow at the knot location. IF you are using common 3-1/2” posts, consider using a 3-1/2X5-1/2” or 5-1/2”X5-1/2” for your gate. 3-1/2 just doesn’t give much in the way of structural integrity. Unlike a typical fence panel that primarily has to resist wind loads laterally, Gates are Dynamic Loads that are not supported on both ends. Gates and the posts they are installed on are the most common failure point in a fence system. At MyFence.com, when we install we always use high quality “Jumbo” 4-1/8” or larger Pressure Treated posts depending on the size of the gate to be installed. Of course Metal Posts are also an option, and may be more common in your area of the country. We at MyFence.com always wet set our concrete to properly coat the gravel and sand in the concrete with the cement slurry. The way you use concrete and the amount of it you use is almost as important or even more important than the post size, because the concrete is an extension of the post, providing more lateral resistance as the hole size becomes wider and deeper. And where dry set concrete performs almost as well as wet set in compression, in any loading situation Tensile load can become more of the failure issue, and dry set concrete is very poor in Tensile strength.

Depth and Size of hole are really dictated by the greater of two issues. Frost Line Depth and Gate Size. In the NW we don’t have much of a Frost Level issue so we typically go about 30 to 36” deep with a 10” hole in our rocky, highly compact ground, with a focus on removing ALL disturbed soil. (This is an important aspect many overlook) In other parts of the country, ask your local building official what your Frost Line depth is and what depth they recommend for your regional soil conditions. But beyond Frost Line, the larger the gate, the more important Depth becomes. Depth provides Lateral Resistance. So Depth and Width are both aspects that work together, so long as the concrete is truly Bonded to your fence post. At MyFence.com always wet set our concrete to properly coat the gravel and sand in the concrete with the cement slurry. The way you use concrete and the amount of it you use is almost as important or even more important than the post size or material chosen, because the concrete becomes an extension of the post, providing more lateral resistance as the hole size becomes wider and deeper. So there is no specific answer to this question as it relates to your Frost Line and your Soil Conditions as well as the Size and Weight of the Gate you choose.