A gate that drags in the dirt or will not latch is usually a sign that the gate post has moved or the hinges have worn.
Common causes
- A gate post loosened by runoff or heavy use
- Worn or undersized hinges
- A wide gate without a brace or wheel
- Wood that has swelled or warped
Resetting the post and re-hanging the gate fixes most of these. Wide drive gates may need a heavier post or a wheel.
Check these first
- The post. Push on the gate post. If it moves, the post is the problem, not the gate.
- The hinges. Look for loose screws, bent straps or worn pins.
- The frame. A wood gate that has gone out of square needs a diagonal brace.
- The latch. If the gate only just misses the latch, a small adjustment may fix it.
- The ground. Soil, gravel or a raised slab can be what the gate is dragging on.
How soon does it need fixing?
A gate that won't latch is worth fixing soon if it keeps in pets or stock, and right away if it's part of a pool barrier. A gate that only drags can usually wait, but dragging strains the hinges and the post, so the repair tends to grow if it's left.
How a sagging gate gets fixed
Small problems take new hardware, or a brace or tension kit. When the post has moved, it has to be reset deeper or replaced, and the gate re-hung and adjusted. A wide drive gate puts a lot of weight on one post, so it may need a bigger post, a heavier hinge, a wheel, or a second leaf instead of one long span.
What to send with your request
- A photo of the whole gate, closed, and one of the hinges
- The gate's width and what it's made of
- Whether the gate post moves when you push it
- What the gate is used for: people, mowers or trucks
See fence repair in Walterboro, or fence installation if the gate is part of a new fence.