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Sagging Garden Gate That Will Not Latch
The gate has dropped on the latch side, catches on the path, or has to be lifted before it will close.
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What's happening?
A gate is a heavy panel cantilevered off two hinges on one post, and the whole geometry is trying to pull the top of that post towards the latch side. Everything that goes wrong follows from that. The post leans, so the gate drops on the latch side and stops meeting the keep. The gate frame itself racks out of square, because a rectangle with four corners and no diagonal brace cannot hold its shape under that load. Or the hinges pull out of the post, because the screws are into end grain or into timber that has rotted at ground level. The clue is which way it has moved: a leaning post is a ground problem, a racked frame is a bracing problem, and neither is fixed by adjusting the latch.
What usually causes it?
- The hanging post leaning because it was not set deep enough or concreted properly
- Rot at ground level in a timber post, so it no longer holds the hinge load
- The gate frame racked out of square with no diagonal brace, or a brace fitted the wrong way round
- Hinge screws pulled out of the post, or into soft or end-grain timber
- The gate too heavy for its hinges, which have opened out under the load
- A path or ground level raised so the gate now catches as it swings
- Wind repeatedly slamming the gate, working the post and the hinges loose
Is it dangerous?
It can be. A gate that will not latch is a security and a safety issue — it is the reason children and dogs get out onto a road, and an unlatched gate swinging in wind is heavy enough to hurt. A rotten post can also fail suddenly rather than gradually.
Can I fix it myself?
Diagnose it before you touch the latch. Hold a spirit level on the hanging post: if it leans, nothing done at the gate will hold. Then look at the gate itself — a properly braced gate has a diagonal running from the bottom of the hinge side up to the top of the latch side, and fitted the other way round it does nothing. Tightening or re-setting the hinge screws with longer fixings, or re-setting the latch keep to where the gate now sits, is fair DIY on a sound post.
When should you call a handyman?
Call a handyman when the post is leaning or rotten, when the gate frame has racked and needs bracing or rebuilding, when the hinges have opened out under the weight, or when the ground level has changed. Re-setting a post properly means digging it out and concreting it, which is what stops the gate dropping again.
What will the handyman actually do?
- Check the hanging post for plumb and probe the base for rot before anything else
- Re-set or replace the post and concrete it to carry the hinge load
- Brace or rebuild a racked gate frame with the diagonal running the right way
- Fit hinges rated for the gate's weight, into sound timber with fixings that grip
- Re-hang the gate to a consistent gap, adjust the latch keep and check it closes and latches on its own
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