A 28-Foot Ranch Entry Gate for Gregory Ranch in Morgan Mill, TX

A ranch entrance has two jobs. It has to let a truck and stock trailer pull straight in without a three-point turn on the county road. And it has to look like it belongs to the place behind it. The Gregory Ranch entrance in Morgan Mill needed to do both.

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The problem with a wide opening

The opening is 28 feet across. That width is what makes the entrance easy to use, [with room for hay trailers, cattle trailers, and equipment]. It is also what makes a gate hard to build well. Every extra foot adds leverage at the hinge. A long gate that isn't built for it starts to sag, and within a few summers it is dragging in the gravel.

How Shane and Bob built it

Shane and Bob split the opening into two leaves that meet in the center. That keeps each leaf shorter and puts less strain on each hinge post. [We built each leaf in our Granbury shop and hung it on site.]

Instead of a flat top rail, the frame steps up in two angles toward the center. It gives the gate a rise in the middle that reads from the road. The close-set vertical pickets carry a rust patina finish against a bare steel frame.

The details are what make it Gregory Ranch's gate and nobody else's:

• The ranch name, plasma-cut into a framed steel panel and mounted where the two leaves meet

• The JP brand, cut into small plates at each end of the gate

• The entry around it: heavy pipe posts with an overhead crossbeam, and pipe-rail wings that tie the gate into the fence line

  
  

The gate was set up for an automatic opener, so the owners can drive through without getting out of the truck.

Planning a wide ranch gate? A few honest trade-offs

• Width: measure your longest rig and the road turnoff, then add room. Wider is easier to use, but it means a heavier gate and bigger posts.

• One leaf or two: a single leaf needs a lot of swing room and a very stout hinge post. Two leaves split the weight but need a center stop and latch.

• Automatic openers: match the opener to your gate's length and weight before you buy one. An undersized opener wears out fast on a long gate.

• Finish: a patina finish ages with the ranch and needs little upkeep. Paint gives you a color but needs touch-ups over time.

If you're thinking about a new entrance anywhere from Stephenville to Granbury, send us a photo of the opening and a rough width. We'll tell you what it would take. Call 806-620-2675 or request a quote.