Originally Posted by
Klondyke
BIP: when I am already in the lavish mood, another 2 of my cents:
I think once you had mentioned that you can live without a motorized gate. I doubt that you will claim that again within not very long time frame.
Beside the manual opening/closing the gate (and hopping in/out the car and once again when succeded with the rusty padlock) once going for shopping, there will be visitors, village merchants with organical eggs and vegetable, postman bringing your heavy pension and POD mail. And many others that will force you to put something quickly on over your underwear once in the middle of your thread posting - and hurrying to the gate, not letting the visitor to stand long on the rain (not minding your own discommode).
When all of these scenarios you will not mind but welcome as a necessary exercise to lose some kgs there will be many other scenarios with your future dog(s). The gate will have to be permanently closed as the dog(s) welcome every narrow gap for escaping, they need to forage the outside world.
And when you will go with them at least twice a day for an obligatory walk (and for a good exercise for you), not always they will come back together with you. Sometimes they (or just one of them) turn back on the last meter wanting to enjoy a bit more the outside world. So, you will give up calling him, he surely will come back, but not just now. You better go into the house and have a beer, watching remotely the gate when he (they) will be so kind and come home at last, forced also by their empty stomach.
For all this, after all, you would enjoy to have a small thing in your pocket and play with the gate remotely, not having to change your shoes and go out again and attaching the rusty padlock for the night.
So, I believe, that for my 2 cents you will once realize the richness of my advice being worth of a bottle of good wine for me when you decide to realize it as long as you have there some people to help with the gate preparation and with some cable connections.
You can buy the sliding machine in GH for 10,000 + something for the installation they are offering. Then you need a power cable feeding 220V from the house connected to a breaker adjacent to the gate - it serves you for switching off the automatic closing when you are there doing something, leaving the door open.
And together with the power cable to pull also another tiny cable for a pushbutton in the house - for opening the gate (once the dog comes) once your remote controller is hanging in the car or somewhere in pocket of the pants thrown already into washing machine. To this pushbutton connection you can have another pushbutton secretly placed ouside near the gate (I have it under the spirit house), for the same easy opening once outside working on the flower beds.
Important is to have a pipe under or next to the rail for connection between the IR sensors on the two gate columns for avoiding a gate closing when anything appearing in the line of the sensors.
I have it now over 10 years in operation and if one day it does not work (from any reason, e.g. power off) we too feel out of service either.