Specifiers are always right...until they're not.

Most commonly, when you see a specification for hinges, you will see that gate manufacturers offer 180 degree opening hinges, and you will see that they almost always call out a minimum weight rating for the hinge.

The number they give is almost never going to be accurate.  Why? Because that number does not take into consideration the differing loads that gates of different proportions place on the hinge system. Consider a gate that is six feet by ten feet.  Hung horizontally, that gate will put much higher stress on the hinge system and post than if the same gate were hung vertically.

This is because the gate acts as a lever, with the fulcrum at some point between the bottom hinge and the point where the post enters the ground.  The longer the lever, the more stress a given weight will create in the system.  That stress is what causes most hinges to fail.

At Modern Fence Technologies we have made the effort to determine the actual load bearing capacity of our hinges, taking into account the proportions of your gate, as well as its weight.  Using our handy Proportional Load Charts is an easy way to make sure that the hinge you buy will support the gate you are hanging, and that you won't pay for more hinge than is necessary.

We offer American made hinges that open 180 degrees, are adjustable, fit on any combination of round or square post or gate members, have 100% stainless steel moving parts, and, when selected using our Proportional Load Charts, will offer a lifetime of service.

Most gate builders are experts at building gates, but when it comes to hanging gates, we are the experts.  Call your MFT service rep at (888) 456-6786, or, on the West Coast, call (888) 613-8146.

Quality Products + Quality Service = Satisfied Customers

It happens on a regular basis. The phone rings and an anxious homeowner asks what we will do about a broken gate hinge. I just dealt with a customer whose gate fell off because the hinge broke. He told me what size it was, and I shipped him a replacement, at no charge, asking only that he return the broken hinge to me so I can examine what went wrong. We do this so we can see how we can make our hinges better.

I got his old hinge back today. I was excited to see what had gone wrong. Whenever I get one of our hinges back damaged, it is because an unsecured gate has been forced back the wrong way through the opening, which bends the hinge against the gate post. A simple gate stop will prevent that, but even when contractors neglect to install a proper gate stop, we warrant our hinges. Forever.  (And we stress to our contractors how important a gate stop is!)

When I opened the box, this is what was inside:

This hinge wasn't broken by abuse. It wasn't forced backward through the opening. It fell apart under normal use because it is junk.  I don't know who made it, and quite frankly, don't care.

When people ask me why they should buy an American made Modern Fence Technologies hinge, this is why. That hinge was installed eight years ago. It broke because it was made of inferior quality materials, using an inferior design, and improper construction techniques. The contractor saved at most five or ten dollars per set of hinges on a fence job that cost the homeowner thousands. Do you think the customer would have paid a little more to avoid the hassle?  Do you think he's ready to give a referral to his friends for the contractor who sold him that?

Here is a picture of the hinge I sent him, of course, I sent him a white one:

Instead of buying poorly made inferior hardware and risking angry customers, contractors who use MFT hardware sometimes pay a little more, (and sometimes a little less), use American made, high quality hinges, charge their customers accordingly, and walk away with better profit, and more satisfied customers.

If you are ready to sell quality, American made gate hardware, make more money, and have more satisfied customers, call Modern Fence Technologies today.

Innovation by any other name is stealing...

Putting a round peg in a square hole?

When a round shaped object touches another object, it does so at one small point. A flexible round object, like a tire or a water balloon, then conforms to the shape of whatever it is touching, which is why an under-inflated tire has a flat-looking spot where it touches the road.

A rigid round object then presents a single point of contact and maintains that single point until forces overwhelm the rigidity.

Now look at the way most fence posts are set. You bore a round hole into the ground, three, four, maybe even six feet, then you put your post in the hole with some concrete. The concrete hardens. Now, whenever there is a side load on that post, the round shape of the concrete plug you created presses into the surrounding earth at a single point, directly opposite the line of force applied.

This concentrates that load onto a very small point of earth, which can cause it to compact, or to shear, or to simply slide past the post and its anchor, as the force causes the post to move away from the applied force.  Think of a rolling pin forcing pie dough into a flat shape as it rolls.

One way to counter that and achieve a side load bearing capacity much higher than what a round concrete post foundation offers is to dig a square hole. You might even start with an auger and shape the hole after the majority of the dirt has been removed. What does this accomplish?

Once the concrete is poured around a post in a square hole, the resulting block of concrete is contacting the earth over several square feet, instead of a single point, or line opposite the application of force. Take for example an 18” hole, four feet deep. If the hole is round, the surface area transmitting a force to surrounding earth is pretty much just a four foot long straight line.

Same 18” hole, made square, affords six square feet of surface area to spread the load to surrounding earth. That flat face is much less likely to compress the earth on the “downhill” side of a force. This means the post stays more stable, right where you want it.

Stainless Steel Chain Link Fence...American Made

Tennis anyone?

It doesn't happen often, but when it does, what do you do?

  Recently Modern Fence Technologies was asked if we do stainless steel chain link fence fittings.

 We do now.  In response to the request for fittings, pipe, and fabric, of domestic origin, we were able to manufacture all the necessary components for a tennis court enclosure that is now somewhere on an island in the Indian Ocean.

  The job specs required American made materials throughout, and called out a specific type of stainless to endure the conditions expected, and we were able to source American made pipe, while manufacturing all the fittings necessary, from required materials, to assemble the fence.  We can also source the fabric, again, of domestic materials.

  Of course, this was a one time thing.  The chances of you ever needing to get an American made stainless steel tennis court fence shipped to Sri Lanka are likely pretty thin, but if Modern Fence Technologies can do all that, at a price that allowed the contractor to make considerable profit, what can we do for you?