Vent: That gate latch alignment took me 4 hours and I still got it wrong

I was putting up a 6 foot privacy fence for a customer in Oakdale last Tuesday. Nothing fancy, straight run, but they wanted a double gate for their tractor. I got the posts set, hung the gates, and then spent 4 hours trying to get that gravity latch to line up perfect. Kept adjusting the catch plate, then the gate would sag, then I'd shim the hinge, and the latch would be off again. Finally called it quits at dark with a 1/4 inch gap that bugs me every time I look at it. Has anyone else had a gate latch fight them way harder than it should? I'm thinking about trying a spring-loaded latch next time instead.

3 comments

3 Comments

pat_hart1mo ago

Used to swear by gravity latches too, thought they were the only way to go for a clean look. But after fighting one for half a day on a double gate last summer and still getting a gap, I finally tried a spring loaded one on the next job and honestly it was way easier to dial in. Still took some fiddling but nowhere near the 4 hour nightmare that gravity latch put me through.

the_kai1mo ago

Totally, spring loaded latches make it way easier to fine tune without the sag problems.

fiona_reed1mo ago

You and I must have the same guardian angel, except mine went on a coffee break that day. Four hours is practically a rite of passage in the fence installation club, welcome to the initiation ceremony. That 1/4 inch gap is just the latch's way of saying "remember me and my stubbornness forever." Spring loaded latches sound good on paper until they decide to snap shut on your fingers at 6 in the morning. Honestly, I think gravity latches are just designed by someone who never actually had to install one. Maybe just tell the customer the 1/4 inch gap is for "tractor ventilation" and call it a feature.