How to Install a Cantilever with Slopes Next to the Opening

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Installing cantilever gates is a tricky business no matter what the site conditions are, but when you're dealing with an uneven site, things can get even more complicated fast.

Usually, since cantilever gates are installed as entrance gates, they're installed across roads, and roads themselves are usually fairly level. However, many roads do have slopes on one or both sides. So, let's take a closer look at how you can install a cantilever gate even when there are slopes next to the gate opening.

Why Do Cantilever Gates Need to Be Level?

Before we get into how to install a cantilever gate with slopes on one or both sides of the gate opening, it's a good idea to understand why you need your cantilever gate to be level.

This type of gate usually works with rollers and sometimes with tracks, depending on what kind of cantilever gate you are installing. These rollers use the horizontal "edges" of your gate to operate, and if the gate is not level, the rollers will catch, bind, and prevent your gate from rolling or sliding properly.

This is especially true if you are going to automate your gate, which you can do even if there are slopes next to your gate opening.

Figure Out Which Way Your Gate Will Slide

The firs thing you need to do when you're installing a cantilever gate on a site that's not level is to figure out which way your gate will slide, and often, the site itself will determine this.

If you have an obstacle in the way on one side of the gate opening, you might have to have the gate slide the other way. The same applies if there's just not enough room for the cantilever gate and it's trailer to slide fully open.

You might have an entrance that only has a slope on one side or where one side slopes up instead of down. In all of those cases, the direction of opening or slide will be determined by the site itself.

Longer Posts to Keep Gates Sliding Level

The simplest way to install a cantilever gate where there are slopes on one or both sides of the gate opening is to install longer roller posts on that side.

Cantilever gates have to stay level so that the rollers that carry them can operate, but since the weight of the gate is already carried by the rollers and track, if applicable, it doesn't matter if your rollers are six inches or six feet off the ground.

It is a good idea to beef up the gate posts that you use for this type of installation, simply because the longer your post is, the more force will be on it, trying to make it bend. A thicker wall for your tubing should be enough to solve the problem.

Know the gradient of the slope

When you're installing a cantilever gate in a tricky position, where you have slopes on one or both sides of the gate opening, there's going to be some extra geometry you need to do to get the installation right.

The most important thing you need to know is what the gradient or angle of the slope is, so you can calculate how long your posts need to be. You can do this by measuring with tape and a straight edge or piece of lumber to represent the level of the entrance opening or with survey equipment if you have it available.

Advanced Cantilever Gate Installation

Situations like this would be considered advanced cantilever gate installation, and not all fence and gate companies will be equipped to do it right.

So, if you're looking for more information before you look for a cantilever gate company in your area, be sure to give them all the information about the challenges on your site and ask them for examples of similar projects they've done in the past. That should help to ensure that your project turns out the way you need it to.