There has been something worrying me for some time, in fact I think I mentioned it when erecting the razor wire, and that is, when the men working for Public Utilities wanted access to the cables on the pole outside our fence, they would use a stepladder to stand on top of our fence to climb further up the pole. In doing this they had bent some of the aluminium fence posts, one being the main support for our main entrance gate.
As you may be able to see the wheels are only just in contact with the gate, and if it were to move even another centimetre, the gate would fall, the weight of which would at the very least do serious injury, if not worse, so it was time to do something about it.
This morning I went to HomeCenter, and as you know by now, they only sell metal in 6m lengths, so I had to buy 6m of 2mm square tube 6cmx6cm of which I only need 2.4m, and 6m of 3/16\” flatbar 1\” of which I only needed 0.5m!!! 😦 The square tube I had cut into three lengths and the flatbar also, to get it in the car.
I then went to the local Fabricators and they are cutting a baseplate for the post 15cm x 15cm and drilling the 3/8\” holes, it will be ready tomorrow.
Back home, I started with the 2.4m square tube, cutting away 6cm on three sides, then with a lump hammer I bent the fourth side over to create a top, which will be welded.
But I had to redesign it, because I want to be able to put some form of security along the top of the gate, which at the moment I can\’t.
So I came up with this:
One side of which will be welded to the post, the wheels go into the flat piece at the bottom, like this:
I think it is all done, tomorrow, I will take all the bits with me when I go to collect the base plate, and take them on to our friendly Welder, to have it assembled, after which it will need painting then erecting, hopefully before the week-end.
An Englishman in Colombia 