How to choose the correct sliding gate operator?

 

There are many factors that together combine to help you choose the right operator for your gate. Listed below are factors you should consider when making your choice of driveway gates.

 

WEIGHT OF THE GATE - . Although width is a consideration the weight of a sliding gate has the major influence on choice of sliding gate motor. We assume that you have a good set of wheels and guides on any driveway gates or you will be choosing a good set of wheels and top guides. So note down your driveway gates weight as your first point of reference.

 

 

GATE CONSTRUCTION AND SLOPE - The main point to consider here is the style of any driveway gates. A gate with 25mm vertical uprights at 150mm centre's as it's main centre infill will have a smaller wind resistance than a gate with a totally enclosed centre infill of say timber or colorbond. You need to consider your wind resistance taking into account site conditions and size. EG: Wind resistance of a fully enclosed driveway gates that are sliding of 5.5 metres width in a coastal environment would be considered "high" whereas a well protected site and an open design gate of the same size may be considered "low". Note that unlike driveway gates that are swing where wind resistance can be critical with sliding gates the wind resistance although real is not considered critIcal but more a "point to note". Of greater consideration is slope. Any slope off perfectly level will have a large effect on motor choice on driveway gates. A 200kg gate on a site that slopes 150mm from end to end can effectively weigh 1000kg as far as the motor is concerned. So, note down your wind and slope resistance level - "low", "moderate", or "high" on driveway gates.

 

NUMBER OF DAILY OPERATIONS OR "DUTY CYCLE" - Driveway gates in general terms we consider even 50 operations a day to be a small number assuming that the 50 operations were spread evenly over an eight hour period. If however the driveway gates performed 25 operations for half an hour in the morning and the other 25 during a half hour period in the afternoon then this would be considered medium to high duty cycle. Some operators on driveway gates are designed to work all day long whilst others like a more laid back lifestyle and prefer a home with lazy usage of there driveway gates. In general terms a "commercial" motor will be more suited to higher duty cycles. So make a mental note of whether your duty cycle may be considered low, medium or high.

 

LOW VOLTAGE VERSUS HIGH VOLTAGE - But simply you can expect to pay more for a low voltage (12 or 24 volt) motor than a comparable high voltage (240 volt) motor. You can also a low voltage motor will run cooler and therefore have a higher duty cycle rating than a 240 volt motor. Low voltage can also be equipped with battery backup which is much more difficult with 240 volt systems. You can read more about the pros and cons of low voltage versus high voltage in an article written by one of our suppliers.

 

PRICE - I wish we could tell you you can be guided by price but it simply isn't so. Some of our lowest priced operators have been our best performers time and time again. It is however fair to say that price will be an indication of the quality of build of the motor.

 

Click on the links below to choose from gate oprators to slide gate hardware for your driveway gates

 

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