How we choose between swing and slide on Houston properties, and the situations where one is clearly wrong.
Most people ask which gate looks better. The real question is which one fits the driveway. Slope, space behind the gate, space beside it, and where water goes when it rains decide this more than style does.
Here is how we make the call on Houston properties.
Gumbo clay moves. Swing gate posts that are not set deep enough with a proper footing lean over a few wet seasons and the leaves stop meeting. Slide gate tracks fill with silt when the driveway drains toward the gate. Cantilever slide gates avoid the ground track entirely and are our default for slide installs where drainage is a problem. We look at where water goes before we recommend either type.
Swing gates use arm operators like the LiftMaster LA400, LA500, and Apollo 1500 or 3000. Slide gates use chain or rack operators like the LiftMaster SL3000 and CSL24U or Viking slide units. Keypads, intercoms, cameras, and CellGate work with both; the operator choice does not limit access control.
It depends on the site. Swing is often less to install on a level lot; slide adds a track or cantilever hardware but avoids grading work on a slope. We quote both when both are viable.
Slide gates are harder to force open and do not have a center meeting point. For commercial security, slide usually wins.
Sometimes, with rising hinges or by setting the gate at the top of the slope. Often a slide gate is the cleaner answer.
A slide gate that hangs from rollers on posts instead of riding a ground track. No track to clog, better for gravel and poor drainage.
Yes. Every gate is built in our shop to the opening, in ornamental iron, horizontal slat, or wood infill, and installed by our own crew.
Call and we answer within 30 minutes. The owner or a senior technician comes out, diagnoses, and gives you a written quote before any work starts.