Category: steel driveway gates

Custom Ranch Gates – Elegant 12′ Oak Tree with Whitetail Deer

Custom Ranch Gates

​12′ Dual Swing Oak Tree with Whitetails

Designed, Fabricated, Powder Coated & Installed by JDR Metal Art

with liftmaster la 500 commercial grade automatic operator System

These ranch driveway gates were a fun project from start to finish and will look great at their new home for many years to come.  JDR Metal Art designed, built, powder coated & installed this 24v solar powered automatic gate system.

12′ Driveway Gate Design

We began with the 12′ dual swing gate design (a modification of one of our other tree driveway gates). Four whitetail deer and three turkeys are gathered under an oak tree. We also ended up adding to it a 14′ tall overhead arch with our customer’s ranch name plasma cut in a neat and attractive font.

Here’s our initial design concept; each steel driveway gate panel is exactly 6′ wide at the frame. The total opening between the posts is 12′ 10″ which allows for hinge spacing and a center gap of approximately 1″.

Custom Gate fabrication

The frames for our steel gates are typically made from 2 x 2 x 1/8″ & 2 x 2 x 3/16″ tubing. These pickets for the inside of the frame are 1 x 1 x 1/8″. The joints are cut with miters and given a slight gap for maximum weld penetration.

Next we are locating and placing the gate opener bracket for the LA 500 driveway gate opener.

Once the LA 500 bracket has been welded to the backside. In this case it’s a “pull-to-open” gate opener installation setup.

After MIG welding the steel base plate to the posts…

This gate opener system is spec’d for Liftmaster LA 500 Gate openers

Our gate opener/operator of choice for this project is the Liftmaster LA 500 system. It’s a 24 volt DC commercial duty system which offers twice as much voltage (power) as the 12v systems. Liftmaster has become a household name over the years with great brand recognition, unsurpassed quality and excellent customer service.

For automating this ranch entrance we installed the LIFTMASTER LA 500 dual swing gate opener system. The gate opener and photo eye brackets were welded in place on the gates and posts prior to powder coating.

la 500 gate bracket

photo eyes

Building the stands for the photo eyes. The photo eyes play an extremely important safety role in this project. The holes in the stands are drilled and tapped for ease of installation onsite.

keypad stand

Custom built steel keypad stand is much better than the typical paper thin steel ones.

Locating the photo eye so it’s in line with the reflector on the other post.

Plasma cut turkeys hanging out in the grass.

 

Overhead arch for “take a chance ranch”

Lettering is cut from 3/16″ sheet steel, welded to a rolled 2x2x1/8″ square tube. Will be welded to top of the gate posts with fluxcore/gasless welder.

custom plasma cut Ranch brand

One of several signs we cut from 3/16″ steel for our client to put up around the ranch.

posts & small parts racked for powder coat

Here are most of the smaller parts required for this job, hanging from the powder coating cart.

 

powder coated driveway gates

Our favorite black powder coat – 60% gloss – is a “super durable” grade powder coat made especially for high UV outdoor exposure. It looks great for many many years without the typical premature fading and/or peeling of a liquid coating.

Wet vs Dry Painting

Traditional paints are generally known as wet paints. Powder coating is called a dry paint because it is applied in the form of a dry powder and there is no need for industrial solvents to dry and is thus green friendly.

Once the powder is applied to the parts, the parts go into a propane fired powder coat oven where they bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. As the parts heat up a chemical reaction occurs and the powder turns into a gel at first and then fully cures into a tough finish as it cools.

A powder painted finish is much tougher than liquid painted but without the extended cure times which liquid coatings suffer from, generally weeks to a month or more. Whereas a powder coated gate is fully cured upon baking; liquid coated gates are often still far from fully cured during the time of delivery & installation, thus leading to easily scratched and rubbed off paint finishes due to handling parts with a yet uncured finish.

Driveway Gate Installation

Time for driveway gate installation. We begin by laying out the dimensions with a tape measure and marking the areas we’ll be working. We need holes for the gate posts and a trench between the two posts for the electrical and control wiring.

Gate post holes And Trench

Holes have been drilled 40″ deep with a 24″ wide auger. The dummy base plates have been set in place with the threaded rods in their final resting place.

Setting Template for Overhead Posts

The posts for the overhead arch are 14′ tall. It’ll be easier to install a template for threaded rods which will be buried in concrete to support them.

pouring concrete

Before pouring the concrete it is necessary to fasten the rods in place so they can not shift while the hole is being filled.

Once the concrete is sufficiently set the posts will be secured to the threaded rods via galvanized nuts.

 

 

Driveway Gate Installation Costs

Driveway gate installation costs were about $3,500 for this project.

liftmaster la 500 photo eye

The photo eye is a safety device which monitors the entry opening for obstructions in the pathway of the gate during the open/close cycle. Like a garage door, it reverses the course of the opener when an obstruction is sensed in the pathway of the gate. This newest model also has an onboard thermostat and heater.

 

  

          

 

Ex. 12' wide x 6' tall
Ex.: Farm, Ranch, Residential, Simple, Traditional, Wildlife, Pets, Equine, Trees, , etc.

Tree of Life | Plasma Cut Driveway Gate

Tree of Life | Plasma Cut Driveway Gate

Metal driveway gate by JDR Metal Art installed in Lexington, Kentucky.
Metal driveway gate by JDR Metal Art installed in Lexington, Kentucky.

Custom 12′ Single Swing Gate Design for Lexington, KY Client

This gate concept was submitted by a client in Lexington, KY.

Installed by Overhead Door Company of Lexington.

Driveway gate design with tree of life for Lexington, KY.

Plasma Cutting the Silhouette from 1/4″ Plate Steel

Bringing the metal tree concept to life begins with the plasma putting operation. The artwork for the tree silhouette is loaded into the plasma machine and cut out.

Plasma cutting program with tree of life design. shown on the screen.

Plasma cutting the metal art tree of life from steel plate.

Plasma cutting the Lexington, KY driveway gate with tree of life decoration.

 

Plasma cutting the tree design cut from steel 1/4" plate.

 

Plasma cutting a leaf on the metal art tree.

Plasma torch and plasma cut ornamental whimsical design.

Once the plasma cutter has finished its job the unwanted parts are picked out and scrapped. The completed part is sent to the fabrication table for cleanup and preparation for fabrication.

1/4" steel plate after it has been plasma cut into a tree of life iron gate design.

Then a ring is rolled from 2″ x 3/8″ flat bar that is wrapped around the metal tree.

Rolled flat bar and design of tree cut out of 1/4" plate steel.

The flat bar is drawn tight with a clamp against the plasma cut tree and tack welded in place.

Clamping the rolled flat bar to the tree design.

A couple dozen tack welds hold the ring tightly in place before the heat and pressures of the full and final MIG welding process are later applied.

Attaching the rolled 2" x 3/8" flat bar border to the plasma cut plate.

Once the tree has been wrapped in flat bar, the outer frame of the gate is put together.

Assembling the tree of life gate frame.

Framing up the tree of life entrance gate.

The corners of the frame are double checked for squareness. As they are tacked together and welded, the parts have a way of moving due to the heated metal shrinking as it cools.Assembling the components of the tree of life gate.

Once the outer frame is tacked together the wavy pickets are laid into place and marked out for cutting.

Assembling the pickets into the frame and artwork.

Assembling the pickets into the frame and artwork.

Rolled flat bar welded to ornamental tree and wavy pickets.

Once cut, the pickets are tacked into place where the marks were established earlier.

The pickets all get welded solid to the flat bar.Fabrication of tree of life driveway gate on welding table.

Then the outer frame is welded solid.

Rolled tubing pickets welded into the tree of life gate frame.

Wavy pickets being placed into decorative Lexington, KY gate.

Back side of welded steel tree of life gate.

The tree silhouette is welded solid everywhere it touches the flat bar.

The top frame welded solid where the tree/flat bar meets the gate frame.

Whimsical tree design plasma cut from steel.

Plasma cut steel tree of life design.

The gate is stood up & flipped over so the backside can be welded up.

Tree of life custom gate stood up beside the welding table.

1/4″ plate steel tree leaf cut with a Hypertherm 45XP plasma machine. Near laser quality with super clean cuts.

Plasma cut edge of steel art cut from 1/4" plate by JDR Metal Art.

Looking across from the end of the gate, both ends are doubled checked for plumb.

Once flipped, the backside of the gate is welded up; frame, pickets, flat bar and tree.

Now all the welds are completed and this gate is built. The customer will be installing the hinges and painting the gate.

 

 

 

 

 

Charleston, SC Custom Iron Gates – JDR Metal Art

Charleston, South Carolina Custom Iron Gates by JDR Metal Art

Plasma Cut Scrollwork & Wrought Iron Ornamental Elements

These custom iron gates are going to a property in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina.

Designed and fabricated by JDR Metal Art,  a nationwide supplier of custom gates.

Custom design for driveway gates by JDR Metal Art created for Charleston property.

A set of custom dual swing steel driveway gates after they were sandblasted.

They are dual swing steel, each panel is 8′ wide, created for a 16’10” driveway opening. They will be hanging from 6×6″ steel posts, 1/4″ wall thickness.

Driveway layout for custom gates with columns and steel posts.

Dual swing wrought iron gate.

The scrollwork is plasma cut from 1/2″ thick steel plate.

Sandblasted steel driveway gate with plasma cut scroll and 1/2" flat bar.

Steel scrollwork plasma cut from 1/2" plate steel.

Fabrication of metal art driveway gate for Charleston, South Carolina property.

Fabrication of wrought iron and plasma cut driveway gate.

Construction of driveway gate with steel elements.

Square tubing, flat bar, plasma cut steel welded together for a driveway gate.

Plasma cut scrollwork, 2x2 square tubing steel and hammered wrought iron scroll.

Welded metal element for ornamental driveway gate.

Wrought iron baluster for driveway gate fabricated by JDR Metal Art.

 

Now Booking Spring 2021 Projects:
Ex. 12' wide x 6' tall
Ex.: Farm, Ranch, Residential, Simple, Traditional, Wildlife, Pets, Equine, Trees, , etc.

These Driveway Gates feature a Stunning Bronze Maple Tree

Driveway Gates with Maple Tree Design by JDR Metal Art

Custom gates are more than just a great way to keep people out of places they don’t belong.

The process of creating a unique custom gate brings people together, connecting them with a singular purpose.

When an idea for a custom gate finds fertile ground it has all the potential it needs to unfold in the form of an intricate work of art.

Appearance matters but can be deceiving to the uninitiated. True value is found in things that not only look great at first impression but will also withstand the test of time.

custom maple tree gate-front

custom maple tree gate-back

 Bronze powder coated finish

14′ dual swing driveway entry

6″ x 6″ x 1/4″ steel gate posts with adjustable hinges

springtime in grand rapids, mi

7′ tall center height

 

custom maple tree gate-side view

Detail, Detail, Detail…From Start to Finish

Creating custom gates involves in many skill sets which are applied in succession to bring forth the finished product.

Each project begins in the design stage. The concept is formed into a shape that fits accordingly with the details of the client’s exact needs and desires.

The concept then converges with the materials provided by nature and the energy of labor.

The outcome is of course determined by the amount of skilled attention and detail applied throughout the process.

If you have an idea you would like to discuss for a custom gate, please inquire using the form below or contact us! Hope to hear from you soon.

Ex. 12' wide x 6' tall
Ex.: Farm, Ranch, Residential, Simple, Traditional, Wildlife, Pets, Equine, Trees, , etc.

Oklahoma Driveway Gates – 15′ Single Swing Elk & Turkey Theme

Driveway Gates for Oklahoma City Elk Ranch

These Oklahoma City driveway gates were custom designed and handcrafted by JDR Metal Art for an elk ranch just a few miles north of Oklahoma City. We built three 15′ single swing gates with an elk and turkey gate theme that goes great with the client’s ranch property.

Elk Gate Design

We began with the customer’s design concept. After several drafts we finalized a design that the customer was comfortable proceeding with.

This is a driveway gate with an elk and wild turkey design.

 

Sawing & Plasma Cutting the Material

Once the design was complete we began cutting material. Here’s a clip of the square tubing frame being mitered on a horizontal band saw. Miter cut parts are significantly stronger when welded and transfer force more efficiently than overlapped & welded parts.

Plasma Cutting 

In the picture below the 15′ sheet is loaded on the table, indexed and ready to plasma cut.

Turkeys

Below we’re cutting the turkeys. These silhouettes are cut from 15′ long, 3/16″ thick steel sheets. 

 

Finished Plasma Cut Decorative Sheet #1

Here’s one of the 15′ sheets once plasma cutting has been completed.

From Plasma Table to Fabrication Table

Using a forklift to move the sheet to the welding table to be welded into a gate frame. It takes some creativity to make it happen with parts this size.

Fabrication of Panel #1 Complete

This gate panel is welded into the frame and ready for sandblast & powder coat.

 

Gate Installed in Oklahoma

This is the main entrance to the ranch. The client installed the gates after delivery. Two other gate panels are installed elsewhere on the ranch. Gate is hung from 6×6″ square tubing post and hinges are adjustable roller bearing hinges custom made by JDR Metal Art.

Elk and turkey design on metal farm gate in Oklahoma.

This was really a fun project to do…the customer was fantastic to work with every step of the way.

If you need a custom Oklahoma farm or ranch driveway gate be sure to get in touch with us! We make them any size, and design and deliver nationwide. We look forward to making your gate project a big success!

Ex. 12' wide x 6' tall
Ex.: Farm, Ranch, Residential, Simple, Traditional, Wildlife, Pets, Equine, Trees, , etc.