01
Suits wide openings
One leaf can cover an opening a swing gate could not span or could not open into.
Powered vehicle access
Automated Sliding Gates in Essex
Tracked and cantilever sliding gates supplied and installed with automation, controlled entry and safety devices for commercial and industrial entrances.
Commercial fencing installation across Essex and surrounding areas
Typical applications
Yards, depots, warehouses, transport and plant compounds
Systems
Ground-tracked and cantilever sliding leaves
Operation
Automated, with manual release for power failure
Control options
Fobs, keypads, intercom, free-exit detection
Overview
The right answer for wide openings and tight space
A sliding gate parks alongside the opening rather than swinging into it, which is why it suits wide vehicle entrances, sloping approaches and sites where vehicles queue close to the boundary. Where there is no room for a leaf to swing, it is often the only workable option.
There are two arrangements. A ground-tracked gate runs on a rail set into the surface, which is economical and stable but relies on the track staying clear and the surface being sound. A cantilever gate carries its weight on rollers within the run-back, crossing the opening with no ground track at all, which is better where drainage crosses the entrance, where the surface cannot be cut, or where debris and ice would foul a rail.
Automation has to match the leaf. Motor size follows weight and duty cycle, and an entrance used constantly by HGVs needs different equipment from a car park gate used a few times a day. Safety is designed around how vehicles and people approach: photocells across the opening, protection along the run-back, correctly set force limits, and a manual release so the site is not locked in during a power cut.
The survey is where most of the value sits. Run-back length, gradient across the opening, drainage, surfacing, where a vehicle can wait clear of the highway and where power and control cabling can be routed all determine whether a sliding gate is the right choice and which arrangement to use.
Applications
Where sliding gates are used
Sliding gates suit openings that are wide, busy, sloping, or short of space to swing a leaf.
- 01Warehouse and distribution yards
- 02Transport depots and HGV entrances
- 03Industrial units and service yards
- 04Plant, equipment and utility compounds
- 05Waste, recycling and aggregate sites
- 06Car parks with limited approach space
Why it works
Built to solve the problems commercial boundaries actually have.
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No swing space needed
The leaf parks along the fence line, so vehicles can wait close to the entrance without fouling the gate.
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Cantilever avoids ground tracks
Where drainage crosses the opening or debris would foul a rail, a cantilever gate crosses with no track at all.
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Automation matched to duty
Motor, control and safety equipment specified for leaf weight and how often the entrance is used.
Specification
Options and specification
Arrangement, leaf construction, motor and controls are confirmed after surveying the opening, run-back and levels.
Arrangement
- Ground-tracked sliding gates
- Cantilever sliding gates
- Single or telescopic leaves for long openings
- Run-back guarding along the fence line
Construction
- Steel frames with mesh, palisade or bar infill
- Infill matched to the adjoining fence
- Heavy-duty rollers, guides and end stops
- Reinforced posts on sized concrete foundations
Automation & safety
- Motors sized to leaf weight and duty cycle
- Photocells across the opening and run-back
- Force limits set and safety edges where appropriate
- Manual release for power failure
Control & finish
- Fobs, keypads and intercom entry
- Free-exit detection and timed opening
- Hot-dip galvanised
- Powder-coated over galvanising
Final specification is confirmed following a site survey.
Our process
The Pro Fencing installation process.
Site assessment
We inspect the boundary, access, ground conditions and operational requirements.
Specification
We recommend a suitable fencing system, height, finish and gate configuration.
Installation planning
The work is coordinated to minimise disruption and maintain safe site access.
Professional installation
The fencing and gates are installed carefully, checked and left with a clean, consistent finish.
Assessment to installation
Specification enquiry
Discuss your sliding gate requirements
Whether a tracked or cantilever gate suits your entrance depends on the run-back available, the fall across the opening, the surface and the drainage. Pro Fencing can survey the entrance and recommend an arrangement, leaf construction, automation and control method that matches how the site is used.
Why Pro Fencing
The right system starts with the site.
We assess how the boundary needs to perform before recommending a fencing system, finish or gate configuration.
Commercial specialists
Fencing for industrial, educational, commercial and public environments.
Specified for the site
Recommendations based on the boundary, ground, access and security requirement.
Planned around operations
Installation coordinated to maintain safe access and minimise disruption.
Clear from start to finish
A defined route from site survey and specification through to installation.
Our work
Coverage
Commercial fencing installation across Essex
Pro Fencing supplies and installs commercial fencing systems throughout Essex. We work with businesses, schools, contractors, sports facilities and public-sector organisations, providing site-specific fencing and gate solutions for new installations, upgrades and boundary replacements.
- Brentwood
- Basildon
- Chelmsford
- Billericay
- Benfleet
- Southend-on-Sea
- Rayleigh
- Wickford
- Grays
- Thurrock
- Romford
- Epping
- Harlow
- Colchester
FAQs
Questions we are asked on site.
A tracked gate runs on a rail fixed into the ground across the opening; a cantilever gate is carried entirely on rollers within the run-back and crosses the opening with nothing at ground level. Tracked is usually more economical, cantilever is better where drainage crosses the entrance, the surface cannot be cut, or debris and ice would jam a rail.
A sliding gate needs a clear run-back roughly as long as the opening it covers, and a cantilever gate needs more again because of the counterbalance. Where that space does not exist, a telescopic arrangement or a different gate type is the honest answer, which is why the run-back is one of the first things we measure.
A manual release allows the gate to be moved by hand so the site is not locked in or left open. On sites where continuous access is critical, we can discuss battery backup as part of the specification. This is worth settling at survey rather than discovering it during the first outage.
Usually better than a swing gate, but the fall still matters. A tracked gate needs a consistent surface along the rail line, and a cantilever gate needs its run-back set out so the leaf stays level as it travels. Significant cross-falls sometimes need surfacing work at the entrance, which we would identify at survey.
Common arrangements are fobs or keypads for staff, intercom or video entry for visitors and deliveries, free-exit detection so vehicles can leave without a code, and timed opening during busy delivery windows. The aim is a gate that is convenient enough that nobody props it open, which is the usual failure of over-restricted entrances.
Powered gates need periodic checks on rollers, guides, fixings, force settings and safety devices, and we can discuss a maintenance arrangement when the gate is installed. Regular checks matter on busy entrances because worn rollers and misaligned guides are what put a strain on the motor and shorten its life.
We install automated sliding gates throughout Essex and the surrounding areas, including Basildon, Brentwood, Chelmsford, Wickford, Rayleigh, Grays, Thurrock, Southend-on-Sea, Romford, Harlow and Colchester, and we work outside the county on larger commercial sites.
Get started
Planning a commercial fencing project?
Talk to Pro Fencing about your site, security requirements and installation timeframe. We can assess the boundary and recommend a suitable solution.