Gettin ready to build an RV access

[82yotacrawler]

My dad wants me and my friends to build an rv access since we live in a newly developed area... We cant work on our vehicles in the driveway and i got a project in my garage so we dont have any place to park... Are there any sites out there that have plans for a swingout gate and stuff???

[Peter_C]

If you do a search there are tons of websites with pictures of gates. If there is room, a sliding gate is another option. My side access gate is 14ft wide and set up for an auto opener. I built a 2X2 metal frame, bolted redwood fence boards on, then edged it with a pattern.

[Junk Driver]

i am wondering, we wrench on off road rigs, yet its a mystery to build a gate? A 10' wide wood clad or whatever have you on a wooden frame with a couple hinges and a latch?

[rokcrln]

Yes we wrench on rigs all the time but why re-invent the wheel when it comes to sturdy gates when you can ask for advise here!

What I always do for gates is start with the post's. They should be 3x3 x3/16 steel minimum and set atleast 4' in the ground. I have found that if you sink the post 2/3rds down for what ever is out of the ground you should be fine. So 6' post above ground gives you 4' in the gound. This works well since most tube will come in 20' lengths you will get two post. Dig your hole at least 12" around and I like to flair the bottom of the hole abit more. Then before set it in concrete paint the part that will be in gound. Once you have it to the right height you want cap the top with a piece of plate or something to keep it from filling with water and rusting.

Now for the gate. I recomend doing two gates that lock in the middle. The one I just did down the street from my old house was 12' wide overall. One gate was 9-6" and then the "man gate" was 3-6". The reason for the man gate is to allow easy access with out having to move things out of the way of a 12' gate to just get to the back yard. I build my gate frames out of 1 1/2" x 3/16" square tube and always on the large swing gates I add a diagnal rod from the top corner at the post end to the bottom corner of the other end and have a turn buckle in the center to adjust any sag that may occure dowm the road.

For the latching the gates to each other you can do this two ways. Eather install a drop rod off the large gate into the gound to secure it in place and the other gate latches to it. Or what I like to do is sink a 4x4x 1/4" steel tube in the ground about 18" and have it flush with the gound. Then you use a piece of 3 1/2 x 3 1/2x 3/16" tube as a drop in removable post and both gates latch to this. You can add a tab at the bottom of the post and sleeve to lock it in place if you feel the need or just have locks on the gates if you want.

Then just cover the frame with fence boards or latice or any other material you want. What you end up with is a gate that will out last you and may just need new boards every ten years or so.

Kevin

[Junk Driver]

OK sorry for trying to be a shithead, I was a bit under the influence at time of posting, and I know better than to post under the influence.