Need to fix a vinyl fence gate? It takes just a few minutes and all you need is an adjustable wrench.
With a little trial and more trial—it’s not error, it’s figuring out the Rubik’s Cube of your personal situation—you’ll get a gate that closes the way gates on a vinyl fence should close, but never do.
(Scroll to the bottom to watch the video how-to)
The number of vinyl fence gates I interact with that function properly, expressed as a percentage: 0%. ZEE-ROH.
Not some—ALL—of vinyl fence gates I interact with have an issue that has me lifting, adjusting, dragging, un-sagging.
Good news: It’s easy to adjust.
What’s the gate problem?
The hardware on most vinyl fences I see is simple and, as much as I’m going to complain about vinyl fences, smartly designed. I think it has to be because lots of fence builders make their money on volume, not custom, individualized quality. Or, wat we call a taillight warranty.
Assuming vinyl fence installers leave operable gates when they depart, the number of vinyl fence gates I interact with that function properly is 0%.
Not some—ALL—of them have an issue that requires lifting, adjusting, dragging, wiggling, un-sagging. So much for the hardware, I guess. (Psst…it’s the vinyl fence, not the steel hardware, IMO).
Good news: It’s easy to adjust.
The hinge adjustment is two nuts (I say “bolts” in the video, I mean “nuts,” not deez, just nuts) and a barrel between them. Loosen one nut, tighten the other, the gate moves.
Step 1: Find out what’s in the way.
Gates usually sag. For all the hullabaloo about vinyl fences being low-maintenance and whatnot—they’re sooooo not…once mold and algae latch on, watch out—they’re not all that sturdy if you ask me. Especially the gates.
If your gate doesn’t work (it probably doesn’t if you have a vinyl fence) you have to figure (1) why and (2) which way to manipulate the hinge hardware to fix the gate.
Observing how the gate latch operates is the place to start. Is the bolt coming into the jaw of the latch too low? Then the bolt needs to be raised. Start with the top hinge on the hinge side.
Is the bolt smacking into the jaw? Then the whole panel needs to be moved back toward the hinge side post.
Also, the gate should ideally be parallel to the latch-post, so a corresponding adjustment may need to be made to the bottom hinge.
Step 2: Grab an adjustable wrench.
Assuming you can visualize where the gate panel or panels needs to go, grab your adjustable wrench—I’ve had a Crescent 10-inch adjustable wrench in my tool bag forever—time to start loosening and tightening.
On the double gate in the video, the panels moved into each other. I’ll blame that on the posts flexing. I worked at this home a few months back and the gate operated—barely, but I could get through. When I went there for this project, the hardware was crammed and slammed; each panel had moved 1/8- to 1/4-inch. And this is on a fairly new, $25,000 fence. Can we call that what it is: Bullshi_+
Solution: The gate panels needed to be drawn apart from one another, with an ample gap between panels for the each panel to swing. About ½-inch works.
Step 3: Loosen and tighten the nuts.
Loosen the nut closest to the post. If you need the gate to move ¼-inch at the latch, thread the nut toward the post ¼-inch. Then tighten the latch side nut until it won’t turn any more.
On a double gate, move each hinge ¼-inch for a resulting ½-inch gap between the panels.
Step 4: Adjust the hinges.
To fix a vinyl fence gate, you may need to adjust both hinges on a single gate. Or, like on this double gate, all four. The more you fiddle with it, the more you’ll see how what you’re doing affects how the latch operates.
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Fix a vinyl fence gate: video how-to
Vinyl fence gate stuck? Hard to open or close? Won’t latch? Does your vinyl fence gate sag or drag on the ground? In this video you will see:
- How to know if a fence gate is stuck (Hint: You’re using it)
- The simple hardware mechanism
- The one tool needed to fix it
- A gate with proper spacing so it can swing
- A gate that closes correctly
- Questions for Big Fence
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