Entrance to the territory of a private house is usually blocked by a gate. They can have a different design, however, one of the most convenient are sliding devices. They have many advantages, among which are the space savings. They are good in that the system can be supplemented with an electric motor. But if you want to save money, you can open and close the sash manually.
Why it is worth choosing a retractable design?
If the system is manufactured correctly, it can withstand more than 50 thousand cycles of opening and closing. But before starting work, it is worth paying attention to one more plus, which consists in the free choice of material for covering the structure. It can be polycarbonate, profiled flooring and even wood. As one of the components of such a gate are rollers, which can be made independently.
What is important to consider before starting work?
Before you make roller gates, you should know that they are installed on the foundation. In order to achieve a good result, a powerful foundation should be created on which considerable weight will exert pressure. The clips you created will move along the guide beam. For reliable fixation, two supports should be used.
What method of joining parts to choose?
The design must have sufficient strength; welding should be used for this. Stands and carts will move along the beam. The upper part will be located on the bottom of the gate, which allows for easy movement of the structure from side to side. If you wish, you can supplement the system with an automatic drive, which will simplify the operation process.
Description
The roller carriage, also called rollers, is one of the important parts in the system. By significance, only a guide rail can be compared with it. These components are assigned the function of web movement. A sliding system typically uses a pair of rollers. It depends on how durable and high-quality bearings, rollers, and carriage bases are, whether the gate will last a decade or break in the first months of operation.
Having considered the description of the rollers for sliding gates, you can do them yourself. They consist of:
Additional design features
The bearings are pressed inside. When buying such a device, you should pay attention to the fact that the carriage is made of high-quality and durable metal. It should have an even foundation. You can make the design of the rollers for sliding gates with your own hands. However, they must be made of high-quality and durable material.
The rollers should move well along the axes, and the lubrication in the bearings should be sufficient. Rollers should work properly in winter and summer. They should not have strong backlash. Roller carriage, if it is of good quality, should last about 20 years.
Roller making
If you want to make do-it-yourself rollers for sliding gates, you should prepare some components, among them:
- trailer roller;
- special rail;
- stubs;
- roller bearings;
- catcher.
Each of these elements has its own purpose. However, only joint work will ensure the normal functioning of the system. During the design process, special attention is paid to the guide rail, which must have sufficient rigidity. If this part is not reliable enough, in the process of its use the element will accelerate and the system will fail.
Rail and bearing work
When making do-it-yourself rollers for sliding gates, a steel rail should be made. Its thickness should be 3.6 mm minimum. Roller carriages will support the mass of the structure, therefore, when creating rollers, special attention should be paid to them. Good strong bearings will be needed, otherwise the sash will move with a creak, moreover, the rollers will collapse quite soon from such an impact. There should not be any backlash during assembly and fixing of elements. Otherwise, the system will quickly fail.
Work on top mount and bottom catcher
In order to ensure a longer service life, reinforced bearings should be used. The upper rollers will be responsible for securing the sash from above. They are made of rubber. Plastic will harm the paint. The thickness of the steel here should be 4 mm.
When making the rollers for sliding gates with your own hands, you must remember that the end roller and the lower catcher will work together. The main function of the first is the unloading of the main rollers. The trap should be made in such a way that the limiter enters into it. At the very end, plugs are installed. Their task is to protect the guide from snow and water.
A detailed description of the manufacture. Second option
Carts and roller carriages will take the load from the moving sash. After that, it is transferred to the foundation. Thanks to the carriage, the profile with the frame will move along the opening. Each carriage must have 8 rollers, which can be polymer or metal. By purchasing factory carriages, you become the owner of a unit whose quality is much higher than homemade. However, if you make the rollers for sliding gates with your own hands, and do it right, they can last quite a long time.
For work, you can borrow bearings from the generator of the car "Lada". The inner diameter of the bearings can be equal to a limit of 14 to 40 mm. It should fit into the pipe and move freely along it. For the axes of the carriages, M18 studs can be used, which are cut into pieces of the desired length. You will also need an iron 8-mm plate for the base of the carriages of the guide rollers for sliding gates. With your own hands you can cope with the task if you use thick metal. Thin material will not withstand the mass of the structure and will simply bend. If the iron of the desired thickness was not at hand, you can make double plates by connecting them together.
Metal plate
The manufacturing process is quite simple. On metal plates, it is necessary to make a marking and cut off the excess with an angle grinder. Then, for mounting the bearings, holes are drilled. If the metal is quite thin, the plates need to be welded together and the seams should be cleaned. The diameter of the holes should be equal to the diameter of the axis. In the described case, this value is 18 mm. When drilling, use cooling oil to prevent metal overheating.
In the next step, you can try on the holes of the axis, cutting them to the required length. Washers are put on the axle, followed by bearings. All this is tightly screwed on. Bearings are filled with grease before welding the base.
Alternative Roller Manufacturing
If you want to make do-it-yourself support rollers for sliding gates, you can place them on the channel at a greater distance from each other. So you can reduce the shoulder of the sash and reduce the load on the node. For the manufacture of supports should be used 10 mm steel. Each bearing and axle for bearings must have 8 bearings. Cheap Chinese is better not to use, since their life is short. It is better to purchase more expensive ones, the purchase will be justified.
The cross section of the pipe should determine the size of the bearings. The pipe will act as a guide rail. Before making do-it-yourself rollers for sliding gates, you will need to purchase bearings. It is important to pay attention to the protection of the ball mechanism, which is called the boot. It can be metal rubber or metal. It is better to dwell on the first option, since the product will be in contact with negative factors, and the metal will rust, being unsuitable for further use.
Having examined the photo of the rollers for sliding gates, you will have to make them yourself and carry out corrosion protection with your own hands. This need is due to the fact that the nodes are constantly in contact with precipitation. Self-galvanizing is unlikely to be possible, therefore, staining and priming must be done in several layers. This will become one hundred percent protection, however, only for a while.
By purchasing roller bearings, you can choose a model with metal bearings or polymer bearings. It is better to purchase a product with metal clips, since the operation of polymers requires the observance of the temperature range, which is in the range from - 20 to + 50 ° C. Otherwise, the polymers will begin to lose shape and break.
After reading the detailed description of the rollers for sliding gates, you can make them yourself. In order to slow down the wear of the assembly and distribute the load, the upper part must be made movable. This applies to supports. In this case, the rollers in the rail will tilt towards the movement of the sash. It is also important to take care of moisture protection. The factory supports are galvanized, so they can come into contact with water without being damaged.
Having bought roller bearings, you can install them with or without adjusting plates. Otherwise, installation is carried out on a concrete channel. Their base is tacked by welding, after which you can check the progress of the gate. If movement is difficult, the welding is cut off and the supports reinstalled. After that, they should be welded and checked for ease of movement. The described manipulations are repeated until the gate opens and closes effortlessly.
After reading a detailed description of the manufacture of rollers for sliding gates, you can make this assembly yourself. By complementing it with an adjustment mechanism, you will make the installation process simpler and faster. To do this, it is necessary to weld the plates to the channel by installing roller bearings on top. In order to carry out the adjustment, it is necessary to rotate the nuts on the studs of the adjustment plates. It is important to provide a clearance between the guide rails and the support rollers, which should be a maximum of 2 mm. Otherwise, the lower free corner of the sash will dive when closing, without falling onto the lower shelf of catchers. In this case, the sash will not close.