Altering wrought iron gates

[FifiGo]

Hi all,
Can't afford brand new gates for my very slim driveway (6 foot) but have seen some very nice quality wrought iron gates at a great price secondhand. They're slightly too big so I wondered how feasible it would be to chop a bit off each gate and reattach the end thicker posts with the hinges on via a local welder or ironworks?
Will the gates still be strong would you say or a bit of a disaster?

 

[FifiGo]

This is the gate edge.

 

[Burnerman]

Any good welder / blacksmith / metalworker would be able to cut out a section and re weld the gates with no problems whatsoever and strength won't be affected.
You may interfere with the symmetry of the gates of course which may or may not be a problem.
If you can give us a pic of one gate from straight on we can advise more?
John

 

[Exedon]

As above walk in the park for any half decent welder/fabricator I've done a few sometimes easier to cut and weld where they meet.

 

[FifiGo]

Thanks so much for the advice. I wasn't sure at all but that's really helped a lot.
Here's a pic of the full gate.

 

[Burnerman]

Bonny gates!
The easiest way is to move the upright where the hinge pins are in a bit.....how much metal do you need to remove, allowing for some clearance where the gates meet?
John

 

[FifiGo]

They are lovely aren't they . I like that they are chunky monkeys and in great condition too.
The actual gap they need to fit is 198cm (that's not including room for posts though) and each gate is 106cm so I'll have to figure out the post thickness then whatever's left to come off I guess.

 

[FifiGo]

Apologies, 198cm is the full width so post space would come off that. Pretty sure I didn't say what I meant to say on the last post .

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Apologies, 198cm is the full width so post space would come off that. Pretty sure I didn't say what I meant to say on the last post .

You might be better, seeing if you can get the gate width adjusted to be symmetrical, then adjust the post positions to match the gates.

 

[Burnerman]

Are posts actually needed.....I mean, are there brick pillars or whatever in the same location?
John

 

[FifiGo]

I've no posts at the moment and definitely would like the adjustment on the gates symmetrical.

 

[FifiGo]

There's nothing at the moment John.
Side of house on one side and neighbours waney edge fence panels on the other side (could move to a concrete fence post position but he might not like me fastening to it maybe).

 

[Burnerman]

OK, so maybe you could fix to your house brickwork on one side, and create some sort of a post on the other?
(I'm thinking of using Hook and Band hinges here - or at least, the hook) and trying to maximise your available space.
Fixing to an existing concrete post may not be as easy as you think as they are often heavily reinforced with steel bars in the middle, making drilling difficult.
John

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

There's nothing at the moment John.
Side of house on one side and neighbours waney edge fence panels on the other side (could move to a concrete fence post position but he might not like me fastening to it maybe).

Is the drive onto which it opens into level, or falling? My drive slopes up, and my the inner ends of my gates, have to rise as they open, to clear the drive....

I had to teach the specialist maker of my gates, how to make that happen.

 

[Burnerman]

These adjustable hinges are great for levelling things up:

Gate Hinges Adjustable Hook & Band Hinges 6 Sizes 2 Finishes - tradefit

Order Adjustable Hook & Band Hinges - Gate Hinges Adjustable Hook & Band Hinges 6 Sizes 2 Finishes (FREE delivery on all orders over £30.00)

tradefit.uk

John