Automatic Sliding Gates in Sydney

Why sliding gates suit so many Sydney frontages

A swing gate needs clear, level ground for its full arc. Plenty of Sydney driveways do not have that. A semi in Marrickville might have a car space that finishes a metre short of the front door. A house in Cronulla or Manly might have a driveway that rises sharply from the kerb. A sliding gate moves parallel to the boundary, so it does not care how short the driveway is or how much the ground rises behind it.

NSW exempt development rules for fences also say gates must not open outwards, which rules out the easy fix of swinging a gate over the footpath. If your frontage is too short to swing inwards, sliding is usually the answer.

What a sliding gate needs from your site

The main requirement is side run. The gate panel has to slide somewhere when it opens, so you need a clear stretch of fence line roughly as long as the opening, plus room for the motor at one end. On a narrow terrace lot that run might be taken up by a front garden, a meter box, a letterbox or a neighbour's boundary, so it is the first thing an installer will check.

Other things that get looked at on the visit:

• Ground along the track. The track needs a solid, level base. Cracked concrete, tree roots and old pavers often need work first.
• Fall across the opening. A slider handles a driveway that rises away from the street, but the track itself has to sit level across the opening.
• Power. The motor needs a power supply near the gate. A new circuit or cable run is electrical wiring work, and in NSW that has to be done by a licensed electrician.
• Drainage. Water pooling in the track channel is a common cause of rough running, especially on low-lying blocks.

Track, cantilever and the options in between

Most residential sliding gates run on a ground track with wheels under the gate. It is simple and suits the majority of concrete driveways. Where the ground is uneven or a track would cross a footpath crossing, some installers will suggest a cantilever gate, which hangs from rollers on posts beside the opening and never touches the ground across the driveway. Cantilever gates need more side run, so they are not always possible on small lots.

Motors and safety

Sliding gate motors are sized by gate weight and how often the gate cycles. A light aluminium slat gate at a family home is a very different job from a heavy steel gate at a shared driveway. Installers in Sydney commonly work with brands such as BFT, Centurion, ATA, Nice and FAAC, and will recommend one based on the gate rather than a default.

The Australian and New Zealand safety standard for electric gate drives is AS/NZS 60335.2.103. Ask your installer how the setup handles obstruction detection, for example with safety beams across the opening, particularly if children, pets or pedestrians use the driveway.

Getting started

Send us your suburb, the rough width of your driveway and a photo of the frontage if you have one. We pass that to an independent local installer who works in your area. They visit, measure, and give you a quote directly. You can also read our guide to sliding versus swing gates on tight Sydney frontages or look at aluminium and slat gate designs before you call.