A gate that will not close is an emergency on a place with livestock, and a nuisance everywhere else. A tube gate, the welded pipe-frame gate on every ranch in Texas, is the fastest fix there is: standard sizes are stocked, the hardware is simple, and hanging one on sound posts is a short job. When the call comes in, we try to get a standard tube gate hung within a day or two. When we cannot, we say so and tell you why.
Why speed matters with gates
Cattle find an open gate within hours. A driveway without a gate is an invitation. A gate that drags gets left open, and then it is the same problem. Fence repair can usually wait a week; a gate often cannot.
What a fast tube gate install involves
- A look at the opening and the posts. Width, swing, what has to pass through, and whether the hinge post can carry a gate. A photo with your call helps us bring the right gate.
- The gate. A standard galvanized or painted tube gate from stock, in the width the opening needs, with bars or mesh as the stock allows.
- Post work. If the existing hinge post is sound, hinges go on it. If not, a new pipe or heavy wood post is set in concrete, which adds cure time.
- Hanging and aligning. Hinges set so the gate swings level and clears the ground at the high point, latch set so it closes with one hand.
- Function test and cleanup.
Sizing and swing
Tube gates come from narrow walk-through widths up to wide drive-through spans. A single gate up to about sixteen feet; wider openings get a pair meeting in the middle with a drop rod. Swing is set toward the side with room and away from a slope. See driveway gates.
Add-ons worth considering
- A wheel on a wide gate to carry the weight.
- A chain latch or a slam latch, depending on who opens it.
- Mesh on the gate to hold goats, dogs or calves.
- An opener, which turns a same-week job into a scheduled one but saves getting out of the truck for years.
When next-day is not realistic
Custom widths, non-standard openings, a new concrete post that has to cure, an opener, or a week when the weather or the schedule is against us. We will give you the real timing when you call rather than promise a day and miss it. Standard gate, sound posts, materials on hand: that is the fast job.
Gates for the rest of the place
Tube gates for pastures and drives, wood and chain link walk gates, ornamental gates for the entrance, and the full gates page.
Frequently asked questions
Can you really hang a gate the next day?
Often, when it is a standard-size tube gate and the posts are sound. We keep common sizes on hand. Custom widths, new concrete posts or a gate that needs an opener take longer, and we will tell you the honest schedule when you call.
Can you match an existing tube gate?
Usually. Tube gates come in standard widths, heights and bar patterns, and galvanized or painted. We match what is there as closely as the stock allows.
What if the post the old gate hung on is damaged?
Then the post gets replaced first, set in concrete and allowed to cure, and the gate goes on after. A new gate on a bad post sags like the old one did.