The answer to this question will be determined by the amount of space you have and how much of that you’d like to retain for parking. A sliding gate moves back and forth – in a straight line -and therefore requires the same width to accommodate it when it’s in the open position (plus an additional 500mm for the motor panel); it’s a great solution if you’re limited on the depth of space available for parking, as vehicles can park in close proximity to it. This type of gate is also ideal if your entrance slopes up or down, as it will travel from left to right/ vice versa and is therefore unaffected by any gradient. The ground does need to be level in both directions (left to right/right to left) so that gravitational pull doesn’t take over, which would have an adverse effect on the motor operating it.
With pairs of swing gates, it’s important to have sufficient space for each leaf to move in an arc from the closed position, to the open position. For safety reasons, most swing gates will open away from a vehicle entering the property and if there’s any kind of gradient on the driveway, the gates will be hindered by it and will not move from where the bottom of the gates make contact. Generally, a pair of swing gates will open to a ninety-degree position (like a pair of cupboard doors), but with underground automation, a device can be applied that enables them to open almost all the way back on themselves – affording greater manoeuvrability when accessing a tighter access area.
We hear this quite often and understand the anxiety this causes pet owners. Applying automation will help, as entry can only be gained if a person has access to your operating devices (remote control fobs), codes to enter into a keypad, or via your consent by way of an intercom, and as the gates will close after a certain number of seconds following entry, the dog will have less chance to get out. If the problem is due to the actual design of gates, you may wish to consider something different like a metal gate that has double the number of bars in the bottom half or a hardwood gate that is fully boarded (cannot see in/out at least a third of the way up).
