Commercial Sliding Gate Installation Vancouver — Cantilever, V-Track, and Access Control

A commercial sliding gate is not a residential gate scaled up. The engineering is different, the operator requirements are different, the access control integration is more complex, and the installation has to account for site conditions that residential installations never deal with — heavy truck traffic, 24/7 operation, vehicle detection loops, and integration with building access control systems.

Cantilever vs V-Track

V-track sliding gates run on a ground-mounted track. The gate has wheels or rollers on the bottom that ride in the track. V-track is appropriate for paved, stable surfaces. The problem with V-track in Metro Vancouver is the climate — ground heave, track debris accumulation, and damage from snowplows or equipment running over the track all cause operational problems. Cantilever sliding gates have no ground track. The gate is supported by rollers mounted on a post on the latch side and the gate cantilevers across the opening. The gate extends behind the opening to create the counterbalance. The key advantage: nothing on the ground that can be damaged, iced over, or blocked. For any site with vehicle traffic that might damage a ground track, or any site with uneven or gravel surfaces, cantilever is the right specification.

Operators — DEA and LiftMaster

DEA Kaiman is our standard specification for heavy commercial sliding gates — rated to 2,000 kg gate weight, heavy-duty rack-and-pinion drive. For lighter applications under 800 kg the DEA Tiger is appropriate. LiftMaster SL595 is the heavy commercial option on the LiftMaster side.

Access Control Integration

A commercial gate without access control is just a gate someone has to open manually. We integrate proximity card readers, keypad entry, telephone intercoms, video intercoms, vehicle loop detectors, and exit wands as part of gate installations. Vehicle loop detectors — inductive loops embedded in the pavement — detect vehicle presence and signal the gate to open for exit or prevent the gate from closing on a vehicle in the opening. These are a safety requirement on any gate with automatic operation in a commercial facility. For commercial gate installation across Metro Vancouver call (604) 206-5727.