Gate pins

[zuiko]

Anyone have a tip for installing the pins on a gate? All the ones I've seen are one solid piece with shallow threads on one side, maybe 4" or so long and the thumb the gate hangs on on the other side. I've tried using a wrench on the thumb part but it wasn't easy and it chewed up the thumb quite a bit in the process. I will probably get a foot long length of pipe that fits over the thumb and see if that makes a difference, but I'm wondering if you all have any other tips? I drilled the holes 9/16, I think I might need to go up to 5/8 since they are still very hard to put in.

[LazyJ_Arabians]

The pipe over the thumb will work okay on the top hingepin but the bottom one is still a problem with the ground limiting your rotation. Take an old 1/2" drive socket in the 1 1/4" size or so and grind out a slot out of the side so it will slide over the "tongue". Attach a breakover bar and slide on sufficient cheater bar. Now your hanging gates like a pro.

[edt]

zuiko what kind of a wrench did you use i use a 5/8 box end wrech with a pilote hole drilled and seems too work ok
EDT

[SteveBenson]

I brought my pin down to HD and looked in there little rack of 3' long steel tubes. I found a square tube that the pin fit into real snug. Brought it home and cut it in half to use as my wrench. Works great, but I did run into the ground interference problem. I just shortened one of the wrenches to a bout 12" to use on the bottom. Sometimes I need to trim a little more off it and I do that as required.

[zuiko]

I ended up enlarging the holes to 5/8" and using a 12" piece of 3/4" steel pipe. It worked pretty good, enough leverage that they were easy enough to put in but no interference with the ground.

Thanks.

[mikell]

Stick it through the hole in the end if a 12" cersent wrench and you don't have to go all the way around. Especially helpful on the bottom pin.

mikell

[Slamfire]

The box end of a combination wrench is what I use. You can reach back to get the thumb when the ground gets too close.