Cantilever or tracked sliding gate?

Cantilever gates carry their weight on rollers set back from the opening, so there is no ground track to fill with grit, flood, or be crushed by HGV axles. They need more run back space. Tracked sliding gates need less space and cost less, but only suit level, well drained hardstanding with light vehicle traffic across the track.

What safety obligations come with an automated gate?

A powered gate is machinery. It requires risk assessment, safety devices such as photocells and safety edges, force testing against the recognised limits, and a Declaration of Conformity. We supply all of it and a logbook. If an existing gate on your site has none of this, it should be assessed.

What happens in a power cut?

That is a specification decision made before we order. Fail secure keeps the site locked and needs a manual release for evacuation. Fail safe opens the gate so vehicles can leave. Sites with fire service access requirements usually need a specific arrangement, which we agree with you at survey.

Can you integrate with our existing access control?

Usually yes. Most controllers accept a volt free contact from an existing intercom, ANPR camera or fob system, so you keep one credential set across the site rather than issuing a second fob just for the gate.

Do you maintain gates you did not install?

Yes. We service and repair CAME, BFT, FAAC and Nice systems and can bring an inherited gate up to a compliant standard with force testing and safety devices where these are missing.

What do commercial gates cost?

Manual gates start around £1,800 fitted. Automated swing pairs generally run £4,500 to £9,000, and cantilever sliding gates £7,500 to £18,000 depending on span, cladding and access control.

Service

Commercial Gates & Automation

A gate is the part of a perimeter that moves, so it is the part that fails, and it is also the only part covered by machinery safety law once it is powered. Cantilever, tracked sliding and swing leaves each suit a different site geometry, and the right answer usually comes down to the swept path of your largest vehicle and how much run back space exists behind the opening. Every automated gate we install is force tested and handed over with a Declaration of Conformity.

Get a free quote 07538 218723

Commercial Gates & Automation project by Knightscapes

What's included

Cantilever sliding gates where a ground track would foul drainage or be damaged by HGVs
Tracked sliding gates for wide openings with level, well drained hardstanding
Single and double swing leaves with underground or ram operators
Access control: keypads, fobs, intercoms, ANPR and integration with existing systems
Safety edges, photocells, force testing and a Declaration of Conformity on every automated gate
£5m public liability and £10m employers liability, plus planned maintenance visits

Our process

01
Vehicle and geometry survey
We measure the opening, check run back space and confirm the swept path of your largest vehicle, including articulated deliveries.
02
Gate and control specification
Leaf type, operator, access control method and fail safe or fail secure behaviour on power loss, all written into the quote.
03
Civils and power
Foundations, ducting and a power supply position agreed with your electrician or ours before any steelwork is delivered.
04
Install and commission
Gate hung or set on its running gear, operator fitted, safety devices positioned and the whole system force tested.
05
Handover and maintenance
Declaration of Conformity, logbook and user training issued, with a planned maintenance schedule offered.

What to expect on a commercial gate

Typical timeline

1 to 4 weeks including civils

Most domestic commercial gates & automation projects complete in this window.

Indicative pricing

Manual commercial gates start from £1,800 fitted, automated swing pairs run £4,500 to £9,000 and cantilever sliding gates £7,500 to £18,000 depending on span and access control.

Why us

30+ years on the tools across Surrey & Hampshire. Family-run, fully insured, no subcontracted crews.

Local factors we plan around

trade and distribution units where an articulated delivery dictates the clear opening width
yards with a shallow frontage where a cantilever gate has nowhere to run back and a swing pair is the answer
sites on a slope where a swing leaf would ground and a sliding gate becomes the only option
compounds needing fail secure behaviour overnight but a documented manual release for evacuation
inherited automated gates with no logbook, force testing or Declaration of Conformity on file

Frequently asked questions

Cantilever or tracked sliding gate?: Cantilever gates carry their weight on rollers set back from the opening, so there is no ground track to fill with grit, flood, or be crushed by HGV axles. They need more run back space. Tracked sliding gates need less space and cost less, but only suit level, well drained hardstanding with light vehicle traffic across the track.
What safety obligations come with an automated gate?: A powered gate is machinery. It requires risk assessment, safety devices such as photocells and safety edges, force testing against the recognised limits, and a Declaration of Conformity. We supply all of it and a logbook. If an existing gate on your site has none of this, it should be assessed.
What happens in a power cut?: That is a specification decision made before we order. Fail secure keeps the site locked and needs a manual release for evacuation. Fail safe opens the gate so vehicles can leave. Sites with fire service access requirements usually need a specific arrangement, which we agree with you at survey.
Can you integrate with our existing access control?: Usually yes. Most controllers accept a volt free contact from an existing intercom, ANPR camera or fob system, so you keep one credential set across the site rather than issuing a second fob just for the gate.
Do you maintain gates you did not install?: Yes. We service and repair CAME, BFT, FAAC and Nice systems and can bring an inherited gate up to a compliant standard with force testing and safety devices where these are missing.
What do commercial gates cost?: Manual gates start around £1,800 fitted. Automated swing pairs generally run £4,500 to £9,000, and cantilever sliding gates £7,500 to £18,000 depending on span, cladding and access control.