Which hinges do I need for a garden gate?

Gate hinges fail in three ways: the hinge itself bends, the screws pull out, or the pin wears. The first is a sizing problem, the second a fixing problem, and the third is why cheap hinges are a false economy on a gate that gets used every day.

Step by step

1. Weigh the problem honestly.A 900mm ledged and braced softwood gate is around 20kg; a 1.2m hardwood or a close-boarded drive gate can be 60kg or more. Hinge choice follows the weight.
2. Size the strap to the gate width.The strap should reach at least halfway across the gate, and ideally two-thirds. A short strap on a wide gate concentrates the load and racks the frame.
3. Choose the fixing before the hinge.Screws are adequate on light gates into sound timber. Anything heavier should be bolted right through the gate stile with coach bolts and washers.
4. Match the post fixing to the post.A gudgeon pin can be driven into a timber post, bolted through it, or built into masonry. In a brick pier, use a plate-fixed hook into resin anchors rather than a driven pin.
5. Use galvanised or stainless throughout.Including the screws and bolts. Mixing a galvanised hinge with plain steel screws produces rust streaks and a corroded fixing within a season.
6. Consider adjustability.On a gate between two masonry piers, or where the post may settle, an adjustable hinge saves rehanging the gate later.
7. Add a third hinge on tall gates.Above about 1.2m, a middle hinge spreads the load and stops the gate frame twisting.

Tips

• Bolt through rather than screw wherever the gate weight allows it — bolts through the stile with washers cannot pull out.
• Fit reversed bottom hooks on any gate where being lifted off matters for security.
• Grease the pin on band and gudgeon hinges when you fit them and once a year after that. A dry pin wears the eye oval.

Common mistakes

• Choosing a hinge on appearance and then finding the screws will not hold — The fixing carries the load, not the ironmongery. A beautiful hinge on inadequate screws fails exactly like a cheap one.
• Using a short tee hinge on a wide gate — It concentrates the whole load in a small area at the hanging stile and racks the gate frame out of square. Straps should reach at least half the gate width.

If it doesn't work

Alternatives

• Tee hinge (cross garden hinge): Face-fixed, long strap on the gate and short plate on the post. Simple and cheap, fine for gates up to around 900mm wide and light in weight. Screws are the weak point.
• Band and gudgeon: A strap on the gate with a rolled eye, dropping onto a pin (gudgeon) driven or bolted into the post. Takes far more weight, allows the gate to be lifted off, and the pin can be adjusted.
• Hook and band (heavy field gate pattern): The heaviest of the common patterns, bolted through both gate and post. For wide, heavy or drive gates. The bottom hook is usually reversed so the gate cannot be lifted off.
• Adjustable gate hinge: A threaded pin that lets the gate be raised, lowered or moved sideways after hanging. Genuinely useful on a gate that has dropped or a post that has moved slightly.

Questions people ask