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“No Power” Gate Opens Automatically
“You don’t have to leave your tractor to open or close this ‘no power’ automatic gate. It opens and closes in both directions and locks to contain livestock without ever leaving the tractor,” says inventor Anthony Gilbert, Markdale, Ontario.
    The patented gate opener opens or closes from either side and automatically latches shut. To open, you simply drive through, letting the tractor push against a cable attached above the gate. The gate swings open automatically as you drive through and then automatically closes and relatches.
    The gate system uses a hinge post that bolts onto a concrete pad and supports a steel bracket welded to a short vertical pipe that slips over the post. The latch end of the gate is fitted with a retractable bolt contained in a round tube.
    “Pushing on the cable builds up tension by compressing a series of internal springs. With the aid of a mechanical delay, a bolt retracts from a receiver slot on the hinge post, allowing the gate to open and spring away from the tractor,” says Gilbert. “The cable extends the length of the gate and then disappears inside the arm at the hinged end of the gate, where it feeds down inside over a series of pulleys and springs and is connected to the bolt at the latch end of the gate.
    “The mechanical delay means that when you push on the cable, the springs compress. As tension builds on the cable, the bolt retracts from the slot and the gate ejects itself. It works great for feeding hay to cattle. You can scoop up a round bale outside your feedlot and raise the bale so that it clears the gate and pushes against the cable. You’re through the gate in seconds, before cattle even know what’s going on. The faster you drive, the faster the gate will open.”
    The gate works exactly the same in both directions, says Gilbert. “Once you let go of the gate it always wants to latch and lock, no matter how wide you open it. And once the gate is in the closed position, there’s no way cattle can unlatch it. If you’re on foot you can open the gate by gripping the tube and pulling on it to retract the bolt from the slot.”
    A metal arm extends up from both ends of the gate to support the cable. The cable attaches to a telescoping rod inside each arm that can be raised or lowered to adjust cable height.
    Gilbert built his first gate about 10 years ago and has been refining it over the years. “I’ve sold a few of my automatic gates to local cattle producers. I put the gates together in my farm shop. Now I want to take production to the next level,” he says.
    “It’s built from commonly available pipe and tubing, which makes it affordable, and it’s built as strong or stronger than a traditional gate.”
     The automatic gate sells for $1,800 (Canadian) plus S&H. You can watch the gate in action at www.goodtogogates.com.
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Anthony Gilbert, 555063 Bells Lake Road,
Markdale, Ontario Canada N0C 1H0 (ph 519 372-5418; www.goodtogogates.com; anthonygilbert147@gmail.com).



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2016 - Volume #40, Issue #4