The Superlock – Now a Stainless Steel Lock!

As the Gatemaster brand has increased its reach in the past few years, the demands of our customers have been growing accordingly. Our products are being used in all sorts of situations, conditions, and climates – from snowy winters to tropical hot summers.

With all of this in mind, we wanted to use the material best known for its durability and corrosion resistance: stainless steel.

What’s changed?

We were already using stainless steel for certain parts in our locks like the latch, front plate, and the fixing bolts. These have been manufactured out of stainless steel all along, as they endure the most impact and wear. The big difference is that now everything is made out of stainless steel – inside and out. Even the lock box itself is now fully stainless.

What has not changed, though, is the colour: we are still powder coating our locks to suit the design of your gate. Our standard colours are black, green and anthracite grey, however, our powder coating line can provide any colour you like as we do this in house.

Our handles remain the same as well: we offer a range of stainless steel or aluminium handles in different designs suitable for every gate style.

Innovating the inside

Stainless steel lock accessories

All our locks from the Superlock range are getting the stainless update, including the code locks and the quick exit locks.

We are not stopping there, though. In the coming weeks, our security keeps will be updated to stainless steel as well. Although they’ll still come fully painted and it might be difficult to see the difference, you’ll know that the stainless steel will have your back.

And in the spirit of things, we have recently updated our drop bolts and moved all galvanized parts to stainless steel, because why should the locks and keeps have all the fun!

What’s the catch?

Reading this, you might be wondering what the catch is. But there really isn’t one. We believe in constant innovation and improvement here at Gatemaster and with the markets evolving and customers looking for different gates, designs and solutions compared to 10 years ago, why should your lock stay behind? It is one of the key elements of your gate, after all.

We listen to our customers, take their feedback to heart, and use it to make better products – for everyone. So, we keep investing in our products, our people, our processes, and our equipment to improve all stages of our production. And the result of that is an all stainless steel lock that’ll do the job!

What do you think about our stainless steel lock evolution? We want to hear your thoughts and questions (and maybe to talk some more about our stainless steel Superlock…).

So, get in touch via e-mail sales@gatemasterlocks.com, connect with us on LinkedIn or give us a call on +44 (0) 1243 558 580.

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A Strong Gate Hinge: The Superhinge carries it all

Our partners at Hill Trident have come up with a brilliant solution: a manual bi-folding gate. As it folds, the leaves only take half as much space and fit nicely behind the existing construction, as can be seen in the video. And not using motors and electronics was a huge cost-saver.

While applauding their solution, we are proud to having played a key role in this with our heavy duty gate hinge, the Superhinge. To make this set-up work, the gate hinges need to work smoothly under extreme loads, in all circumstances, for a very long time, which is a challenge in itself.

So, what makes our Superhinge so suitable for such a job?

The combination of all these factors makes our Superhinge the perfect hinge for making this bi-folding gate a flexible and versatile solution, compared to a traditional sliding gate.

For Hill Trident this gate worked perfectly to provide access for their lorries when needed, but the Superhinge can be used for most heavy gates to provide you with that extra peace of mind. If you’re still wondering if the Superhinge will work for you, then rest assured our knowledgeable sales team will be able to guide you to the perfect solution for your needs.

For a project such as this, our recommendation will depend on the width of the opening, the weight of the gates, the frequency of use and the use requirements of the gates. Contact us with your questions on +44 (0)1243 552066 or send us an email at sales@gatemasterlocks.com so we can ensure you get the right result.  

Extra tip!

Adding a third hinge to your gate is a great safety measure. However, if you are working with a smaller gate that does not require three hinges, you could use our new Gate Restrainer. The Gate Restrainer will ensure that your gate doesn’t drop or fall over should the hinges fail.

This device is small and unobtrusive when you don’t need it, but can prove to be vital, for example if the top hinge were to fail due to high winds. The gate restrainers come in two sizes and will work on a leaf up to 500 kg.

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What’s better? Mechanical code lock or electronic system?

The Gatemaster mechanical code lock has been out there for a while now and has received some great feedback from happy customers. However, we regularly get the question: what is so good about it, why not use an electronic lock with a code panel?

As we offer both an electric strike and a fully mechanical code lock, we wanted to make this comparison and point out a few situations where one works better than the other.

Why would you choose a mechanical code lock?

Gatemaster offers a varied range of code locks, all of which are fully mechanical: this means that they do not require any form of electricity or battery power. This can be a significant advantage in certain situations.
You can see our range of mechanical code lock here: https://www.gatemasterlocks.com/product-category/gate-locks/digital-locks-2/

Easy installation on remote locations

It would be fair to say that in the main fence and gate installers are a pretty hardy bunch – working outside in all weathers, with heavy materials in sometimes very difficult situations.  Gates and fencing are required in a wide variety of locations; around electricity pylons, alongside motorways and railroads, on drilling platforms in the middle of the sea, near harsh coastal areas, and even the domestic installations have many challenges – to name but a few!

Quite often all those gates need to be accessible by a number of authorised persons, where keys are usually not the best option.

In these situations, do you want to have to find a power source, dig a trench and running long lengths of cabling for an electronic system?  Most people would need no persuasion that this task could be very costly and time consuming. As a result, the ease of a mechanical code lock makes it very attractive!

Never run out of ‘juice’

Additionally, locks at remote locations are quite rarely used, but they still need to work flawlessly every time they are required. Batteries can run out at an inappropriate moment, and electrical wiring can easily become problematic in harsh conditions. Imagine trying to get onto a drilling platform in the middle of a storm and finding the lock is stuck?

A mechanical code lock is a simple and reliable locking mechanism is essential in such situations.

Price and security

Even on private houses, some sort of access control can be useful. Children come home from school and need to bring their bicycle through their gate along with their friends, and the window cleaner or the mother-in-law occasionally like to invade. In these cases, having to share a bunch of keys is not always the best solution.

As mentioned before, installing an electric or electronic system can quickly become a costly undertaking when you take all the elements into account. However, going for the cheapest option is not always a safe bet. Some low-end electronic code panels have a “dry contact” – this means they can be easily passed by creating a short-circuit. A split solution is a safer option in this case.

Complex solutions that connect wirelessly to the internet or other devices can be prone to all sorts of threats, including hacking over the internet, so you either have to trust that the manufacturer has taken the necessary precautions, or you need to do your own bit of research. Often, this will end up to be an ‘overkill’ for the actual task at hand.

In the end, a simple mechanical code lock with a heavy latch with just a couple of different codes can be the best option. If you want additional protection of the latch, take a look at our BSK security keep: 

Options and upgrades

It is never nice to hear “you should have thought of that before” – and it is definitely not something you want to tell your customer. Luckily, you probably won’t have to: if you have chosen to work with Gatemaster locks, we did think of that before, so our locks can replace one another with no extra effort.  All of the locks from the Superlock series fit in the same holes. So when you have prepared the gate for installation, your customers can change their minds at any time.

We offer both a double-sided or single-sided mechanical code lock, together with a quick exit option.  These are also all interchangeable with our key and handle Superlocks if the digital lock didn’t work out. 

Why would you choose a Gatemaster electric strike?

When you are installing an automated gate, there is often a pedestrian gate to one side. In some cases the customer will expect this gate to have an intercom or an electric release of some sort. That is usually not a complicated addition, since all the wiring will be run to the location anyway.

There are obviously other situations where a remote release or a combination of physical and electronic access control are required: such as school gates, office buildings, parking garages, and so on.

Unfortunately, some less experienced gate professionals use systems that were designed for inside or entrance doors – including the latch. This is definitely not recommended!

Gates are not doors: they are designed to be outside and withstand any changes in the weather, ground shifting, all kinds of changes overtime, maintenance-free, for longer periods. Gates are legally required to have larger gaps between the frame and the posts for safety reasons. All this can cause movement and corrosively attack the material, which internal hardware products are not equipped to deal with.

Gatemaster ERHDM electric strike is designed for these situations as it:

• Is made of stainless steel
• Allows for bigger gap tolerance
• Is reliable and durable

Next to that, the Gatemaster strike can work with nearly any existing system as it:

• Can be set to function in ‘fail-open’ or ‘fail-close’
• Is designed to connect to any existing access control system, including electronic keypads, quick releases, remote controls or numerous other accessories
• Can work both with Gatemaster locks and other external locks

Find the product here.

Conclusion?

To conclude, we believe that our mechanical code locks can help make your life easier because they are quick and easy to use and install, will never run out of “juice” and will be keeping your property secure without you having to think about it.  They are a great solution for difficult locations and often are a money saver compared to electronic systems.

When an electric strike is required, we obviously urge everyone to use the right product for the right job and choose for a product that was designed for outside.

We passionately believe that over-complicating things is never a good idea, simple and sturdy products will do their job for a long time and will add a robust finish to any gate. On the flip side, nobody ever blames the manufacturer of the spare parts when their car breaks down.  So choosing a poorly made or unsuitable lock could well come back on the gate installer, not the hardware company!

Looking for a solution for your gate?  We can point you in the right direction, just give us a call on +44 (0)1243 558580 or send us an email at sales@gatemasterlocks.com.

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Locking Drop bolt to complete the range

Good news from our drop bolt family! Our Locking Drop bolt has been added to our range of modern gate hardware.

Existing Products

Auto-Locking Drop Bolt

Concealed Drop Bolt

About our new Drop Bolt

Our locking drop bolts combine good looks and ease of use with additional features to make your life as a gate professional easier.

Elegant design and modern materials

The housing and the handle of the drop bolts are made of powder coated steel – another great way of protecting the material against the weather. These elements can easily be painted or powder coated with your gate in any colour to blend in easily.

Installation perks

This drop bolt is a “bolt-on” version, which means that it easily installs in two 15 mm holes. You therefore only need to drill these on one side of the gate. We have designed it to accept self-expanding screws (provided in the package) that will fasten inside the post once you start tightening them. An allen key is all you will need for the job.

Our factory best is 2:36 min to pop one of these on the gate. Let us know if you break our record!

Moreover, there are three height positions on the pin to allow for height adjustment of 100 mm. This is great when you are working with an uneven surface or the gate is installed on a slope.  This pin is easily unscrewed to re-adjust before the drop bolt is installed, but cannot be tampered with when the gate is closed.

Technical features

Finally, the specific shape of the handle is designed to make sure that it is clamped between the two wings when you close your gate. You can turn the handle and pull the bolt up only after one wing is opened. This simple but secure method ensures that nobody can push your gate open after you have locked it.

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