Ground Clearance and Driveway Slope

Two inches under the leaf is the usual figure, and on a drive that falls toward the road it is the wrong one at one end of the travel. The clearance table held at Pearland Sliding Gates Freesizer works from the highest point of the run rather than from the gate line, which is how a sliding leaf in Pearland avoids grounding itself halfway open.

A Slide Follows the Ground

A swing gate only clears the arc it sweeps. A slide travels its own length again beside the drive, so it has to clear every high point along that whole run and not just the opening. A crown in the middle of the driveway, a root lifting a slab edge, or a lip where two pours meet will each stop a leaf set to two inches at the gate.

Surveying the Run

Run a string line at a constant height from the gate post to the end of the travel and measure down to the ground every few feet. The smallest of those figures is the clearance the gate actually has. On a site with any slope at all it is often half of what the installer set at the closed position.

Security Against Function

A larger gap is easier to live with and easier to keep clear of debris. A smaller gap looks better and stops a dog going under. Where both matter, a fixed bottom rail along the fence line either side, or a hinged skirt on the leaf itself, gives the appearance of a tight gate without demanding a flat run.

Clay and Seasonal Movement

Ground that swells after rain reduces the gap in exactly the season when the leaf is heaviest with water and the driveway is dirtiest. Setting the height at the wettest time of year is the conservative choice, and setting it in August guarantees a call in May.

Adjusting Later

On a cantilever the whole leaf is lifted or dropped at the roller assemblies, which is real work but possible. On a track slide the rail sits at ground level and wheel diameter fixes the height, so a mistake there is corrected by cutting the bottom of the leaf. That is worth knowing before the frame is finished and coated.