There are many factors that together combine to help you choose the right operator for your gate. Listed below are factors you should consider when making your choice.
- WEIGHT OF THE GATE - . Although width is a consideration the weight of a sliding gate has the major influence on choice of sliding gate motor. We assume that you have a good set of wheels and guides or you will be choosing a good set of wheels and top guides. So note down your gate weight as your first point of reference.
- GATE CONSTRUCTION AND SLOPE - The main point to consider here is the style of gate. A gate with 25mm vertical uprights at 150mm centres as it's main centre infill will have a smaller wind resistance than a gate with a totally enclosed centre infill of say timber or colorbond. You need to consider your wind resistance taking into account site conditions and size. EG: Wind resistance of a fully enclosed sliding gate of 5.5 metres width in a coastal environment would be considered "high" whereas a well protected site and an open design gate of the same size may be considered "low". Note that unlike swing gates where wind resistance can be critical with sliding gates the wind resistance although real is not considered critIcal but more a "point to note". Of greater consideration is slope. Any slope off perfectly level will have a large effect on motor choice. A 200kg gate on a site that slopes 150mm from end to end can effectively weigh 1000kg as far as the motor is concerned. So, note down your wind and slope resistance level - "low", "moderate", or "high".
- NUMBER OF DAILY OPERATIONS OR "DUTY CYCLE" - In general terms we consider even 50 operations a day to be a small number assuming that the 50 operations were spread evenly over an eight hour period. If however the gate/s performed 25 operations for half an hour in the morning and the other 25 during a half hour period in the afternoon then this would be considered medium to high duty cycle. Some operators are designed to work all day long whilst others like a more laid back lifestyle and prefer a home with lazy usage. In general terms a "commercial" motor will be more suited to higher duty cycles. So make a mental note of whether your duty cycle may be considered low, medium or high.
- LOW VOLTAGE VERSUS HIGH VOLTAGE - Put simply you can expect to pay more for a low voltage (12 or 24 volt) motor than a comparable high voltage (240 volt) motor. You can also a low voltage motor will run cooler and therefore have a higher duty cycle rating than a 240 volt motor. Low voltage can also be equipped with battery backup which is much more difficult with 240 volt systems. You can read more about the pros and cons of low voltage versus high voltage in an article written by one of our suppliers. Click here for this article.
- PRICE - I wish we could tell you you can be guided by price but it simply isn't so. Some of our lowest priced operators have been our best performers time and time again. It is however fair to say that price will be an indication of the quality of build of the motor.
Ok! Armed with all this information you need to pop back up the page to our chart and choose a few operators to compare. Start by choosing an operator to match your gate weight and function (residential, commercial or industrial). Click on the chosen operator name to be taken to the page, then check your duty cycle and resistance. Happy hunting. |
