Aremco Barriers – Access Control Knowledge Centre

How Wide Should a Vehicle Entrance Gate Be? One of the first questions you'll need to answer when ordering a manual swing gate is: How wide does my gate need to be? It might seem straightforward – measure the entrance and order a gate to match. In practice, there are several things worth considering before deciding on the final width. The vehicles using the entrance, turning angle, available space, gate configuration and even exactly where you take your measurement from can all affect the specification. At Aremco Barriers , we've been manufacturing manual gates and barriers for more than 40 years. In this guide, we'll explain what to consider when deciding how wide a vehicle entrance gate should be. What Is the Clear Opening of a Gate? The clear opening is the usable space available for vehicles to pass through when the gate is fully open. This is one of the most important measurements when planning a vehicle entrance. It shouldn't be confused with the overa...

What Is the Difference Between a Raise-Arm Barrier and a Swing Gate?     When you need to control vehicles entering a car park, commercial premises, industrial site or private access road, two of the simplest manual solutions are a raise-arm barrier and a manual swing gate . Both can be used to control vehicle access, both are manually operated and neither requires electricity or an automated control system. However, they work very differently. A raise-arm barrier uses a horizontal boom that lifts upwards to allow a vehicle through, while a swing gate opens horizontally across the site. So which one should you choose? At Aremco Barriers , we've been manufacturing manual vehicle access-control products for more than 40 years. In this guide, we'll explain the differences between raise-arm barriers and swing gates and look at the practical considerations that can help you decide which is most suitable for your site. What Is a Raise-Arm Barrier? A manual raise-arm barrier ...

What Is a Safety Restrainer on a Swing Gate and Why Is It Important? When choosing a manual swing gate, most people naturally concentrate on the obvious things: the width of the opening, the height of the gate, the finish and how it will be locked. One important component can easily be overlooked – the safety restrainer . A safety restrainer is designed to provide a secondary means of support should a gate's primary hinge system fail. On a large steel swing gate, this is an important safety consideration because the gate leaf can be substantial in both size and weight. At Aremco Barriers , safety restrainers form part of our approach to manufacturing manual swing gates, with consideration given to the requirements of BS EN 12604 . In this guide, we'll explain what a gate safety restrainer is, why it is important and why it should be included in ongoing gate inspections and maintenance. What Is a Swing Gate Safety Restrainer? A safety restrainer is a secondary safety devi...

Which Is Right for Your Site? When you need to control vehicle access to a car park, industrial estate, commercial premises or private site, two common options are manual swing gates and height restriction barriers . Although both are used for vehicle access control, they perform very different jobs. A swing gate can physically close an entrance and prevent vehicles from passing through, while a height restriction barrier is primarily designed to prevent vehicles above a specified height from entering. Understanding that difference is the starting point when deciding which solution is right for your site. At Aremco Barriers , we manufacture both manual swing gates and height restriction barriers in the UK. In this guide, we look at the differences, where each type works best and the practical points to consider before choosing. What Is a Manual Swing Gate ? A manual swing gate is a physical gate installed across an entrance or access road. When closed and secured, it prevents vehicles...

Choosing the correct size manual swing gate starts with more than simply measuring the width of an entrance. The available opening, vehicle movements, surrounding space and how the gate will be used all need to be considered. For commercial, industrial and public-sector sites, getting these details right at the start can make the difference between a gate that is straightforward to operate and one that causes unnecessary access problems. At Aremco Barriers , we manufacture manual steel swing gates in the UK for a wide range of vehicle access-control applications. This guide explains the main measurements and practical points to consider when deciding what size swing gate you need. How Do I Measure for a Manual Swing Gate? One of the first things we need to know is the required opening between the gate posts . Measure the width of the entrance where you intend the gate to be installed and consider the actual usable space vehicles will need to pass through. It is important to distinguish...