Morris Minor Owners Club

I have a small parking area in my back garden and rather than have an opening gate I would like to have a sliding gate using fence panels (strengthened).I wonder if anybody may have any bright Ideas on what I can use as rollers or any other ideas would be gratefully received.

cococola wrote:I have a small parking area in my back garden and rather than have an opening gate I would like to have a sliding gate using fence panels (strengthened).I wonder if anybody may have any bright Ideas on what I can use as rollers or any other ideas would be gratefully received.

You are right, standard fence panels are quite flexible, so would have to be heavily braced. Doing this of course, would make the whole panel quite heavy. You could fit heavy duty wheels (of the type used by 'roadies' on band equipment boxes) or rollers, but the surface the gate is to travel over would have to be really smooth, and free of small stones etc, or it will be difficult to move. I have seen these wheels on sale in B&Q and I think Maplin keep them as well.
Good luck !

Wheels from a shopping trolley - always available in your local stream/canal/river.... As above - need a good track for it to run on! Could just be a 4 X 2 buried in the ground - and another 4 X 2 as the base for the sliding gate - fence panel fixed on top.

Skateboard wheels - incredibly strong, long-lasting and don't rust. And they come in pairs to make it an easy-peasy job to make a track. And free, if you can find some poor kid with a skateboard broken in half. Mugging the local hoodie is probably not recommended (or socially acceptable)!

Haha would I dare to mug the local hoodie I like the ideas of runners/wheeling the gate and I will have a good look on the weekend.
many thanks for the ideas.

The skateboard wheels are a great idea - could put a little guide rail in for the wheels to run either side.

You'll need a guide for the top edge too or your gate could be pushed or blown over.
Something knocked up from angle iron would do but if it has wheels for the gate to slide in it will be that much smoother running.