Here at Cheshire Metalcraft, we love telling you what benefits can be achieved from the installation of our automatic gates- however we have never considered explaining how they work exactly. After all, we specialise in the manufacture and installation of automatic gates so we’re the experts when it comes to our products and we think it’s only fair that our customers are in the know too…

Many automatic gates will work with a single or double sliding system, however this is dependent on the type of gates chosen and the garden space available. Here at Cheshire Metalcraft, we are able to install gate automation kits, which we have sourced from leading manufactures such as BFT, Videx and Nice.

Some gate openers can be powered by solar panels and these tend to be very popular on farms or long driveways. Other gates will be powered and run from the house’s main supply of power. To use a gate opener, one simply has to press a transmitter in their car and it will automatically open the gates. Press it again to close and you’re done. Some gate openers will even close themselves after 60 seconds which means the gate is never accidently left open.

So how does the automatic system open and close?

Gates which have a swing, popular in large driveways with lots of space, are quite simply electric arms that move in and out of the gates opener body. These are attached to the gatepost and outside of the gate. As above, when a remote is pressed or a code in entered, the arms will move and, thus, swing the gate open or closed.

On the other hand, sliding gates will have a motorised wheel inside which will move the gate left or right. This gate runs on two wheels and a track, similar to how a train sits on a rail line. In order to open or close the gate, power is transmitted from the wheel to the gate by following what is known as a ‘gear rack’ on the gate.

We like to consider ourselves the best suppliers of gates Manchester has to offer, including our range of automatic gates and automation kits. Although all automatic gates can differ in the way they are designed, the basic idea is very simple. Get in contact today for more information!