Skill: Centre Stop Correct Fitting
Skill level: 1
Gate Mechanics
Learning Objective
Understand how to accurately install a centre stop for a pair of swing gates, ensuring it is positioned at the correct location, height, and orientation to prevent over-closing, jamming, or excessive wear — and to support correct gate alignment and be strong enough.
1. Overview
Centre stops:
Prevent over-closing of swing gates
Provide physical resistance for motors at end of travel
Maintain correct closing alignment (especially for twisted or heavy gates)
Help stop gates “racking” (twisting against each other)
Should be fitted whenever physically possible
✅ A poor centre stop installation results in twisting, movement, excessive motor strain, or gates failing to close properly.
2. Tools & Materials Required
Centre stop (model as per gate type)
Chalk/spray paint
Grinder
Tape measure & level
Clamps, batten, or helper (to hold gates shut)
Rapid-set concrete
Spade, trowel, bucket, spirit level, water for cleaning
Wood block or offcut (to wedge/hold gates)
Protective gloves, broom, clean-up tools
Tarmac or your required driveway material
3. Before You Start
Confirm gates are correctly aligned, level, and with tangs set for 30 mm clearance at centre.
Ensure gates are square and shut neatly in the final desired position.
Plan stop position, height, and orientation.
Plan and fit the centre stop in good time before the end of the job so you can make best use of time and not have to wait for the concrete to set before commisioning the gates.
4. Procedure (Main Process)
A. Prepare & Mark Up
Hold gates closed with clamps, battens, or helper. Use a piece of 3x2 timber clamped to the gates to hold them correctly.
Mark the centre line between gates using chalk or spray.
Mark the line of the face of thegates that will touch the stop.
Move the gates out of the way and extend your marks 3-500mm each direction. This will allow you to still see the desired location after you start digging a hole.
B. Dig, Dry-Test & fit the stop
Open the gates fully, pin them back so they don't swing in the wind and smash your lovely new stop.
Place your gate stop in the location indicated by your marked lines, on top of the ground.
Mark around the gate stop. Leave 50mm allround in pavers, leave 100mm in tarmac or gravel drives.
If pavers or tarmac move your gate stop aside and cut with the angle grinder the square where the stop is going. We need a band of concrete all around the stop, so make it neat.
Dig a 300 mm+ deep hole at the marked position.
Get a helper if possible and dry-fit the stop to check:
Centre alignment
Correct clearance under tangs (5–8 mm)
Orientation (upstand facing away from swing direction)
Level in both planes
When you are happy, with the gates still held closed by your helper fill your hole (with the centre stop in position) with rapid set concrete, not too sloppy. You may need to remove the stop briefly to get some concrete underneath.
Opening to allow access, and gently closing the gates to check position, carefully, without making a messon the drive, fill the hole. When it's almost full and there is enough concrete around the stop to support it you can open the gates fully, pin them back so they don't swing in the wind and smash your lovely new stop.
Finish filling up with concrete depending on your driveway material:
In tarmac; leave 20mm for patch repair, leave a rough surface so it sticks.
In gravel; fill to the top and cover in gravel while still wet so it sticks.
In paving; fill with concrete to the top so it holds the remaining pavers firmly in place. You will need to smooth off the concrete to make it look nice. This usually needs 2-3 goes over. once when it's wet, once when it's drying and lastly brush it off with a soft brush when almost dry.
Carefully double check the position once more before pinning the gates back one last time until the concrete is properly set.
5. Best Practices
Always set clearance consistently across both tangs.
Finish concrete flush or almost flush with drive surface for strength and neatness.
Pin back gates and instruct customer not to use gates until concrete has fully cured.
Photograph final installation for the records.
Use metal stops for metal gates, oak stops for wooden gates
Go at leas 300mm deep with concrete
6. Common Mistakes to Avoid
🚫 Not adjusting gates before fitting stop, if gates overclose they will break their own photobeam
🚫 Over-tight stop lifting a gate leaf or causing jamming
🚫 Wrong orientation — stop must face opposite to swing
🚫 Misaligned stop leading to uneven motor strain
🚫 Too much clearance — stop becomes ineffective
🚫 Forgetting to allow for final surface height (gravel, tarmac, etc.)
🚫 Using a bolt-down center stop.... they are rarely effective!
🚫 Fitting stop too high, so it catches on vehicles
7. Safety References
Refer to
SSOW-06: Manual Handling of Posts & Heavy Materials
SSOW-07: Safe Use of Concrete and Cement
SSOW-01: General Site Safety
Oak stop in gravel
Metal stop on metal gates