Can I use my existing farm mesh swing gate for solar system

This is a common question. The answer is yes, but the condition of the gate is important. What I mean by that is, Does it swing well, does it drag on the ground. Is the post stable, etc. So lets go back to the beginning. There are good and bad farm swing gates. The good news is that they are light so easy to push open and close, the bad side is that they are very light and usually 4.3 to 4.5m long so they have a great deal of flex over that length. The post must be more than 100mm diameter, and very strong in the ground. The hinges must work well without too much play and well lubricated. I say that the gate must be level when open, and level when closed. That is the best condition for automation. I do not fit or allow wheels. Because auto gate kits usually work on resistance to turn off, so if a wheel hits a stone on the drive and hesitates for a second, the automation system could see that as an obstacal and turn off. I have seen this many many times, so I say don't do it. But if the gate is level on it's own and swings well, why would you need it?. People ask how to connect the end of the gate motor to the round pipe gate. Well it is usually 30mm pipe so you can drill two holes right through, use plated or galv bolts and I always use M8 bolts with Nylock nuts. You would be surprised how may call outs we get because the bracket comes off the gate. It is usually because someone has used tek screws into the 30mm pipe. They always come loose and come out over time. Always bolt and use nylock nuts. Another method I use is using the gate kit bracket and making up a system using two 30mm pipe clamps. Check the picture. This system is the best because no holes are drilled and the bracket can be moved along the pipe for the best position. I have seen many gates with a row of holes as the installer gets the position wrong so drills some more holes. Not a good idea.. The other regular issue is when an electric lock is fitted. I love locks, but they are not so good on farm gates. The reason for this is, that all electric locks have to line up the two parts to work. So if you have a lot of flex in the gate which you do with 4m pipe gate, the close position keeps moving so the lock does not always line up. The main problem I see, is that when the gate is closed and you click to open, the lock is a but tight or stuck so the controller sees this as an obstical and turns off before the gate can open. This is a very common problem.. You can use a magnetic lock but this is not possible to use with solar. Mains powered only. Magnetic locks only have to get contact on a flat plate so very easy to do. I hope all this helps, but contact me if you need some advice