Just spent an hour fixing a gate that sagged because of bad corner bracing

Put up a fence for a guy in Springfield last week, looked perfect when I left. Got a call yesterday that the gate wouldn't close. Drove back out and the whole corner post had twisted because I skimped on the diagonal brace. Had to dig it out, re-set it with proper bracing, and now I'm eating the cost of the extra concrete. Anyone else ever skip a step on a gate and regret it bad?

3 comments

3 Comments

murphy.aaron1mo ago

Man, I read somewhere that like 80% of gate problems come from bad bracing on the corner post... sounds about right after hearing this. I skimped once on a gate for a buddy's pasture, used a lighter brace, and the whole thing twisted in a windy week. Had to do it over just like you, and it's a pain when you're covering the cost yourself.

nancyj111mo ago

Funny enough I had a gate sag from the top hinge pulling out.

william_garcia1mo ago

Yep, learned that one the hard way too. A treated 2x4 diagonal running from the bottom hinge side to the top latch side is worth its weight in gold.