Gate Hinge q's

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I have seen posts of folks saying gates can be made self closing by offsetting the hinges ?What is the meaning of "self closing" ?Is it that the gate is not plumb so will want to swing back a particular way like a refridgerator door which is not on level ground ?How are the hinges offset ?Thanks,LMM 180
Reply:once in a while i'll hang a gate and if i leave it open it'll close (slowly) by itself which means i made a mistake somewhere.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:Self closing doors...If i remember well every time i had to deal with it, it was more trouble than anything.Either they close too early or not completely... they stay open when you want them to close and vice versa.
Reply:Your fridge door has offset hinges, slight, but still offset.I install gravity hinges all the time for pool fences.  I also install them around live stock if they are walk gates.One thing you have to allow for is the angle means the female parts have to be over sized to allow for the differing relationship between the pins and holes.  I get around this by using heim joints, rod end bearings.The idea is to have the gate open up, literally.  That's why they call them gravity hinges.Side note, one of the fun things is having a city code inspector red flag a pool fence gate because it doesn't have a spring to insure self closing.  I love meeting them on the job site and watching them open the gate to see it close, it's like watching a cat look around a mirror.  The rule is self closing, not spring operated.life is good
Reply:Hey Harv,  Welcome back.Where do you get Heim joint hinges? or do you mod them?
Reply:I've built several gravity closing gates, including a bi-fold.  The main key is to keep the hinge pins coaxial, but tilted so that the gate itself, is "falling" toward closed as it moves.  I built some that fell pretty hard against a stop/jamb, mainly because it opened onto the alley behind our place and it HAD to close every time to keep our dogs in.  Sounded like the gates of hell when it closed.  It helped after I added some bumpers, but still got a low frequency resonance that carried.  On another (the bi-fold) I not only tilted the hinge axis so gravity wanted it to close, but also cut the bearing surface of the hinge at an angle.  So when the gate (which was perfectly plumb) opened, it moved upward slightly due to the hinge axis, and a bit more because of the jacking ramp of the hinge bearing surface.  The result was that the hinge reaching the fully engaged (and subsequently reversing/lifting) point of the hinge ramp almost completely arrested forward motion just as it met the jamb cushion and latch closed.  The result was a gate that closed with some authority, but didn't sound like the gates of hell closing.  The hinge also had a non-interfering sleeve to keep trash from finding it's way into the hinge when it was jacked open, perhaps locked open for some length of time.
Reply:An extreme example is the swinging mailbox mounts. Attached ImagesLast edited by Oldendum; 12-15-2013 at 02:34 PM."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Originally Posted by docwelderonce in a while i'll hang a gate and if i leave it open it'll close (slowly) by itself which means i made a mistake somewhere.
Reply:Originally Posted by BobWhen that happens, I tell the customer, "I went ahead and made it self closing, I figured you would want that. I didn't even charge you for it".