Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Pole Gate Entrance - Part 3 - Completion

This is the third and final part of my Pole Gate Entrance post. Links to the two previous posts are below:
In this post, I will share how we did the on-site installation of the gate.
We arrived safely at the new property and are ready to start the installation.
My husband starts by digging the hole for the left side of the gate. Our youngest son checks the depth with the transit.
Once the hole is prepped and ready, the left gate is strapped and lifted from the trailer and carefully placed into the hole.
Contemplating his next move...
The swinging arm is pulled with a strap to turn the gate into it's approximate position.
Enough dirt is slowly added back into the hole to hold the post in position.
The gate post is then leveled and measured. Adjustments are made prior to filling the hole completely.
Once the post was in the correct position,  the remaining hole was filled in. Our other helper for the day was our youngest daughter.
The steps are now repeated for the right side of the gate. The post hole is dug.
The hole depth is measured.
The gate is chained and strapped to the excavator bucket....
....and lifted off the trailer.
The post is placed into the prepped hole.
The swinging arm is turned into the correct position. Final adjustments are made and the hole is filled in around the post.
Straying a bit from the gate installation, I  point out the rock placements beside the gate.
The rocks are gently pushed into position.
Contemplation seems to run in our family!
 
Where have the years gone...our youngest child, my baby now towers over me!
Satisfied with the rock placements, we are ready to get back on track with the gate.
The gate receives a few final adjustments.
Before I show you the completed gate, I thought you would like to see how the entrance looked before, when we first purchased the property. It was overgrown and unkempt, but we knew it had potential.
With a bit of love and attention, the entrance has now been renewed. The photo above shows the new gate installed and the metal hardware painted black.
Our last step on the gate was to stain all the wood a rich chocolate brown.
The gate is level and straight and opens easily with the touch of a finger. It should stand sturdy and strong for many years to come.
It's always nice to see the final fruits of our labor as it motivates us to move on to the next big project.

Linking up to the following Parties:

Print Friendly and PDF

Pole Gate Entrance - Part 2 - Transporting

In my last post, I shared:      Pole Gate Entrance - Part 1 - Building the Gate
In this post, I will show you how we moved the gate to its new home. This was not an easy task, as the gate is truly massive in size. 
For this endeavor, we needed some assistance with the backhoe and a few extra hands.
The swinging arm of one of the gates was chained onto the backhoe and lifted.
My oldest son steers the pole in the right direction.
Adjustments are made along the way to be sure the gate is safely lifted and moved.
This half of the gate is now in position and ready to be lifted onto the trailer.
The gate is maneuvered into place by backing the trailer under the lifted post.
A brace is added to the trailer to support the swinging arm and hold it in place.
The process begins again for the second half of the gate. The swinging arm is chained to the backhoe.
The gate is lifted and guided into position onto the trailer.
A brace is added onto the second swinging arm to hold it in place.
The gate is now loaded on the trailer. 
The load is strapped down and ready for travel. The height, width and length were at the maximum allowed limits for highway use without requiring any special permits.
This is our view from the back window heading to our final destination. We had several double takes from people as we travelled along our merry way.
The gate has arrived safely to its new home and is ready to be installed, which I will share with you on my next post.
Print Friendly and PDF
^ Scroll to Top