Aluminium swing gates
Single and double driveway gates in aluminium, light enough to swing smoothly by hand and easy to automate.
What is a swing gate?
A swing gate is hinged to a post or pillar and swings open, as a single leaf or a pair meeting in the middle. It’s the classic driveway gate. In aluminium, swing gates are light enough to open easily by hand, put very little strain on pillars and hinges, and are straightforward to automate with ram, arm or underground motors.
Aluminium swing gates at a glance
- Leaves: Single or double, made to measure
- Gate: Powder-coated aluminium, slatted, vertical bar or solid infill
- Operation: Manual, or automated with ram, arm or underground motors
- Safety: Force limitation, photocells and safety edges as required
- Hardware: Adjustable hinges, drop bolts, gate stops and locks
- Access: Remote fobs, keypad, intercom or app
When swing gates are the right choice
Swing gates suit wide, reasonably flat driveways with room behind the gates for the leaves to open. They need no run-back space along the boundary, so they work well where walls or hedges either side leave nowhere for a sliding gate to go. They should always open inwards, into your property, never out over the footpath.
If the drive slopes up from the road, the gates may hit the ground as they open. In that case a sliding gate is usually the better answer.
Automating a swing gate
Motors can be surface-mounted rams, articulated arms (good for deep pillars) or underground motors hidden beneath the gates. Automated swing gates have crushing and shearing points at the hinges and between the leaves. We protect these with force-limited motors, photocells and safety edges where needed, in line with I.S. EN 12453 and the Health and Safety Authority’s guidance.
How we survey, supply and fit swing gates
- Survey. We measure the opening, check the pillars or posts, the swing area and the levels, and plan the power route for automated gates.
- Design. We pick single or double leaves, the infill, the colour, the hardware and the motors.
- Made to measure. Gates are built to your opening.
- Installation. We hang and adjust the gates, fit stops, bolts and locks, and install motors and safety devices. A registered electrician connects the power.
- Commissioning. We set the motor forces, test the safety devices and show you the manual release.
Swing gate ideas
These are illustrations of design ideas, not photos of specific Brega Glazing jobs. See more in our ideas gallery.
Typical uses for swing gates
- Wide, level driveways
- Farmhouses and rural entrances
- Entrances between existing stone or brick pillars
- Manual gates that may be automated later
Swing gate FAQs
Can existing pillars take new aluminium gates?
Usually, because aluminium gates are much lighter than steel or iron. We check the pillars at survey. Loose or cracked pillars should be repaired before new gates, especially automated ones, are hung.
Can I automate my swing gates later?
Yes. If you think you’ll want automation, tell us at the start. We’ll run a duct for the cable and choose hinges and gate frames that suit motors.
Which way should driveway gates open?
Inwards, into your property. Gates that open out over a footpath or road are a hazard to people passing, and councils generally don’t allow them.
Do swing gates work on a sloping drive?
Only if the slope isn’t too steep where the gates swing. On drives that rise from the road, gates can hit the ground as they open. Sliding gates or rising hinges are the usual solutions.