Swing Gate vs Slide Gate: Which One Suits Your Driveway Best?

A secure front gate is the first step to keeping unwanted guests and intruders off your property. As a homeowner who needs to install their first gate, there are two main choices open to you. Electric gates are designed to make your life easier in that you don't have to get out of your car to open them. But are swing gates best for your property? Or would a slide gate be the better option? Knowing the pros and cons of the two types of gate helps you make an informed choice.

Swing Gates

The biggest positive about choosing a swing gate is it has less moving parts than a sliding gate. The more parts involved in a moving gate, the higher the risk of it breaking down. While you don't expect a new gate to stop working early in its lifespan, you do want a gate to last many years. Swinging gate designs are often advertised as having a 10 to 20-year lifespan.

Secondly, swing gates don't need the same weekly maintenance that a slide gate does. Slide gates move along a track, so the track needs to be inspected each week and cleaned of excess debris. Swing gates, by comparison, only need an annual check for rust.

Slide Gates

Slide gates are an alternative to swinging gates, and there are two specific situations where they suit a property better than a swing gate does.

Sliding gates are better when you have a lot of trees or rocks near the entrance site. Swing gates need a big, clear area to turn into. If you have plenty of landscaping around the gate area, you need to consider whether it is viable to rearrange this area for the swing gate moving path.

Sloping properties don't suit swing gates. The gate can't turn inwards against a high slope in a driveway because it has to push its whole weight up the hill each time it opens. If you still want a swing gate in this situation, it would have to open towards your car and the road instead. Outward swinging gates are not a safe choice for pedestrians and other traffic.

Take a close look at the entrance to your property and use these points to help you decide which type of gate best suits the opening you need to secure. Once you have made your choice, get the new gate installed and ready to protect your home sooner rather than later.