5 Minute Job – Repairing a Gate

As you might have gathered, reading between the lines, I was a bit fed up and overworked when I posted last.  Losing the onions and garlic really was a bit of a last straw. So, a serious chat with Val followed and it was decided that all work and no play made John a grumpy boy.

Val grabbed some onion sets from the garden centre and my instructions were, whilst we’re having this lovely weather, to get outside and off that blinking computer. The world wouldn’t end but I might well end up with cast iron frying pan on the noggin which would end my world!

A Five Minute Job

Farm Gate

Our Main Farm Gate

But before I could play, there was a five minute job to be done. Our main gate is actually a 12 foot farm gate and over the last year it’s begun to drag on the ground when opening. Recently it seems to have got really bad and there’s a fair old weight to lift to get it open and shut.

Now metal farm gates are hinged off a sort of bolt that sits on a pin hinge. By drawing in the top bolt relative to the bottom bolt you can adjust the angle, lifting the far end up and preventing dragging. However the bolts are pretty rusted which makes adjusting well nigh impossible.

Plan B

Gate Pin Hinge

Gate Pin Hinge showing Spacers and Paint on Rusted Bar

Much spraying with WD40 and dripping of 3 in 1 easing oil failed to persuade them to turn even with my biggest wrench and a hammer. So onto plan B. Plan B was to get some spacers and to just lift the gate on the pin hinges if possible.

Our local farm supply shop, Wynnstay, have a long shelving rack full of bits for gates so I was pretty sure I’d find them there if they were available. Success, they had them in two sizes and I even managed to guess right as I found when I returned with them.

By now the five minute job had taken just over an hour.

Things go Pear Shaped

I press-ganged my son-in-law and daughter over and they helped me lift the gate off so I could pop the spacers on. This is where things go really pear shaped. The bottom pin was loose and on examination it seem the concrete gate post was cracked at the base.

Gate Latch

The Gate Latch Thingy

On the other side there’s a slate gate post, bit like a tombstone, onto which a piece of 3×2 is bolted with an iron latch thingy (I bet there’s a technical term for it) into which the gate bolt goes to hold it closed. One bolt rusted solid and the other rusted through, the wood was rotten.

So, back to Wynnstay for two more spacers, two bolts and some fast drying cement. The bolts weren’t quite long enough so recessed them into the new piece of wood, which sorted that. Quick drying cement did a good patch repair job and the bottom gate pin is now solid. The extra spacers did the trick on ground scraping.

One final task. The galvanised gate’s top bar has rusted and to stop it from going any further, painted it with some Hammerite metal paint to stop the rust spreading. Total elapsed time, 4 hours and expenditure £18.00

Don’t you love five minute jobs?

Using Up the Last Leeks

Now the leeks that I mentioned last time, when prepared, came to 3 ½ kilograms. Leeks don’t freeze well, although you can freeze them for use in stews but we find the best way is to turn them into soup which can be frozen well.

I prepped the leeks and peeled spuds whilst Val did the technical bit of transforming them into soup using up  some buttermilk we had frozen from her last butter making session and some Stilton cheese we’d bargain bought after Christmas and frozen.

She basically followed the recipe for Leek, Potato and Stilton Soup off the recipe pages. Absolutely delicious. Since we’d also got some frozen tomato puree in the freezer she made a large batch of Leek, Tomato and Potato Soup which is fabulous. It tastes more like a tomato than leek soup. It has that moreishness and heartwarming quality of tomato soup.

The best one was a leek mornay. It’s supposed to serve 4 but .. well maybe there’s a reason for my expanding waistline. You know, there’s something immensely satisfying about eating a meal where you’ve grown most of the ingredients.

Posted in Allotment Garden Diary
2 comments on “5 Minute Job – Repairing a Gate
  1. Andy Allen says:

    Its back to that wonderful ingredient white vinegar John. Heat the offending nut and bolt up and pour on vinegar. Heating expands the metal and when its cooled with the vinegar it works its way into the threads and the acid takes over allowing you to undo even sea rusted metal.Coat with copper grease when you re assemble to avoid it happening again

Leave a Comment Here on 5 Minute Job – Repairing a Gate

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

March 2024
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031

What to do now on your plot!

Monthly Free Newsletter

Allotment Photo History

Our Books – A Growing Offer!

Our bestselling books for growing success!
More Information
SPECIAL OFFERS!

Archives

Allotment & Garden Online Planning

Free Trial - Allotment Planner
Personal Planting Updates & Tips
by email twice a month
Allotment Garden Planning Software