Gates & Automation
Gates & Automation in Launceston
We supply, install and automate driveway gates across Launceston, from a single swing gate on a suburban block to a wide sliding gate on a rural entrance. Every gate is built around the posts and the ground it sits on, because that is what decides whether it still swings true in ten years.
4
Gate types built
2
Automation styles
48hr
Written quote
Zero
Subbies on your job
Why Gates Fail
A Gate Is Only as Good as What Holds It Up
The gate is the one part of the fence you touch every single day. So it has to be hung right the first time, and it has to keep working in year five the same way it did in week one.
Almost every failed gate we are called out to comes back to the same three things. The posts were too light for the weight hung off them, the footings were too shallow, or the hinges were undersized and have worn oval. Add a wet Launceston winter and the post starts to lean.
Sag is the other classic. A gate frame that is not braced correctly slowly pulls itself into a parallelogram, and once that starts you cannot adjust your way out of it. We brace frames diagonally, set gate posts deeper and heavier than fence posts, and make sure water can drain away from the footing rather than sit around it.
Whether you go swing or sliding is usually decided by your driveway, not by taste. A swing gate needs clear space to open into and reasonably level ground, so a steep rising driveway will foul the leaf halfway open. A sliding gate solves that, but it needs a clear run beside the opening.
Automation is a separate decision, and it is worth thinking about before the gate is built. A motor needs a powered supply near the gate, safety sensors so it will not close on a car or a person, and somewhere sensible to mount the receiver or keypad. Any mains connection is done by a licensed electrician.
Three Ways We Build a Gate That Lasts
The gate, the posts and the hardware are one system. Get any one of them wrong and the whole thing droops.
Sliding Gates
Wide Openings Without the Swing Room
A sliding gate runs sideways across the opening instead of swinging into your driveway. That makes it the answer for wide entrances, steep approaches and blocks where a parked car would otherwise be in the way.
- No swing clearance needed
- Suits rising driveways
- Handles wide openings
Swing Gates
Single and Double Swing, Hung Properly
Swing gates are the simplest and usually the most affordable way to close a driveway. The work is in the posts and the hinges, so we oversize both and brace the frame so it cannot pull out of square.
- Heavier posts, deeper footings
- Diagonally braced frames
- Adjustable, greasable hinges
Pedestrian Gates
The Gate You Use Every Day
The side gate gets more use than the driveway gate ever will, so it gets the same treatment. Solid frame, proper hardware and a latch that still works when the ground has moved a little.
- Self-closing options
- Latch at a sensible height
- Infill matched to the fence
Compare
Sliding vs Double Swing vs Single Swing
Your driveway usually picks the gate for you. Here is the honest trade-off between the three we build most.
| Sliding Gate | Double Swing | Single Swing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Space needed | Clear run-off beside the opening, about the width of the gate | Room to swing both leaves clear | Room to swing one full-width leaf clear |
| Rising driveway | Handles it well | Struggles, leaf can foul the ground | Struggles, leaf can foul the ground |
| Opening width | Suits wide openings | Suits wide openings | Better on narrow openings |
| Typical cost | Usually the dearest | Middle of the range | Usually the most affordable |
| Automation | One motor on the gate | Two motors, one per leaf | One motor |
| Wind exposure | Good, stays in its own line | Solid infill catches wind | Solid infill catches wind |
Your Options
Gate Types and Automation Choices
Six things to decide before we build. We will walk your driveway, measure the opening and tell you honestly which of these actually suits your block.
Single swing gate
One leaf hinged off a single post, best for narrower driveways and side entrances. It is the simplest gate to build and the easiest to automate, but a wide single leaf gets heavy fast.
Double swing gateMost popular
Two leaves meeting in the middle, so each one is half the width and half the strain on its post. This is the most common driveway gate we build in Launceston, and it automates cleanly with a pair of arm or ram motors.
Sliding gate
Runs sideways on a track or a cantilever beam rather than swinging open. It needs clear run-off space beside the opening, but it is the right call on a rising driveway or a wide rural entrance.
Pedestrian gate
The everyday side or front gate, matched to the fence so it reads as one line rather than an afterthought. We can hang it to self-close and add a latch or lock to suit how you actually use it.
Automation kit
A motor sized to the gate, plus remotes and your choice of keypad or intercom for visitors. The motor style depends on the gate: arm or ram motors for swing gates, a rack-driven motor for sliding gates.
Safety and access extras
Safety beams stop the gate closing on a car, a pet or a person, and battery backup keeps it moving through a power cut. A manual emergency release lets you push the gate open by hand if the power and the backup are both out.
Cost
What Affects the Price of a Gate
A gate is priced very differently to a run of fence, because most of the cost sits in the frame, the posts and the hardware rather than the metres. We quote on site so you can see exactly which of these applies to your driveway.
Gate width and weight
Width drives everything. A wider leaf needs a heavier frame, bigger hinges and a stronger motor, so the price climbs faster than the extra metre suggests.
Swing or sliding
Swing gates are generally the cheaper build. A sliding gate needs a track or a cantilever beam and more groundwork, so it usually costs more for the same opening.
Posts and footings
Gate posts are heavier and set deeper than fence posts, in larger concrete footings. Rock, heavy clay or a driveway that has to be cut into all add time here.
Automation and accessories
The motor is only part of it. Remotes, a keypad or intercom, safety beams and battery backup are each listed separately so you can add or drop them.
Power at the gate
If there is already a powered supply near the gate, automation is straightforward. If power has to be run out to the entrance, a licensed electrician does that work and it is quoted on its own.
Site access and ground
We need to get a ute and a post hole borer to the opening. Steep, wet or tight entrances slow the setup down and that shows up in the hours.
Every quote is written and itemised, so the gate, the automation and the electrical work are separate lines. Nothing gets bundled into one number you cannot pull apart.
How It Works
From Quote to Finished Fence
Four steps, same crew throughout. Where automation is involved we book the licensed electrician in around our dates so you are not left with a gate that cannot open.
Free on-site measure
We measure the opening, check the fall of the driveway and the swing clearance, and look at where power could come from if you want the gate automated.
Written quote in 48 hours
You get an itemised quote covering the gate, the automation and any electrical work as separate lines, so you can see exactly what each part costs.
Posts, gate and hardware
We set the gate posts in concrete, let them cure, then hang the gate and fit the hardware. Any mains power supply at the gate is run and connected by a licensed electrician.
Set up and handover
We commission the motor, set the travel and the safety sensors, pair your remotes and show you the manual release. Then we walk the gate with you and tidy the site.
The Spec
What's in a Prime Fencing Gate
Same build standard whether it is a side gate or a six metre sliding gate.
- Gate frames
- Welded and diagonally braced
- Hinges
- Heavy duty and adjustable
- Posts and footings
- Oversized, set in concrete
- Infill
- Matched to your fence
- Automation
- Swing arm, ram or sliding motor
- Finish
- Powder coated or Colorbond
FAQs
Gates & Automation Questions, Answered
It depends on the width, whether it swings or slides, and how much automation you want. We measure on site and give you a written, itemised quote within 48 hours, with the gate and the automation priced separately so you can decide either way.
Your driveway usually decides. Swing gates are simpler and generally cheaper, but they need clear space to open into and reasonably level ground, so a steep rising driveway is a problem. A sliding gate handles that but needs a clear run of space beside the opening, roughly as wide as the gate.
Often, yes. It comes down to whether the gate frame is straight and square and whether the posts are strong enough to take a motor pushing against them. We will look at it at the measure and tell you honestly if it is worth automating or better replaced.
Every automated gate we install has a manual emergency release, so you can unlock the motor and push the gate open by hand. If you would rather not do that, battery backup keeps the gate operating through a normal outage and it can be added at the quote stage.
Yes. We install and set up the gate and the motor, but any mains power connection is done by a licensed electrician. We coordinate the timing so the power is ready when the gate is, and it is quoted as its own line rather than hidden in the total.
Sag comes from an unbraced frame, undersized hinges or a gate post that has moved. We brace gate frames diagonally, use heavy duty adjustable hinges, and set gate posts deeper and heavier than fence posts in proper concrete footings with drainage away from them.
Yes, though the slope changes what we recommend. On a driveway that rises away from the road, a swing gate can foul the ground before it is fully open, so we will usually steer you to a sliding gate or a gate hung to open downhill.
Usually, yes. We build the gate frame separately and then infill it to match your fence, whether that is Colorbond sheeting, aluminium slats or timber palings. Bring us the colour name if you have it and we will match it as closely as the range allows.
The gate posts go in first and the concrete needs time to cure, so most jobs are two visits over a few days. Automation adds a return visit to commission the motor and pair the remotes, plus whatever time the electrician needs for the power.
Other Fencing We Build
We install gates & automation across greater Launceston, including Riverside, Prospect, Kings Meadows, Newnham, Mowbray and the wider Tamar Valley.
Ready to Fence Your Block?
Book a free on-site quote and we'll give you a real number in writing within 48 hours. No deposit, no obligation.