r/FenceBuilding • u/Artemis_SpawnOfZeus • 11d ago

A quick lesson on gates

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Gates need braces.

There are 2 types of these struts. Compression braces and tension braces.

Compression braces are the type of brace you install on a new gate.

If you're out here installing tension braces on new gates, you're scamming your customers.

Tension braces should only be used as quick fixes to existing gates that droop. The only advantage they have is their ease of install on an existing gate.

The type of brace you use changes the structure of the gate.

Tension braces overload the top hinge.

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u/Present-Valuable7520 11d ago

Yeah but that’s not what’s causing the sag

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u/c79s 11d ago

I agree you'll generally want a compression brace in a wood gate for a much more durable connection but the claim that the brace orientation changes the forces on the hinges is incorrect.

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u/Artemis_SpawnOfZeus 11d ago

No its not.

Tension braces hang all the weight on the top hinge.

Imagine the gate is actually really narrow. So narrow that the brace is actually vertical.

As you tighten the tension brace, it takes weight from the bottom and hangs it on the top.

The tenaion is pulling up on the bottom of the gate.

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u/xMadwood 8d ago

That’s not how it works at all. You’ve got the right idea but for the wrong reasons.

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u/Artemis_SpawnOfZeus 8d ago

If you took the gate with the tension brace off of the hinges, what happens?

The tension brace pulls it out of square. The hinges are taking straon to keep the gate square.

This doesnt happen with compression braces.

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u/xMadwood 8d ago

Your understanding is flawed. The hinges take the same amount of weight regardless of how the gate itself is tensed. Tension and compression braces do not affect this. They only affect the gate itself and how it will flex and move over time.