Any suggestions for opening up this fence for infrequent passage?

I need to fix a few dozen leaks in my solar panels again:

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In order to do so, I have to climb the fence lots of times:

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I'm considering just cutting the fence at this point where it's not even a chain link style, but it's a corral style fence:

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Do you have any suggestions for how to put an infrequently used gate at that corral-style location?

Reply to
Danny D.
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Build a stile instead?

Reply to
dpb

In order to do so, I have to climb the fence lots of times:

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I'm considering just cutting the fence at this point where it's not even a chain link style, but it's a corral style fence:

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Do you have any suggestions for how to put an infrequently used gate at that corral-style location?

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Build a stile instead?

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

I didn't put the fence in, but it's a wholly enclosed property, and it has a pool, so the fence is needed for insurance reasons. Plus it's in the mountains so there are plenty of wild animals. Plus the dogs need to stay inside (although mine won't travel too far outside the fence when they get out).

The problem with the ladder is mainly that it's dangerous because it's hard to secure on the steep hillside; and I'm very likely to tip over.

Normally I don't even need to get to the solar panels. But, when I'm fixing them, there's a lot of travel to the pumps to turn them on and off (since you need them on to find the leak, and then you turn them off to fix the leak, and then you turn them on to test, and then move on to the next leak).

I have tried, in the past, *marking* the leaks, but nothing seems to stay put that I've tried. I tried nail polish (but it won't stick to the wet plastic); I've tried chalk (it smears so you can't find the exact hole). I even tried poking brightly colored pins near the holes (that works, but it's a pain).

So, all I *really* want is to get through the fence in an easy way rather infrequently. I know I can just cut it and wire it back up; but that's messy. So I was wondering what was out there to make temporary gates for those corral style fences (as shown below):

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Reply to
Danny D.

Sounds like you are not keeping in/out large farm animals. The dogs rule out a stile as they would not be deterred.

One cheap method if you still have a pieceof that fencing laying around.

  1. run a wire from one post to the next as high up as you can and tighten it to maintain the tension on the rest of the fence.
  2. Cut down far enough away from one post to wrap the cut end back around the post to keep it secure.
  3. a wood stave with the loose panel end wrapped around it. Problem

- due to fencing used up wrapping around the post and the stave you will probably be too short - you will need to splice in a piece of the fencing before installing the stave. Wire loops top and bottom to hold the stave when the gate is shut.

Cast is minimal if ou have the extra fencing. Rude, crude and there are hundreds of thousands of gates doe that way all over he world.

Harry K

Reply to
Harry K

Build a stile instead?

The type gate referred to by Harry K is used all over the western states. Easy access on ranch roads. WW

Reply to
WW

I think I would just install a gate. It looks like the fence where you have the ladder is a chain link fence. I just helped my son install a fence and the parts were about $ 200 at Lowes. Part of this was for a roll of fence wire as he needed about 20 feet of fence installed also.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

I had to look up what a stile was:

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I like the idea but wonder how it's different than a step ladder?

Since my fence is on a steep unstable slope, I guess one advantage of the stile over the ladder is that I can build the downslope legs much longer than the upslope legs.

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Reply to
Danny D.

I use the ladder to get over the fence all the time, so that was just an example of my ladder on my fence near the pool.

Unfortunately, the fence near the solar collectors is in a much more rugged part of the property, as the solar heater is on a steep hillside with a cliff below it and the fence above it.

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The problem with the ladder on that more flimsy ranch-style fence is that the slope is much greater and the fence posts much flimsier.

It's hard to see in that picture, but, I'd guess there is a foot or maybe even two feet drop between the uphill ladder legs and the downhill ladder legs.

I generally brace the ladder around that sturdy post you see in that picture; but it's taking a lot of wear and tear as I weigh well over 250 pounds and I have to go up and over that ladder many times to fix the dozen leaks in the solar panels.

Reply to
Danny D.

Wouldn't a stile defeat the purpose of pool protection? Also it might make a nice thruway for animals.

Reply to
Kurt Ullman

Well, as I had said, I don't see how a stile is "much" different than the stepladder; however, the one potential advantage of a stile is that I could build the downslope legs much longer than the upslope legs.

But building a stile seems like a LOT more work than just putting a gate (somehow) in.

The advantage, of course, of the stile (or ladder) is that it's only temporary. So pool protection nor animals would be an issue once the stile or ladder were removed.

Reply to
Danny D.

You were previously trying to drag branches up a hill and I suggested stairs.

If you buy some of those stair 2x12s you can use 4 of them to make a staircase going up and over the fence. Later on you can take them apart, lay them on the ground and build a stair on the hillside.

Reply to
Dan Espen

A plastic BARREL with both ends removed...a nice TUNNEL for you to crawl through. Would work well as you could use plywood to block access or just use one or both of the barrel ends in some fashion with hinges and a latch (lockable).

Reply to
Roy

I *do* have a *lot* of places where stairs would be useful!

Reply to
Danny D.

I like the idea. I think it's sort of like a "roll up" fence, or, more accurately, a "roll down" fence when I want to travel through it.

I'll google for some pictures to see what it looks like in practice (I'm not sure the keyword to use).

Reply to
Danny D.

Hi Oren, I like the concept because it's cheap and simple. I might have to make the opening a bit wider though! :)

Reply to
Danny D.

Come to think of it, you don't want pre-cut since you are dealing with a variety of angles, but I still think you could make some stairs and them salvage them for other uses.

Maybe just get 2x6 or 2x8 and nail in some tread supports and treads. But make it strong, sounds like you're carrying some weight around.

Reply to
Dan Espen

That's interesting!

Reply to
Danny D.

Maybe you could do something like this on either side of one of the chain link fence posts:

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In the Figure, I think the vertical bar that is parallel to the fence post is called a tension bar. That bar slides down inside the chain links to create an "end" to the fencing. Then that bar is bolted to the post. Try looking at some chain link fences in your area to see this setup.

If you buy those parts and cause your fence to "end" on both sides of a fence post, then when you need to work on the solar system you would just have to unbolt 2 or 3 clamps that attach the tension bar (on one side) to the post, then pull the fence back and walk through. When done, re-connect the tension bar and the 2 or 3 clamps.

I have a property where that is how I am able to open the fence to drive a pickup truck onto the property. I unbolt 3 clamps, pull the fence back out of the way to open it, do the work, and then re-attach the 3 clamps when I am done. In my case, there is a top bar that I also have to remove, but your fence doesn't have a top bar so that makes it even easier to get in.

Reply to
TomR

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