Comparison of Rack drive compared to Chain drive compared to Belt drive sliding gate operators

Rack drive sliding gate operators

The most common way for a sliding gate operator to ‘connect’ to the gate is by a rack which is fixed to the gate and which meshes to a pinion wheel on the gate operator itself, enabling the gate to be driven open and closed by the pinion wheel turning which meshes onto the rack which is fixed to the gate. This system of operation is fine as long as the track the gate runs on is straight and level, the gate is not bent, or does not bend and there is no movement in gate footings at a later stage after installation. The problem is, there will always be installations where the tracks are not straight and level, or the gate does not remain straight or the footings will actually move. Rack drive sliding gate operators then become an issue as the rack will not be aligned properly with the pinion wheel teeth which then will cause the gate operation to malfunction.

There are other options !

A chain drive connection works in another way, where the chain is connected to one end of the gate and runs under an idler sprocket mounted on the chain drive slider, then over a drive sprocket and then under another idler sprocket and then connects to the other end of the gate. With this drive system the gate is opened and closed and will continue to do so without any issues even if the track is not straight and level, or if the gate bends or if the track footings move at a later date. Maybe it can be understood that the track can move due to heavy trucks driving over it or certainly if the ground is unstable and therefore the whole footing and track moves, but how does a gate bend? The answer is, if the gate is reasonably long and painted black and facing west, the hot sun on one face of the gate can certainly cause the gate to bend during the summer days; depending on the length of the gate and what the gate frame is made from, the rack which is attached to the gate can come right off the pinion wheel ! Needless to say this can create all sorts of issues with the electric gate operator drive system. So the chain drive gate operator is a good answer to these problems

Are there any negatives with Chain drive sliding gate operators?

Yes! The chain drive sliding gate operator does have advantages but one disadvantage is that the chain does need to be oiled regularly (depending on the environment, every 1 to 3 months) However, there is another option – Exclusive to ‘Gate Drive Systems Australia’ That is Belt drive sliding gate operators!

Belt drive Sliding gate operators has all the advantages of chain drive units but with belt drive gate operators, there is no need to oil anything! The other advantage with Belt drive sliding gate operators is the installation is quick and easy, no need to be trying to fit rack with the correct clearances for the whole length of the gate, just bolt the operator down, fix to brackets at each end of the gate, run you belt through and your done !