Pipe farm gate with horseshoe latch and tractor pin hinges

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This is a project I did some time back.  I'm posting this for the newbies and wannabes.  All the real welders can skip this one, it's too remedial for them.A friend of mine has a 125 acre place in southern Oklahoma and since he doesn't get up there often stuff occasionally grows legs.  So he asked me to help with a gate that would slow down the growing legs thing a bit.The great thing about pipe is most folks only see the outside.  The average Joe or Jill can't tap the pipe and guess if it's schedule 80 or 10.  10 weighs a fraction of the good stuff which is a good thing when considering bigger gates.  One of the things that I try to do is applicable is to use the heavier stuff closer to the hinge and the lighter stuff out near the latch, works for me. Attached Imageslife is good
Reply:I love tractor pin hinges because some of us aren't inclined to spend the time to make sure every thing is perfectly lined up every time.  The tractor pin hinge gives you that advantage and one more.  Let's say you want to have a gravity hinge gate and you don't like the slop you get with over sized fit ups to allow for the angle of the dangle flopping.  Tractor pin hinges take care of that.  In fact on the fancy folk's gates in town I use Heim joints made with stainless for the same reason.  I can make a gravity hinge that is super smooth, makes WD 40 look like glue it's so smooth acting, with a heim joint hinge.The bonus of course is the tractor pin hinge is almost as cheap as the old pipe & pin hinge and works a kazillion times better-longer-with a lot less maintenance to boot.  Don't tell the real welders because the Heim joint the double action will mess up their secks lives something fierce. Attached Imageslife is good
Reply:Probably the question I'm asked most often is "how do you cope pipe?""Nuttin' but a thing" is my most often reply.Here's the wonderful thing about pipe and cutting the cope.  Most often (sounds better than oftener) one pipe size fits pretty snug inside the next size bigger pipe.  This is especially true if you have access to different schedule material.  In this case we have schedule ten galvanized 3 1/2" pipe, well, actually this was purchased as Rigid 4" electrical tubing.  And we had a piece of schedule forty 4" pipe we could make a pattern with.Let's pretend you're not a real welder and you don't have none of the fancy dancy tools real welders have access to but dammit, you want to make a nice fitted up joint pipe to pipe.  Here's what you do:  take a piece of your chosen material about four inches long.  Use a grinder, or plasma or torch or chop saw or a file if that is what you have to work with.  Work on that piece until you have is shaped where you have the perfect fit up.Now grab a piece of pipe one size larger that fits over the piece you just made up.  Start whacking at that bigger piece until it is a mirror cut of your original piece.  You now have a pattern for all of your copes for the chosen size of pipe.You see that piece of channel welded on top of the pattern that has you scratching your head?  It's the "k" in kewel.  That's so you can put a torpedo level on top of the pattern to make sure your copes line up, slick, right?Now let's say you want to use only your torch or plasma without having to draw the line thing.  Modify your pattern piece with the proper angle for the torch to feed around the guide.  The only hiccup with that is sometimes a bud will borrow it and mess it up with sloppy torching technique.One other thing, sometimes you need to have the pattern removable.  That's simple to do too.  Take your plasma or angle grinder with the cutting disc and make a cut on the side all the way through but not end to end.  Weld up a butt hinge over the top of the cut you just made and then finish out the end cuts.  Make another cut opposite of the first, has to be pretty darn well accurate dead on across from each other.  Now weld on a tab on each side of that cut and you should have a hinged pattern with tabs for clamping together. Attached Imageslife is good
Reply:One of the great things about using electrical tubing for making stuff is it comes in small pieces, electricians being wusses I suspect.  So on this gate I didn't have to use the torpedo level feature on the pattern piece of pipe because none of the horizontals were full length. Attached Imageslife is good
Reply:On this gate I did what I usually do, I laid it out on the floor and tacked it up.  Then I put it up on the sawhorses and welded it up.  I have found it a lot easier for a sixty something to flip over a gate like this on the horses than man handling the bugger on the ground.  Check out the saw horses if you can.  The only problem I have found with them is the legs grow and they walk off more often than I would like.  They hide away easy and can be any width I need. Attached Imageslife is good
Reply:Don't even ask me what amperages I'm using, don't want to go there.  It doesn't matter if it's the Dialarc, the Legend, or the Trailblazer.  I have a place for 1/8" 5P+ and I have a place for 3/32 5 P+.  This material has a wall thickness about .090" and I used 1/8" rod.  It is what it is. Attached Imageslife is good
Reply:This is the handiest thing since a pocket on a shirt.  A friend of mine made this one for me.  It's a copy of the Hossfield and I have it set up to fit on the truck like it is here or on any of the work tables.  Once you get the hand of it making something you need bent it is easy. Attached Imageslife is good
Reply:I hope you have as much fun doing this as I do. Attached Imageslife is good
Reply:Originally Posted by wroughtn_harvI love tractor pin hinges because some of us aren't inclined to spend the time to make sure every thing is perfectly lined up every time.  The tractor pin hinge gives you that advantage and one more.  Let's say you want to have a gravity hinge gate and you don't like the slop you get with over sized fit ups to allow for the angle of the dangle flopping.  Tractor pin hinges take care of that.  In fact on the fancy folk's gates in town I use Heim joints made with stainless for the same reason.  I can make a gravity hinge that is super smooth, makes WD 40 look like glue it's so smooth acting, with a heim joint hinge.The bonus of course is the tractor pin hinge is almost as cheap as the old pipe & pin hinge and works a kazillion times better-longer-with a lot less maintenance to boot.  Don't tell the real welders because the Heim joint the double action will mess up their secks lives something fierce.
Reply:Super nice gate build________________________________Everlast PA140STEverlast PowerPlasma 50And no you can't Borrow them
Reply:Nice, heavy too. I like the tractor hitch pin hinges. Great idea !
Reply:Why do you have a snake on your arm? Snakes on a plane . . .snakes on my arm?????Hobart 125 EZHobart Handler 140Everlast STH 160Generic 210 Amp Welder/GeneratorHobart Air Force 500i plasma cutterChinese 50 amp plasma cutter! Youtube Channel : Henrymac100
Reply:yeah I bout **** myself when I scrolled down and came face to face with the cold blooded serpent. To keep the horses from walkin have you thought about drilling a hole in the bottom of the pipe welding a nut on it and affixing a T-handle to a bolt??? Just a thought. I like the saw horse design an will probably borrow it.93 Bobcat 225GMillerMatic 135HF Tig 91811
Reply:One of the great things about using electrical tubing for making stuff is it comes in small pieces
Reply:Originally Posted by Anthony83yeah I bout **** myself when I scrolled down and came face to face with the cold blooded serpent. To keep the horses from walkin have you thought about drilling a hole in the bottom of the pipe welding a nut on it and affixing a T-handle to a bolt??? Just a thought. I like the saw horse design an will probably borrow it.
Reply:Originally Posted by maternhuoOne of the great things about using electrical tubing for making stuff is it comes in small pieces
Reply:Great looking gate!  Those hinges are the "cat's meow".  Gotta use them sometime.  Your idea for the sawhorses is cool.  Fully adjustable, portable, any size you need, and don't take up any space.  Gotta make some of them too!  Very informative thread.
Reply:Excellent build!  Love this pictures and narrative that came with everything. Thanks for showing us this.  I took pictures of your hinges for future reference.Lincoln Power Mig 216Lincoln AC/DC-225/125Miller  625 X-Treme PlasmaMiller 211 Forney 95FI-A 301HF 91110Victor Journeyman O/PMilwaukee DaytonMakita  Baileigh NRA Life Member
Reply:Great job, and I think I can make those sawhorses that will help me get my canopy on and off my truck, I think it will work well.
Reply:right click and save........love the saw horses and hinges.handler 187hobart air-force 625one old azz lincon cracker box
Reply:Awesome gate. The snake?Not so much...Sent by mental telepathy.Miller 211Hypertherm PM 451961 Lincoln Idealarc 250HTP 221  True Wisdom only comes from Pain.
Reply:Nice gate!  Thanks for sharing.Thermal Arc Fabricator 252iMiller Thunderbolt 225 AC/DCVictor Oxy/Acetylene
Reply:Originally Posted by wroughtn_harvLate seventies I was making and selling manhole guards to telco contractors made with 3/4" EMT.  You want to have some fun weld that stuff up with 3/32 6011.  It'll make a man out of you or make you want to find one.
Reply:I have the tractor parts all over my farm and never thought to make gate hinges out of them. Genius idea! The coping templates look like a great timesaver as well. Beats tracing cardboard any day.Lincoln Precision Tig 185Lincoln Power Mig 256Hypertherm PM 45Everlast 140STSmith O/A
Reply:Originally Posted by manningI have the tractor parts all over my farm and never thought to make gate hinges out of them. Genius idea! The coping templates look like a great timesaver as well. Beats tracing cardboard any day.I have no idea why I missed this thread but it's nice to see you posting again my friend!How we been Harv!...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Good to see your stuff up here Zap, I'm not a welder but when I think about becoming one I think of you.Life has been good to us, we have lots to do and most of it is fun in its own way.life is good