SiLOSSiLOS

The gate that never sags

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gate latch
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1Why a diagonal works at all

A single diagonal brace turns a gate frame — which on its own is a floppy rectangle that can rack into a parallelogram — into two triangles, and triangles don't rack. Under load, one of the two possible diagonals ends up in tension, the other in compression; which one you actually install determines whether the brace is doing its job by pushing or by pulling.

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2The hinge post is the real foundation

A gate is only as solid as the post it hangs from. A loose or rotting hinge post will let the whole gate sag no matter how good the diagonal is, so a sagging gate is worth checking at the post before assuming the brace failed.

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3It's cheap to try both

A wood diagonal and a cable turnbuckle cost about the same in materials; if the first direction doesn't stop the sag, the gate frame itself (not the brace) is probably racked and needs squaring before either brace will hold.

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