DIY Fixes for Your Wire Fences and Metallic Gates

4 January 2016
 Categories: , Blog

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Gates and fences form physical barriers that deter intruders from gaining access to your property. Thus, it is vital to provide them with quick fixes when they get damaged or they are simply not working properly. Here are some handy DIY tips to help keep your fence and gate in good shape.

Fixing a sagging gate

Opening and closing a heavy metallic gate can be a cumbersome job when the gate begins to drag or sag on the ground. The gate's support poles should be firmly held to the ground using concrete. Where the ground is soft, or unstable, a pole panel can be used to create a physical barrier in a place that does not have a sturdy ground for hanging a proper gate. This does not, however, solve the sagging problem entirely. You will need to have a wheel or tire underneath the rolling end of the sagging gate or panel. The wheel or tire will provide support and lift the weight from the sagging gate or panel, allowing for easy gate operation.

Tightening fence wire

Often, fence wires will sag after a while. All you need a hammer to tighten the sagging wire. If there are any broken wires that need repair, you will need extra wire to make a loop in one end of the broken wire and run another piece of wire through the loop. Place the hammer against the wire and anchor the sagging end between the hammer claws. Get the wire tight by rolling it around the hammer as many times as you possibly can. Once it is tight enough, untwist the hammer leaving the wire tight where it bends. Take off the hammer from the wire, leaving the tight crimp on and wrap the end of the wire tight around itself.

Fixing gate latches

Some metal gates have latches that work by pushing or pulling of a handle. A latch is a metal prong that is inserted in a hole in the opposite pole when shutting the gate, and pulled to release from the pole when opening the gate. Over time, the poles shift and the latches don't reach the poles to allow the gate to close properly. The best way to fix this problem is to tightly nail a pair of small poles on all sides of the latch holes found on the poles of the gate. When the latch is closed, it will fit itself between the two poles and allow the gate to close.