How Do I Decide Which Hinge I Should Use For The Gate I Want To Hang?

With over 80 options to choose from, choosing the right hinge can seem difficult. We've done a few things to make it easier. To select the right hinge for your needs you will need to know a few things about the gate and the post it will hang from.

First, lets look at the gate. What material(s) will your gate be made of? How tall is it at the hinge end? How long is it? How much will it weigh? The answers to these questions allow us to determine the load that a gate will put on a hinge, so we can help select the right size hinge. Knowing the material(s) in your gate help us select compatible materials and design elements in our range of hinges.

Second, what type of post are you planning to use? We offer hinges that allow you to hang gates made of round or square materials to either round or square posts. We even offer hinges that allow wall or pillar surface mount. We offer hinges that fit any size square post starting as small as 1 1/2”. Round posts start as small as 2 3/8” and go to 8 5/8” standard O.D. pipe sizes. Gate brackets as small as 1 5/8” round or 1 1/2” square are also available, with round gate brackets up to 1 7/8” O.D.

(Just wanted to see the beach!)

Third, you will need to know something about the environment your gate will be in. Is it a residential gate, or is it in a high traffic, commercial area? Are you close to the sea coast, with a salt air environment, or are you in a hot, dry climate? Answering these questions will determine if you need stainless steel brackets, or if mild steel is sufficient. Our round post and gate frame options are all hot dip galvanized to match most chain link installations. If you are hanging an aluminum gate we recommend stainless steel brackets to limit corrosion that occurs when dissimilar metals are placed together.

It sounds more complicated than it is, and we are here to help so call and tell us all about it, and we will find the right hinge, made in America, for any gate you need to install. 

Modern Fence Technologies (888) 456-6786

North American Fence Contractors Association Fence Training School 2016

North American Fence Contractors Association

 Fence Training School 2016

It's time to register for the 2016 NAFCA Fence Training School to be held February 8-10, 2016 in Sebring, Florida. The school offers hands on field training in most aspects of fence installation. This year classes will cover Access Control, Chain Link, Farm and Ranch, HTP Rail & Strand, Ornamental, Vinyl, Wood, Welding, Tools and Equipment, and Safety.

Students will learn and practice techniques and procedures while trained by industry professionals with combined experience of over 250 years. Anyone can attend, and this course has helped installers, crew leaders, sales staff and schedulers to better understand the tasks necessary to properly install many types of fencing while maintaining a clean, safe work environment.

There is not a better fence education value offered anywhere. Tuition covers the cost of instruction, hotel accommodations, (shared room), and two meals a day. The last day of instruction concludes with a banquet and graduation ceremony at the hotel. Spaces are limited, so sign up now.

To register for the NAFCA 2016 Fence Training School, go to www.4nafca.com and click on the link for application, or call (613) 543-2433.

Why People Buy...Understanding Your Customer = More Sales, Better Profits

Why do people buy your product? There are thousands of reasons, but surprisingly few motivations. Knowing what those motivations are can help you sell your products and services more successfully. Many think that price alone is the most important factor in a deal. While price is a factor in every deal, it is not the primary motivating factor in most of them. Let's deal with several that often motivate sales more than price. Remember, you only need one motive to close the deal.

Convenience – A customer motivated by convenience loves the fact that you have what he needs, you know what he likes and you can process his order without a lot of hassle on his part. He is usually too busy to talk for very long and appreciates that you understand that and can supply what he wants. Think of the “one stop shopper”.

Service – This customer is related to the one motivated by convenience. He wants you solve the problems and provide what others can't, or won't. He doesn't want to have to hold your hand through the deal, and is definitely not a “DIY” kind of buyer. You won't see this customer bagging his own groceries at the store.

Compliment – You can gain the ear of this buyer with a sincere compliment. But don't try empty flattery. If you point out what a lovely yard they have, and it is filled with junk cars and old refrigerators, you lose. If you tell that same customer that their things are too valuable to leave unguarded, you may just sell them a fence. (If it is 6' privacy fence you can collect extra commissions from the neighbors!)

Security – This isn't about access control. A customer motivated by security wants to know that you have the right product for the job, you stand behind the product, and you have been around long enough to have a solid track record. (This little pig builds his house out of brick!)

Performance – A customer motivated by performance is interested in knowing that the product will live up to expectations and has a track record of doing so. It is made right, of the right materials, and is designed to do everything he needs it to do.

Power – A power motivated buyer wants to know they are in charge of every aspect of the transaction. They need to know that you know who is in charge. Communication is critical in a deal with a power motivated individual. They are the decision makers, your job is to direct the deal by asking the right questions to get them the answers they want.

Order – The purchase order number must be on the invoice, the part numbers must match the quote, the order must be there on the specified date, and if you have an appointment with this individual, you want to be on time! (That means 15 minutes early to some, you'll have to figure that one out!) Purchasers motivated by order typically also like stability. Changing vendors can be messy. If you can prove that you can fulfill that need for order, you will likely keep this customer forever. Or at least until the order is disrupted.

Price – This is the common denominator in all deals. If it is the only motivation you can find for a buyer to do business with you, prepare to live on very tight margins. If you can identify and meet one or more of the other motivations outlined here, price becomes secondary. People are willing to pay for the things they need. They only demand lowest price when they don't see you meeting any other motivation they have.

The American Way...

Too often we hear the complaint that big companies are putting little companies out of business.  It happens.  With the economies of scale that larger companies can harness, they can often get favorable pricing on their goods, and sell them at a lower price than smaller competitors can, making just enough off of volume to keep going.

That works fine with commodities, items that are identical no matter who makes them.  Most people don't care what company made the table salt they buy for their kitchen, so whoever can get it to them for the lowest price usually wins the battle.  Morton's has won the battle over much of the rest of the market precisely because they are the largest. They have lower unit costs because they have driven the volume up so high.

What's this got to do with fence?  Morton didn't copy someone else's formula for table salt, they simply came up with efficient ways to obtain it, process it, package it and deliver it.  Anyone can mine salt, grind it up, and put it in a box. (I know it is much more involved, humor me, it's beside the point.) Their success is predicated on having a huge footprint in the industry, and it works for them.

What about products that are not commodities, but are unique and innovative?  There are two ways to beat an innovator.  One, you can simply come up with more and better ideas to make oneself more competitive.  The second is by nature anti-competitive and ultimately prevents innovation.  One can obtain a temporary competitive advantage by copying a competitors design, then, by flooding the market with cheaper imitations, drive the competitor out of business, using a cheapened version of his own idea.

This is always temporary because, in the end, the consumer is disappointed in the quality and performance of the product and either switches to the next innovator's product, or switches to the next rip off because it is cheaper.  It is not a sustainable business model.  It destroys true innovation, and it destroys the businesses and lives of the kinds of people who make this country great.  In exchange for temporarily lining the pockets of investors, companies that capitalize on taking the businesses of others rather than innovating new and better products are destroying industry, not building it.  That's not 'the American Way”.

Why Fabricate Vinyl Fence?

Why Fabricate Vinyl Fence?

In the age of packaged everything, we tend to crave the convenience of picking up just what we need to get the job done. Whether it's the burger deal at the drive through for lunch, or an Ikea entertainment center, it is just easier to let someone else “cook up” what we need. But is this the best way to maximize profit in your fence business?

There are fabricators and even extruders out there who market complete “kits” for fences. As an installer, you tell them how many line posts, end posts, top rails, bottom rails, pickets and channels you need, and at what dimensions, and they, in their own good time, whip up what you need, and either deliver it, (for a fee), or you pick it up, (on company time).

For those who seldom do PVC fence installation, this may be the most economical solution. Why invest in a truckload of extrusions and expensive routing machines for the 500 to 1000 feet of PVC fence you typically do in a season?

What if I told you that you don't have to buy vinyl by the truckload? What if I told you that you can get all the routing equipment you need to run a successful fabricating operation for a few thousand dollars, not tens of thousands?

Think of the advantages. No more waiting for the fabricator to get around to your job. No more paying someone else to do work you can do cheaper. No more waiting for a replacement post because the new guy backed over one in the yard. You can be master of your own fate, and set your own pricing on styles of fence that you create. You can offer something your competitor can't.

Call Modern Fence Technologies today and learn how you can maximize your profit by fabricating your own vinyl fence sections. We're here to help you every step of the way. Your success is the best measure of our success.

Winning Through Superior Air Power

If you are running tools on compressed air, you know you need a reliable compressor that meets the requirements of the tools you plan to use. For many that means a tow-behind compressor, like the 145's, 165's, and 185's that you often see on large construction sites. Fence installers will often choose one of these units because it puts out all the power they will ever need. The problem is that often these units are way bigger than they need to be to run the tools a fence installer uses.

This leads to increased purchase cost, increased fuel cost, increased maintenance cost, and the need for a tow vehicle specifically for the compressor.

The ConX 70 compressor offers a much lower priced solution, in a compact package that will fit on a pick up truck and can be loaded by two people, that packs the punch to do all but the very largest jobs requiring air tools to install fence. Able to provide 70 cubic feet of air at up to 125 pounds per square inch, this unit will power air post drivers up to 140 pounds as well as breaking hammers, impact tools, and whatever else you need to get the job done, at a fraction of the cost of a trailer unit.

Call your Modern Fence Technologies rep today to learn more about this money saving and convenient option.  

Just Showing Up Doesn't Get the Job Done! --John Wayne

 In general, women like everything about weddings. Guys like it when the wedding is over. Having been to dozens of weddings in my life, I have come to the conclusion that there are few things more useless than a groom on his wedding day. He must be there, of course, or the wedding won't happen. But in most cases, his job is to show up, hold up the suit, speak when spoken to, kiss the bride when instructed, and generally, not mess things up for the bride. After all, it is her day.

It may be the only instance where "Just showing up doesn't get the job done!", isn't completely true. In all other areas of life, whether it is the marriage after that wedding, volunteering to help in the local school, or in our daily work, showing up just doesn't get the job done. Somehow in our culture we have started to believe that we are hired to “show up”. I have actually heard coworkers say, “I get paid to be here”, as if their mere presence added value to the world.

So what does get the job done? Work. Steady, constant, focused work. By the way, that is also what employees are paid for. We are paid for the value we add to whatever product or process we are a part of. What would we think of an employer who contracted to pay us a specific amount in exchange for a day's work, then decided that we would be paid less? We would consider that employer a thief, someone who had stolen from us. So what about when we are collecting an hourly salary, and not working, not putting forth steady, constant, focused work? Are we any less guilty of stealing?

People aren't always satisfied with their jobs. In our economy we have the luxury of finding one that better suits our ability and willingness to put forth steady, constant, focused work and compensates us in a manner we are comfortable with. What we must not do is find ways to rationalize doing less than our job requires while expecting to be paid as if showing up is enough.

How to avoid the grind...

If you build gates you know that there are many important factors that determine the strength and performance of a gate.  Making all joints where two pieces of material come together as strong and stable as possible is critical to the longevity and function of a gate.

In welded gates, this means getting the tightest fit possible before welding.  There are many ways to do this.  If using round pipe for a gate frame, notching an arc “saddle” into one piece of pipe is the best way to get a tight fit, with minimal gap to fill with weld.

For those who only do this occasionally, a saw or grinder may suffice, although there is a lot of time invested in using these tools, and they are by nature imprecise.  The preferred method is to use a pipe notcher that has hard tooling designed to take exactly the right amount of metal away at the point where another pipe will meet it at 90 degrees.

Pipe notchers can make the job much easier, and the gate can be made much stronger using a notcher.    A good notcher is not necessarily cheap.  A cheap notcher is  not necessarily good.  Make sure that the notcher you buy is well made, and has cutting edges that can be sharpened. Consider as well the amount of use you will get from the tool.  If you are welding three gates a year, a notcher may not make sense.  If you are welding three gates a month, it makes sense to have one.  If you are doing three a week, you really shouldn't hesitate to buy one.  If you buy a good one, you will have it for a lifetime.

Some fabricators take advantage of new hinge options that have recently become available that allow a gate made on a frame of square tubing to be hung on a standard round post.

Square steel or aluminum tubing allows the fabricator to use 45 degree miter cuts to make tight fitting joints that are easily welded for strength.  This method also allows ample area at the joints for reinforcement or “gussets”.
Among the advantages to a square tube frame is ease of assembly, strength, and the flat faces on which pickets can easily be mounted.

However you choose to build your gate, we can help.  We offer the finest American made pipe notching tools available, through Vogel Tools, as well as our own line of hinges that allow the use of any combination of round to square, square to round, square to square, or round to round applications.

Call Modern Fence Technologies today.

2015 Golf Outing

MODERN FENCE TECHNOLOGIES

K&R MANUFACTURING, KOSKINEN EYE CLINIC AND ROBERT RYAN & ASSOCIATES/ BOB KERN

CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO OUR 10th ANNUAL GOLF OUTING!

WHEN: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH, 2015 WHERE: ALPINE VALLEY RESORT

W2501 County Road D

Elkhorn, WI 53121

SUPPLIERS WE WELCOME YOU TO ATTEND AND HELP MAKE OUR OUTING SUCCESSFUL!

Sponsor a hole for $100. Donations or Door Prizes of any kind are welcomed and appreciated.

10:00AM-12:30PM

• Join us first at MFT/K&R for facility tours starting at 10:00 am and followed by a cookout lunch at 12:00pm.

12:45 PM

• Tee-time will begin at 1:00pm
• ShotGun Start and 18 holes

GOLF PRIZES: Closest to Pin, Longest Drive, Longest Putt

6:00 PM

DINNER WILL BE SERVED AT ALPINE VALLEY RESORT

Dinner Menu: All you can eat fish fry buffet (baked or fried), mostaccioli w/meat sauce, potato

pancakes, vegetable, salad bar, potato salad and rolls.

<<<<< Followed by Door Prizes>>>>

Cost: Golfing and Dinner: $60/person

R.S.V.P. by SEPTEMBER 4th (check or credit card accepted)

EMAIL: ezcnc04@aol.com or kandr@mftfence.com

PHONE: 262-642-9123

Coming from out of town? Stay at the Alpine Valley Resort and be sure to mention the MFT Golf Outing to receive your special rate for $65.00 per night. Call 262-642-7374 for reservations.

Modern Fence Technologies 2631 Corporate Circle, East Troy, WI 53121 888-456-6786

Improvise, Adapt, Overcome, or When the Digging Gets Tough, Drive Away...

  It doesn't take a Marine to install a fence, even if they usually know how to dig a hole.  The United States Marine Corps has a tradition of success based on a motto, “improvise, adapt, overcome”,  and when a fence installer is in the field, that mindset helps make a successful installation.

(We'd like to thank these Marines and all
who serve to keep us safe!)

  Many fence installers advertise that they set every post in concrete.  This requires that they first dig a hole.  Digging conditions will dictate how effective this strategy is.  There are many machines used in the fence industry to make holes.  Some of them are very efficient, even in mixed rocky soil, or bedrock.  Some of these machines are very pricey, and many smaller fence companies opt for augers that run off a skid loader or tractor.  Others rely on post hole diggers and elbow grease.
  All of these methods have a place, and in some areas of the country, setting in concrete works.  Where there is a lot of moisture, and in areas that experience frost in the ground, concrete may cause more problems than it solves.  Moisture transfer between wood and concrete can cause premature failure of the post due to wood rot.  Frost causes more complex problems.
  Frost penetration into the ground causes the dirt to close in around the concrete plug, and frost around the plug actually forces the plug and post up out of the ground, as it expands.  Some contractors try to combat this by making the bottom of the hole larger than the top of the hole, making a cone or bell shaped hole, or making a deeper hole with the goal of having a bigger foundation to hold it all down.  It doesn't work as intended in most cases, because the larger surface area at the bottom and sides of the hole offers the frost expansion a larger area  to press on, and the post moves up.  It also takes more concrete, (read: money), to fill the larger hole.
  In areas where frost or wet conditions are a challenge to traditional post setting, driving posts into the ground has been gaining in popularity.  By disturbing less ground, the installer lessens the need to haul off excess dirt, and minimizes the turf repair needed around each post.  Because the post has a smaller surface area for frost to “grip”, it is less likely to move, and more likely to go back to its original position once the frost heave subsides.
  Soft, wet soil is always a challenge, whether digging or driving.  There simply isn't enough resistance along the sides of the post under ground to prevent it from laying over.  For situations like this, and in stable soil where additional strength is called for to hang a gate or secure an end post, drive anchors can significantly strengthen the system.  Modern Fence Technologies, (and others), sells a bracket that assists in connecting these driven anchors to the post.  Some use angle iron “blades”, while the Modern Fence version uses 1 5/8” top rail cut offs for most smaller common post sizes as a “root”.
  Driving may not be the answer to every post setting challenge, but it ought to be in every installers arsenal.  Modern Fence Technologies can help you gear up for handling nearly every driving challenge.  Give us a call at (888) 456-6786.

Making Sure That Your Competitor Makes More Money Than You

Are you trying to price your product or service by asking your potential customer what your competitor's prices are? If you consistently charge less than your competitors, you will always make less than your competitors. You can't possibly do all the business in your area, so by pricing yourself in this way, you guarantee that you will have less profitability than your competitor, who will do all those jobs you are too busy losing money to do. And because you are so busy losing money, your competitor can charge more than he might have if there were real competition.

Competition isn't a game of “How Low Can You Go?”. It is a system of checks and balances that works only when the players understand their true cost of doing business and charge accordingly. A business ought to be able to sell a quality product, at a price that satisfies the customer that all is being done to safeguard his or her investment, while allowing the business to pay for materials, labor, overhead, and, in good times, a little profit.

Promising your customer that you can beat the competition on price is just like saying “I'll willingly forsake any hope of making money.” It won't kill you right away, but every day you go to work and get a little closer to the failed business graveyard.

If you want to beat the competition, beat them by offering a better product, or better service. Otherwise you are promising the customer the lowest quality job you can get away with for the money.

When you need wiring done in your house do you look around for the cheapest guy who has a pair of pliers, or do you hire a professional electrician to keep your family safe? If you want quality, competent work, you hire a professional. You get someone who understands what they are doing instead of someone who is copying what they have seen someone else do.

Fortunately, in the fence industry, it doesn't cost twice as much to get American made quality hardware covered by liability insurance, instead of poor quality, imported knock-offs. It often costs the same or less for the products, and you never pay to replace them if they should fail for any reason.  (Or shouldn't, if you get them from a reputable source.)   And American consumers are overwhelmingly willing to pay more for American made products.

A lowest price guarantee means that your competitor will make more money than you.

What do you look for in a drop rod?

First, it's got to hold the gate shut, so it has to be made of a strong enough material to withstand the demands of the environment where it will be used. At Modern Fence Technologies, we offer several types to match the need. Anything from 1/2” mild steel, to 5/8” stainless in lengths 12” to 48”, to 1” solid mild steel and 1” tubular galvanized, for the biggest gates.

Second, the guides have to be strong enough to take a hit. All of our guides wrap two sides of the gate upright, to allow screws in two directions. This prevents the drop rod from “peeling off” the face of the gate when it is under strain. And there is a hanger bracket to keep the rod from dragging the ground when the gate is in use.

Finally, for many people today, security is critical. We now offer lockable drop rods in all the most popular sizes and styles, including stainless steel! All American made, all world class products from the leader in gate hardware design, Modern Fence Technologies. Use the best. Order today!

Building a Better Gate, Part 2...

When you write a blog you sometimes wonder if there is anyone out there reading what you write. Once in a while you get a great comment on a post that just needs to be shared, expanded on, and appreciated. In an earlier post titled “Building a Better Gate...” I made a blanket assertion that the angle of a brace is more important than the direction.

When all other factors are equal, this is the case. But what other factors are there? An anonymous responder pointed out that the direction of the brace is often determined by the material and construction method chosen for the gate. Here is the text of the response:

“On a metal gate, the diagonal should go from the hinge side high, to the latch side low. This is called being in "tension" vs. the alternative which is called being in "compression". Assuming that the welds hold, (which is an assumption that should be made), the question is whether the brace is more likely to stretch or compress, and compress includes bending. It will always take more force to stretch a metal brace, than it will take to bend one. That is why a truss rod works in one direction and not in the other.

On a wood gate, your braces need to be set the other direction, or in "compression". You cannot weld the ends of the wood together, and there are not great fastening systems for that. In tension the fasteners that are normally used will pull apart; in compression normal nails or screws will normally do the trick.”

I am going to agree, except for one very small point. Where the comment refers to “metal”, it is more correct to say “steel”. Aluminum can be a trickier material. It is prone to not only compression or bending, but it can also be stretched. So while an aluminum gate should have braces from the high hinge side to low latch side, a heavier aluminum gate may also need additional gusseting to combat the longitudinal stretching that can occur with aluminum.

The commenter goes on to make excellent points about the challenges of wood gate building and the need to use compression and gravity to help your fasteners hold the gate together.  All in all a great conversation about gate building.

Thank you to all who read these posts, and a special thanks to those taking time to set me straight!

Does Your Fence Installer Have a PhD?

It seems there is nothing so simple as setting a fence post.  Until you do it.  The opinions about and techniques used in setting fence posts are as varied as the people who do it, the type of fence they install, and the terrain they deal with.

  For some, it's not set right if it's not set in concrete.  For others, only driving will do.  And what about how deep it should go?  Whether digging or driving, nearly everyone has an opinion about how deep a post should be.  If you can get three fence installers to agree on all these issues, there are a few countries in the Middle East that could use your unique talents as a mediator.

  The fact is, we live in a great and varied world. Conditions in one area of the country are not the same as those seen by fence installers in another area.  Sometimes the conditions change so much just crossing the street, or even in one backyard that what works in one place will just not work in another.  In order to be a complete and well rounded professional, it pays to have several techniques available for setting posts.

  While depth of post depends on variables like soil stability, the potential for frost heaving, the height and type of fence intended, and the materials used, the method of connecting the fence to the planet can vary due to all these factors, plus local digging conditions, water table depth, and personal preference of the installer.

  It boils down to one basic point.  There is no single “best way” to install a fence post.  Some ways work better in some areas, and some don't.  That's why there is so much varied opinion, and why it is important for the consumer to make sure they hire a professional fence installer.  A professional will have several methods available, as well as specialized knowledge of the conditions in your area.

  A PhD may not be necessary for every job, but it's hard to install fence without a Post Hole Digger!

Does your hinge have a true bearing or a Nylon spacer?

Does your hinge have a true bearing or a Nylon spacer?

Many hinges marketed for use on vinyl gates have added a bearing or bushing to the adjuster rod.  Without this feature, a hinge will quickly grind through whatever paint surface is there and start rusting and peeling, squeaking as it operates. Modern Fence Technologies was the first to use engineered bearings, specifically made for this purpose to be true self lubricating bearings, designed to last the lifetime of our hinge, while preventing metal to metal contact, and preserving the paint for a lifetime of great looks, and smooth, quiet operation.

To do this we had to overcome several challenges. First, materials are needed that can stand up to ultraviolet light without degrading, and must also be impervious to cold and water, in order to survive outside in the elements for 15-25 years or more. They must also be strong enough to support the loads placed on them.

Many companies use nylon as a bearing material. It is not engineered for this purpose. Nylon breaks down under UV light, and is affected by water and cold. It actually absorbs water and swells, and gets brittle when cold, leading to costly call backs and repairs. It also tends to deform under load over time.

Instead, Modern Fence Technologies uses ACS 09MK-MF Nylotron for bearings on black hinges and a proprietary material for our white hinges. Nylotron is an engineered plastic that is highly stable and is load supporting. It incorporates graphite to lubricate the joint. This specific grade of Nylotron remains flexible in cold conditions and continues to lubricate no matter the temperature, and doesn't absorb water.

Our special blend for white bearings incorporates UV inhibitors, along with water repellent lubricants and engineered plastics to maintain resiliency in cold and wet conditions, survive direct sunlight, meet the rigorous load bearing demands of our Nylotron bearings, while offering a color matched bearing for our all stainless steel,white powder coated hinges.

We have also designed all of our bearings to truly support the load of the hinge over the lifetime of your gate. Nylon breaks down quickly in the elements and many of the bearings on the market today are so small as to be more properly referred to as “spacers” than true bearings.

Don't be fooled by the lower cost imports with poor quality bearings, or none at all. They just don't make the grade.

Building a Better Gate...

Building a Better Gate...

In order to make a gate that stands the tests of time and use, there are some basic principles that should be followed. Using leverage to make a gate more stable, rather than easily deformed is the key.

Everyone has seen the old fashioned wooden gate with a Z-brace, a diagonal intended to make the gate more rigid. Most fence guys will tell you that there are only two ways to put in a Z-brace. The right way, and the wrong way. Some say it should go from the top hinge to the lower outside corner of the gate to “hold it up”. Others say it should go from the lower hinge, up to the upper outside corner to “lift it up”
From years of experience, they will tell you that the way they do it is best. The problem is they are both right. Except when they are not. More important than which direction the brace runs is the angle it runs in. That angle will determine whether the brace supports and makes the gate more rigid, or whether it adds unnecessary and unsupported weight to the gate, making it weaker than it would be without the extra brace.

Next time you ride over a bridge, look at the supports. They are designed to form a “truss”, which is a stable form. Trusses are based on triangles, among the most stable of geometric constructs. (Think “pyramid”, very old, very stable.)
To make your gate as strong as possible, and prevent sagging, the key is keeping diagonal braces to 45 degrees or less. This allows the brace to apply a vertical force, supporting the weight of the gate against gravity, rather than a horizontal force, that results in sagging and twisting of the gate.  These principles apply no matter what material you build your gates with.  Proper bracing, at 45 degrees or less, is the key to success.


If you are running into problems with a gate design, or would like more detail about why the 45 degree rule is the most important factor in bracing a gate, call Modern Fence Technologies at 888 456-6786.  Or, if you are on the West coast, call our Carson City, Nevada branch at 888-613-8146.

Spring is Sprung?

  

Since we're talking about Spring....

  Why does Modern Fence Technologies use visible springs on self closing hinges?  There are a lot of reasons, but they all boil down to one – we want them to work.  When your customer asks you for a self closing gate, is it ever okay for the gate to not close under its own power?  What happens when the gate one day stops closing?

  When we looked into making a self closing hinge, we looked at spring materials and types and sizes and found that any stainless steel spring that was small enough to fit inside the sleeve of our T-Rod would break after a very low number of cycles.  Springs break.  They can only bend a certain number of cycles.  It doesn't matter if the number of cycles is 200 or 2000, a broken spring means that with an enclosed spring, you have to replace the whole hinge.  It also means the gate won't close itself, which leaves you unprotected.

  Springs break down over time because of “metal fatigue”, which happens when tiny cracks form in metals as they flex. As the number of flex cycles goes up, so does the number of these cracks, until they grow together to form big cracks, which cause the spring to fail. A bigger spring will allow many more cycles than a smaller one without failing.

  We could have made the whole hinge and spring bigger, to fit the size of spring that would last an acceptable number of cycles, but chose not to.  It would cost too much to use that much stainless steel in a hinge, and a bigger hinge would look odd. Another problem was, we were stumped trying to figure out what the “acceptable number of cycles” should be. It makes more sense to use a spring that fits outside the barrel of the T-Rod that can be changed if it breaks. 

  Visible springs allow us to have a larger spring, able to handle more flex cycles.  We have never had one break.  They also allow us to use bushings in the T-rod to reduce wear and prevent metal to metal contact.  Closing force adjustment is done without tools, by adding or removing springs, and if one ever does break, the user can see the problem and fix it, rather than trusting a hinge that looks okay, but won't close.

  Modern Fence Technologies self-closing hinges with springs work.  That's why we make them that way.  If you are looking for a self closing hinge with a more subtle appearance, check out our Gravity Hinge!