Overhead Gates

Cantilever Slide Gates can span single clear opening widths up to 60 feet (double/bi-parting up to 120 feet) without the need for ground wheels or tracks or overhead support. They are more forgiving relative to road grade variations than slide gates requiring a ground track. They are efficient, secure, and often the most cost-effective way to span a vehicular opening.

Aluminum is the better choice due to its lighter weight, strength, and ability to withstand harsh weather conditions. Even larger aluminum systems slide easily.

Steel Cantilever Slide Gates are too heavy to span larger clear openings. They most often have exposed tracks (usually the top round primary pipe frame member of the gate panel) and function poorly in ice and snow conditions. When operated, due to weight, the force to move them requires heavier duty gate operators than those needed for aluminum gates — and those operators experience a shorter life span.

Steel pipe frame gate panels tend to rust and eventually break at welded points due to excessive stress, requiring much more maintenance during their life cycle than an aluminum gate.

Do I have the space? The overall length of a cantilever slide gate panel is 1-1/2 times the clear opening width. When the gate is in the open position, that amount of storage space is needed to one side of the opening or the other. For example, a 20-foot clear opening width requires a cantilever slide gate panel to have an overall length of 30 feet. In the open position, it requires 30 feet of storage space.

If there is not sufficient space to one side of the clear opening or the other, what are my options? Cantilever Slide Gates are available in double/bi-parting configurations (2 gate panels that meet in the center when closed). Depending on site conditions, unequal gate panels are also an option. For example, a bi-parting configuration with a 24-foot clear opening width can be spanned with two gate panels that span 12 feet each. Each of those gate panels would have an overall length of 18 feet, requiring 18 feet of storage on each side of the opening when in the open position.

When choosing your cantilever gate, consider factors such as: 

• Site Conditions: A cantilever slide gate must be installed plumb and level, regardless of grade conditions. It should not be installed so that it slides one way or the other on its own. It should be set at least two inches above the highest elevation associated with the travel path of the gate. 
• Storage: When calculating how much space is needed for a cantilever slide gate, remember the overall length of the gate is 1-1/2 times the clear opening width. You need that amount of space to store the gate panel when in the open position.
• Infill type: A cantilever gate is able to accept various infill materials (chain link fabric, decorative pickets, and other). Weight and density are the key factors that can impact a gate’s performance. Check with the manufacturer if you are considering heavy or dense materials. 
• Single or double-track configuration: Cantilever gates with openings 30 feet wide or shorter can use the more economical Heavy Duty single-track configuration. Cantilever slide gates with openings wider than 30 feet require the dual track Structural (up to 40 feet) or Box Frame Cantilever (up to 60 feet). 
• Gate height: While not as important as the gate’s opening width, a cantilever slide gate’s height will also influence your gate’s overall structure (Heavy Duty, Structural, or Box Frame). Height impacts the gate’s ability to withstand wind load and plays an important role in determining what infill materials, hardware, and structure will be suitable.
• Gate weight: Most cantilever gate weights don’t exceed 2,000 pounds. When a gate weighs more than a ton, the installer must consider which gate structure and support elements are most appropriate.

It’s our experience that steel is too heavy to be used for cantilever slide gate structures. Steel would dramatically reduce the wider clear opening widths available with aluminum structures. They are prone to rust and if too heavy, may fail at the welds over time. They just cannot hold up to the stresses experienced by larger cantilever slide gate systems. Should a steel cantilever gate be automated, the strain associated with added weight and friction will also take its toll on the operator.

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