400 Newton limit on boarded gates

[easygates]

Hi Paul, thanks for your question. If a gate is boarded or not it will still be effected by Wind load, hinge or track fatigue and other elements which increase the amount of force required to move the gate. A gate must not exert more than 400N in crush danger areas of swing or sliding gates, outside of these crush areas the allowed operational force is actually 1400N. The danger areas on gates where the 400N force must be met and tested can be protected using either force limitation (rpm sensor, encoder, clutch), laser light curtain (not photocells) or safety edge's (in some cases a combination of both). Motor Force limitation devices tend to be more difficult to setup and configure due to Wind load as the results may vary from a calm day compared to a very Windy day. Safety edges in combination with less force limitation could be a better option for you as you will be able to run higher forces but by using a smaller active safety edge to protect your gate in the required crush areas. For more infromation on gate crush areas please e-mail asosafety@egduk.com and request a guide to gate safety.