A Brief Overview about Gate Openers

A Gate Opener is a mechanical device that is used to open and close a gate; the gate may be of any type, maybe the one that is there at the entry of an Estate or the one at the end of a driveway. Electric Gate Openers are of two main varieties. They are:

• Hydraulic
• Electromechanical

They may be further subdivided into the following types:

• Underground openers
• Arm Openers
• Worm (or screw) driven

A Gate Operator may be both automatic and electric and may be used for the operation of both a swinging as well as a sliding door. They may also be programmed to be opened and closed with either a manual device or a wireless transmitter.  Sometimes low wattage Automatic Gate Openers may be fitted with solar panels so that they may still be operational during loss of power.

The Main operator types are:

• Mechanical- There is mainly four types of electromechanical operators. They may be sliding operators, barrier arm operators, Worm driven (or screw type) and swing gates. They may be used for both sliding as well as swinging gates. They may also be used to open the gates manually or even through remote controlled operation. Some also have battery backup in place so as to continue to function during power cuts as well. There may also be solar panels attached to low voltage automatic gate operators. All these types of backups may either be integrated into the main system design or they may also be given as an external add on attachment.

• Hydraulic- Hydraulic operators have hydraulic fluids within them to control and operate the gates. They are used to automatically open and close the gates.  These operators have fewer parts in their designing and have the capability to generate more power than their electromechanical counterparts. Even for operating large gates, these operators need not utilise their full power. The only flip side to these is that they tend to be more difficult to handle and also less safe.  

Various Gate Types

• Swinging Gates- As the name implies, swinging gates operate just like any other door used in your home by swinging inward and outward. Swing gates may be run on three types of operators. They may be Swing Arm Operator, Ram Arm Operator and the Underground Operator. A Swing Arm Operator is shaped like a box and it is attached to the side and it has an arm that connects to the door. A Ram Arm Operator is attached on the gate and it uses either a jackscrew-operated piston or a hydraulic piston. Underground Operators are located on the hinge and they operate the gate using a link extension.

• Sliding Gates- Sliding Doors run on wheels and move from either left to right or from right to left. Sliding gates may vary in their design depending upon whether they are used in America or in Europe. Sliding doors, being heavier and larger tend to be more hazardous than the swing doors. However if fitted with the right safety devices, they may be termed as better and the more user- friendly.

• Barrier - A Barrier Gate is an automatic gate and is the type that is seen in traffic control areas, toll booths and parking garages. It is again an automatic gate. A traffic barrier is used to prevent speeding through a toll lane.

• Overhead- These are used in places where space is a premium as in an underground parking garage. They lift the gate as the name implies.

• Tigers Teeth- They are used to control one- way- traffic where single direction traffic needs to be maintained.

This blog has been written for reader to provide innovative and useful information about gate opener. Click here to get more information on it.