Slide gates (in California) typically roll on a V track which is mounted across the gate opening. Most are chain driven although in some situations a track or rail mounted on the gate and driven by wheels is a more secure alternative.

 Chain

Elite SL3000UL series [PDF dounload]
The Elite SL3000UL series slide gate operator is an exceptional product. It is extremely reliable and durable. It is AC powered. We recommend it be installed with a DC2000 battery back-up system and in many cases the anti-tailgate board.

DoorKing 9300 series [PDF download]
The DoorKing 9300 series is also a very reliable operator. We recommend it particularly when a DoorKing phone entry/ access control system is being installed because of the superior interconnectivity that is possible for remote diagnosis and data collection.

Rail

HySecurity SlideDriver 222 series [PDF download]
HySecurity makes a very tough and reliable security (than Elite or DoorKing) slide gate operator. The gate is driven by compressing a rail mounted to the gate. The operator has a hydraulic motor and exceptional control electronics.

Commercial swing gates are typically moved by actuator arm or pad/post mounted operators. The larger/heavier the gate and the more solid the gate the more a pad/post mounted operator should be considered.

An actuator arm operator attaches directly to the gate which provides the benefit of using less space and allowing the gate to close up against a wall.

FAAC400

Pad/Post Mount

This is the most common way to install a commercial swing gate operator.

Elite CSW200 series

DoorKing 6000 series

Other Designs

Yes, there are other types of swing gate operators including in-ground (which we recommend only for light duty residential applications); swing riser (a special design by HySecurity) and swing folding gates (which are excellent in tight often parking garage situations.

Barrier arms may be a good solution for controlling vehicle access to a property. Their advantages over gates are:

• Faster opening and closing allowing traffic to flow more naturally.
• Lower cost.
• A smaller foot print.
• They allow pedestrian traffic (if well marked) without requiring the barrier arm to open.

For added security they can be linked to tiger teeth systems to prevent traffic from driving through unless both the arm is up and the teeth are down.

Bay Cities Automatic Gates services and installs many different models of barrier arms. The following are models we particularly recommend:

For low traffic (small home owners associations, commercial properties, and infrequently used roads) a moderate use arm is recommended.

Magnetic MBE 35 series (AC, cost effective, slower open/close)

DK1600 series (AC, 1.5 sec open)

Liftmaster MADCBB (formerly DC Solutions) (DC powered) 

Continual Use

For high traffic (parking garages, high volume properties, toll plazas) areas we recommend you use a continuous use barrier arm.

Magnetic Automation MIB30

HySecurity Strong Arm series (Hydraulic)

Integrated Barrier Arm & Traffic Spikes Tiger Teeth

Security is added to a barrier arm by integrating it with active traffic spikes. We recommend the Magnetic Automation operator with the Guardian Enforcer Series traffic spikes. [PDF download] Call us for assistance specifying the correct equipment and planning carefully the installation, signage, wire runs, etc.

Specialty Operators (Lift, Pivot, etc.)

As you may be aware there are other specialty automatic gate designs: lift, pivot, swing riser and others. There are times when one of these is the only good solution to a particular access control requirement. Call us at (650) 595-4283 and we will help you decide on the best site layout and equipment to match your requirements.

Each automated gate must have adequate safety devices to protect people, animals and objects from being inadvertently struck by the gate. The three most effective and common devices are photo eyes, sensing edges and vehicle detection loops. See the "UL 325 Safety Standards" section in the Resource Center for more information on safety.

Photo Eyes

Photo eyes create a beam of light, that when interrupted, triggers a relay which tells the gate operator to take action to avoid an obstruction. Photo eyes are either through-beam or reflective. We recommend FAAC or EMX through-beam photo eyes and Omron reflective photo eyes.

Sensing Edges

Sensing edges are mounted on the gate or a stationary post or wall next to the gate. When they are pressed by an object, they send a wireless signal to the gate operator felling it to take action to avoid further contact with the object. We recommend Miller Edge products.

Vehicle Detection Loops

Vehicle detection loops DO NOT detect people but they do detect or sense large metal objects like a car. They are placed in the ground typically on either side of an automatic gate and wired into the gate operator. When they sense a vehicle, they tell the gate operator to take a specific action.