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I have this outdoor wrought iron gate that slams badly. It has a basic spring closure. How can I add some sort of shock absorption or piston or something to make it close more softly?

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Mastiff
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    Could just use a rubber bumper so it doesn't make the slamming noise, it probably needs some amount of force to be able to latch (if there is a latch). – Ron Beyer Feb 15 '21 at 15:57
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    Was going to suggest a screen door closure, but seeing the second picture you might be able to adjust the spring. The holes on top seem to be for adjustment of spring tension. – crip659 Feb 15 '21 at 15:57
  • @crip659 Exactly what those holes are for... type it up as an answer. – JACK Feb 15 '21 at 17:24
  • @JACK do not know if it would work seeing the attachment plates are welded to post/gate now, might only adjust length instead of tension. – crip659 Feb 15 '21 at 17:34
  • Just reducing spring tension won't stop it from slamming I don't think. It might help a little, but the momentum of the gate starting from full open will still be significant. – Mastiff Feb 15 '21 at 17:47
  • Can try teaching persons to hold the gate instead of just letting go. This might be the most difficult fix. One of the pistons for hatchbacks might work, they are made to hold doors open, but require some pressure to close. – crip659 Feb 15 '21 at 18:27
  • Reducing the tension may help but the rubber baby buggy bumpers will probably be needed. – Ed Beal Feb 15 '21 at 18:35
  • How would bumpers be used specifically? The only current contact point is the latch itself. – Mastiff Feb 15 '21 at 19:02
  • Is the spring necessary? Do you need gate to close with spring help? Removal of spring will probably be easiest solution since you would control how fast gate closes, unless giving it a good kick. – crip659 Feb 15 '21 at 22:41
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    Pool + dogs. So auto closing is a good feature. – Mastiff Feb 15 '21 at 23:43

2 Answers2

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The holes in the top of the spring are used to increase or lessen tension on the spring. It's the same principle you will find on a spring-loaded barrel hinge. You should find a pin in the last hole on the barrel that is up against a stop. Place a narrow metal rod like a small screwdriver or allen wrench into one of the holes and rotate the top of the barrel to lessen tension on the pin and remove it. You can then reinsert the pin in a different hole to give it the proper tension.

HoneyDo
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    Use caution - while this shouldn't be anywhere near the tension found in a garage door torsion spring, it can still pack a punch and yank your turning rod out of your hand and throw it in a random direction. If that random direction happens to be at you, it could hurt. A lot. – FreeMan Feb 15 '21 at 19:07
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What you seek is known as a linear damper, often called a shock absorber. These devices are not to be confused with gas lift springs. These devices slow the travel of the objects on which they are mounted. Automobiles once used shock absorbers in combination with suspension springs and you'll find combinations of these in use today, but for the gate, a linear damper is the answer.

McMaster-Carr is one resource, although there are many. Some are fixed travel speed, others are adjustable. Travel distance is also a parameter to be determined. Image below from linked site:

linear damper

You can determine the force to be damped by placing a suitable scale on the gate at the approximate location for the mounting. An adjustable damper will reduce some of the hit-or-miss approach. Ensure you'll have sufficient travel to manage closed-to-full-open distance, which can be varied by changing the angle on the fixed end mount relative to the hinge post.

Edit to address comment:

There's no compression involved in a linear damper. You can push it to a specific location (with sufficient force) and it remains. Think of it as a speed limiter. You would be able to increase (if needed) the spring tension to adjust the force involved.

Consider the lowly floor air pump. If you pull the handle upwards and release, the handle should (may) descend from the force of gravity. If you push with great force (strong spring on the gate), it will move faster, but is limited by how quickly the air will exit the hose unobstructed.

Obstruct the hose end more and the great force will not result in as rapid a movement, but will eventually reach the objective (gate closed).

One word is worth one one-thousandth of a picture, top-view, created in-house:

gate damper

fred_dot_u
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  • I like this solution. I'm struggling a bit with how it would mount though. Perhaps on the bottom such that it is compressed when the gate is opened? This would require some brackets since there is a connection to the ground between the gate and fence side. – Mastiff Feb 15 '21 at 19:18
  • added edit for comment clarification – fred_dot_u Feb 15 '21 at 20:38