TAKING UP THE SAG IN GATES.
Fig. 242.—Remedy For A Sagging Gate.
Various means have been devised for overcoming the sagging of gates. In [figure 242] the hinge-post of the gate-frame extends somewhat above the upper bar of the gate. A board is fastened to the top of this post, a, which runs downward to b, near the middle of the upper cross-bar, and then connects with a short double band—one on each side of the long board—which is provided with a bolt fitting into notches, c, cut in the under side of the upper bar of the gate. The form of the double-latch piece, with its bolts, and its attachment to the board is shown at d.
Fig. 243.—A Lift-bar For A Gate.
[Figure 243] represents an arrangement which not only provides for taking up the sag, but also for raising the gate above encumbering snow. The gate is made of ordinary inch boards put together with carriage bolts, upon which the joints play freely. The end of the gate, a, is made of two boards, and the post, b, is four by six inches. One board of the end, a, is notched. The diagonal piece, c, is fastened at d, by means of a bolt through it and the lower board. The end, a, of the diagonal piece, is shaped to fit the notches, by means of which the gate can be raised and lowered. It can also be used as a passage for pigs between fields, by simply raising the gate sufficiently to let them go through. A board, not shown in the engraving, is tacked to the notched board, to prevent the diagonal piece from slipping out of its place.
Fig. 244.—A Remedy For A Sagging Gate.
A much firmer gate is shown in [figure 244]. The hinge-post is about twice the height of the gate, and has a cap-piece, a, near the top. This cap is of 2 by 6 hard wood, strengthened by two bolts, e, e, and held in place by two wooden pins, driven just above it and through the tenon end of the post. Wedges c and d are driven in the cap on each side of the post. Should the gate sag, the wedge, d, may be loosened, and c driven further down. The lower end of the gate turns in a hole bored in a hard wood block placed in the ground near the foot of the post.
Fig. 245.
[Figure 245] shows a gate similarly hung on pivots driven into the ends of the hinge-bar. These play in eye-bolts which extend through the post to which the gate is hung, and are fastened by nuts on the other side. As the gate sags, the nut on the upper bolt is turned up, drawing the upper end of the hinge-bar toward the post, and lifting the gate back to a horizontal position.