DIY Chain Link Fence Gate Opener -Install Swing Gate Opener for Driveway ( Bulldog Hinge)

In this video, I'll demonstrate how to build a custom DIY "bulldog" hinge bracket for an automatic swing gate opener to be used for actuating a solar-powered electric chain link fence gate opener for your driveway.
I bought this motorized automatic gate opener online, but none of the fence gate hardware (other than a mounting plate) worked for a 4" metal chain link fence gate pole. So, I had to make a custom gate bracket. I decided to pattern it off of a "bulldog hinge" which is used primarily for chain link fence gates, but I had to make a different mount for the swing gate motor actuator to attach to it.
Here's a link to an automatic gate opener like what I bought:
-Automatic Single Swing Arm Gate Opener with Solar Panel: amzn.to/3Cmlfop
-Bulldog chain link fence hinge bracket: amzn.to/3XJKkU5
-A similar bracket to what I built (You will have to customize it): amzn.to/3oSEHWL
-I used this Cheap Lotos Plasma Cutter to make my bracket: amzn.to/3oQxl67
(note: if you follow one of these affiliate links and purchase a product, it gives me a small commission which helps me continue to make videos. Thanks!)
I built the diy hinge bracket out of mild steel using my plasma cutter, drill press, steel bender, and ratchet set. Since most people don't have a plasma cutter, you could easily cut out the bulldog curved tooth profile with an angle grinder or repurpose an actual bulldog hinge. My next question is WHY don't you have a plasma cutter? They're AWESOME!! ;)
Want to learn how to do other stuff by yourself?
-Here's a link to my DIY and How-To Videos Playlist: • Playlist
Transcript: We needed to figure out an automatic gate solution for this chain link fence gate that we have here and I bought a swing arm gate opener on eBay. You can also buy them on Amazon and other places but they don't come with all the brackets you're going to need. Okay, so I need to make a bracket that will hold this actuator that can open up this gate right here so I'm gonna base my bracket on these hinges it's called a bulldog hinge and what's cool about it is it has this this angle iron here or I should say u-channel and it has a rounded thing that that kind of snugs up against this four inch steel post and then it has a rod that like a u-bolt rod that holds it snug up against there so what I want to do is I'm gonna cut this piece of tube steel down to size or something similar I don't it might maybe something a little smaller but something like this then I'm going to bend this all thread.
I'm gonna Bend this all thread on my Bender around here and make a kind of a u-bolt and then drill it out and put stainless steel nuts on to the all thread to make this kind of bracket it's not going to have this part right here but I'll I'll do something that'll make a that that'll make this so it can attach to this pretty stably stably is that a word I have this Harbor Freight compact steel Bender it's kind of nice it's got these dies right here they kind of give you different radiuses it doesn't have exactly a four inch one so I'm gonna go with the biggest radius and then I'm just gonna kind of eyeball it so I can get it right and then this all thread will slip into here and I have stainless steel washers and nuts to screw that on but the next part I got to do is I gotta weld this bracket right here I'm going to just tack weld here and here and then run run a bead up the back you got to be really careful though because this is probably a zinc plated or galvanized I think it's zinc plated so I just take deep breaths and walk away from the the welding smoke after I do the welding because you're not supposed to breathe any of that zinc or galvanized coating.
Okay, so I did just a couple more small tack welds on the bottom too I think this is going to be more than enough considering I had everything just clamped and it was still operating I think with just a few welds this should have more than enough holding power for this gate opener
part of the fun of having a shop and having all the tools that you have is making your own parts sometimes you're going to save money and sometimes it'll probably come out even but the whole idea is to make things yourself and to gain that knowledge of how to build and expand your tool set okay so I'm taking the newly welded bracket and the u-bolt out to the gate where I'm planning on putting it and it's going to go it's going to go tuck right like that and I can't do this while I'm holding it in my hand so I'm holding the video in my hand so I will show you in a bit how this works
that works pretty darn nice I like it it looks kind of like the one that you purchase but I made it at my house and then so the next thing I'm gonna do is I'm gonna this off of the wall I just had this lash to this fence until I could get the bracket all set I have this other one right here

[@JasonSipe16]

How did YOU attach your gate opener to your chain link fence post?

[@Diamond52894]

I’m a fthb and I am going to do this! Thanks for sharing!

[@Diamond52894]

Please, for the love of anything sacred, wear PPE while welding 😷 goggles are great too!

[@JasonSipe16]

Good tip!