A Hampshire gate, New Zealand gate or wire gate is a type of agricultural gate formed from a section of wire fence which can be removed temporarily. This type of gate is used where access is only needed occasionally, or when the cost of a conventional rigid gate cannot be justified. It does not require the heavy gateposts needed to support the weight of a rigid gate, it can be adapted to a variety of terrains, it is cheap and simple to make, and if necessary it can easily be made much wider than a conventional gate.
This type of gate has many different local names throughout the world, sometimes hinting at its rough-and-ready nature and cheap construction. The term "Hampshire gate" is widely used in Britain (including Hampshire) – the names of other counties are occasionally substituted, or more often that of New Zealand. In New Zealand itself it is called a Taranaki gate,[1] while in Ireland it is known as a slap, and in Australia as a cocky's gate ("cocky" is vernacular for "farmer"), bogan gate, running gate, machinery gate or Queensland gate. In the United States it is called a "wire gate,"[2] "portagee gate" (Coastal California),[3] "New Zealand gate," "Texas gate," and other local terms. Though the origins of the gate are obscure, the name Taranaki Gate is believed to reflect the location of its first widespread use;[4] it may well have been invented independently in several places. Most likely, however, is that the common barbed wire version was originally used in the place barbed wire was invented, the United States.
Composition
One type of gate latch that provides additional leverage, making the gate easier to tension.
A Hampshire gate occupies a gateway in a fence similar to that used for a conventional gate. However, instead of a rigid gate, a short section of loose wire fence fits into the gap – this may consist of wire netting or barbed wire, and it usually matches the adjacent fence. One end of the wire is attached permanently to the main fence, and two or more short posts or battens keep it upright and flat – one of these is at the loose end. When the "gate" is closed, this end post fits into a loop of wire at the base of the fixed fence, and the top is then pulled tight to tension it. The top of the post may be held by another loop of wire, or additional tension may be provided by a length of chain looped around the post and hooked onto a nail. A lever-lock gate replaces the upper wire loop with a wooden lever.[5] Proprietary closures are also available which give still greater tension, usually by means of an over-centre mechanism (see photo below).
If use is likely to be very rare (perhaps only in emergencies), the gate may be wired shut for security – an emergency then only requires the cutting of the securing wire, not cutting the fence itself. When open, the Hampshire gate is folded back against the adjacent fence to avoid it becoming entangled with animals, people or machinery.
Usage
Typical uses for a Hampshire gate include giving occasional access between adjacent landowners, giving access to small woods for forestry operations, rotational grazing, or allowing unusually large traffic to bypass a normal route. In the American West, it is extremely common in rural areas, particularly on ranches, where it is the most frequently used type of gate used between pastures, and in fencelines separating rangeland of different owners, or separating public and private land.
^Nichols, Jesse "Tex" (9 May 1981). "The Lever-Lock Gate" (Interview). Interviewed by Fleischhauer, Carl; Wilson, William Albert. hdl:loc.afc/afc96ran.v029 – via Library of Congress.
March 06, 2023
hampshire, gate, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, april, 200. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Hampshire gate news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2009 Learn how and when to remove this template message A Hampshire gate New Zealand gate or wire gate is a type of agricultural gate formed from a section of wire fence which can be removed temporarily This type of gate is used where access is only needed occasionally or when the cost of a conventional rigid gate cannot be justified It does not require the heavy gateposts needed to support the weight of a rigid gate it can be adapted to a variety of terrains it is cheap and simple to make and if necessary it can easily be made much wider than a conventional gate A wire gate western United States Contents 1 Terminology 2 Composition 3 Usage 4 See also 5 ReferencesTerminology EditThis type of gate has many different local names throughout the world sometimes hinting at its rough and ready nature and cheap construction The term Hampshire gate is widely used in Britain including Hampshire the names of other counties are occasionally substituted or more often that of New Zealand In New Zealand itself it is called a Taranaki gate 1 while in Ireland it is known as a slap and in Australia as a cocky s gate cocky is vernacular for farmer bogan gate running gate machinery gate or Queensland gate In the United States it is called a wire gate 2 portagee gate Coastal California 3 New Zealand gate Texas gate and other local terms Though the origins of the gate are obscure the name Taranaki Gate is believed to reflect the location of its first widespread use 4 it may well have been invented independently in several places Most likely however is that the common barbed wire version was originally used in the place barbed wire was invented the United States Composition Edit One type of gate latch that provides additional leverage making the gate easier to tension A Hampshire gate occupies a gateway in a fence similar to that used for a conventional gate However instead of a rigid gate a short section of loose wire fence fits into the gap this may consist of wire netting or barbed wire and it usually matches the adjacent fence One end of the wire is attached permanently to the main fence and two or more short posts or battens keep it upright and flat one of these is at the loose end When the gate is closed this end post fits into a loop of wire at the base of the fixed fence and the top is then pulled tight to tension it The top of the post may be held by another loop of wire or additional tension may be provided by a length of chain looped around the post and hooked onto a nail A lever lock gate replaces the upper wire loop with a wooden lever 5 Proprietary closures are also available which give still greater tension usually by means of an over centre mechanism see photo below If use is likely to be very rare perhaps only in emergencies the gate may be wired shut for security an emergency then only requires the cutting of the securing wire not cutting the fence itself When open the Hampshire gate is folded back against the adjacent fence to avoid it becoming entangled with animals people or machinery Usage EditTypical uses for a Hampshire gate include giving occasional access between adjacent landowners giving access to small woods for forestry operations rotational grazing or allowing unusually large traffic to bypass a normal route In the American West it is extremely common in rural areas particularly on ranches where it is the most frequently used type of gate used between pastures and in fencelines separating rangeland of different owners or separating public and private land See also EditStile Bump gate Kissing gate Cattle grid cattle guard References Edit Orsman H W 1999 The Dictionary of New Zealand English Auckland Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 558347 7 K J B 31 July 2019 Wire Gates and Fences Denver Colorado Department of Transportation Retrieved 2 July 2022 Wildlife Study Area Fence Installation Sacramento California Department of Parks and Recreation 12 March 2013 Retrieved 2 July 2022 Taranaki gate in Collins English Dictionary Nichols Jesse Tex 9 May 1981 The Lever Lock Gate Interview Interviewed by Fleischhauer Carl Wilson William Albert hdl loc afc afc96ran v029 via Library of Congress Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Hampshire gate amp oldid 1096167012, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
