How to put a door/gate with T posts?

[black_cat]

Well if you know you can't do it alone, then don't go that route. I think you might need someone to hold something for you every once in a while, but if you know how construct it, it should turn out well if you pace yourself. And ask questions

I know how to construct it in theory, and have had some practice with my mom. However, I'm not sure if I'll be able to convince her that I can do it on my own.

 

[perkolator]

I've got doors on t-post fences if you're looking for ideas.

First is on my chicken run extension - t-posts w/welded wire fencing, with the door off our old chicken coop transferred to it. I simply attached a 2x4 to the t-post with some metal plumber's tape/hanger strap, then my door hinges screw into the 2x4. There is no crossbar connecting the two posts flanking the doorway, has been ok for most of the year, but for long-term it would be better to connect them so the forces and fencing can't pull the t-posts out of alignment.

My rabbit run has a very primitive "gate" on it -- I was just going to attach a PVC-framed gate with zip-ties as hinges, but instead got lazy and just left a flap of fencing beyond the t-post. I threaded a piece of PVC pipe through the edge of the gate panel to stiffen it up, and drove a piece of rebar in the ground for the PVC to slide over for "locking". Sounds funky but I've been using this gate twice a day for the last year and it's holding up great.

 

[jinmon]

Hey all! I realize this is an older thread, but this quandry actually inspired me to finally join BYC after lurking/searching for months. I'm a new chicken owner but have been working on expanding my coop and runs too, so this puzzle seemed like a fun one to try and solve, and I think will help me with my own setup!
I was inspired by perkolator's PVC and rebar usage! I previously used PVC over a t-post to make fly trap hanger in my horse's paddock, and it worked great, so as you're using t-posts, I started wondering how you'd use t-posts and PVC together to make a gate and came up with a couple solutions.
They both hinge on having two t-posts very close together - one that attaches to the end of the fencing material, and the other almost right next to it so they can later be tied together loosely with wire or zip ties. Onto this second post you slide PVC hinges (or the entire side of the gate if you used T-shaped PVC connectors on that one side), then attach the two posts together at the top (and possibly between the hinges if using them) to stop the gate from being removed by sliding up and off the T-post. The gate itself is made from PVC in the shape of a frame made with straight pieces and 90-degree elbows with hardware cloth or other sturdy mesh fencing material zip-tied or wired to the PVC frame. The gate latches to another t-post using a simple chain mechanism, though you could get fancy and use another latch type if you liked.
I drew up the two versions and will attach pix here:

I'm not much of an artist but hopefully this gives you an idea of what I'm thinking. I'm thinking these would be relatively inexpensive, very lightweight, pretty sturdy, and wouldn't require much in the way of tools.
Total sidebar: I don't have a truck so my building materials are usually hauled around in a Honda Fit (which can, shockingly, fit an 8' board - 10' has to go out the passenger window a bit!). I found that smaller diameter PVC can be cut with a PVC cutter very quickly in the parking lot, so you can buy long lengths of pipe and save a ton of money and still get it home easily if you know the length you need to cut it to ahead of time and remember your tape measure PVC that fits over a t-post might need to be a little bigger in diameter though? Might need a hacksaw. But if you use connectors for hinges, you could use smaller-diameter pipe for the gate frame and easily cut it in the parking lot.
Anyway, I'd love to hear what you ended up doing, black cat! And if anyone has any thoughts or feedback on my ideas I'd love to hear them too, as I'm still learning and maybe they'll be useful to others down the line too!

 

[perkolator]

Idea #2 uses less materials. Looks like you have a pivot in the design like a piece of rebar or pipe running through it, that could work well IMO.
If you don’t have the rebar or pipe for the pivot, you could use metal wire attached to the t-post and run through the pvc to be a simple hinge.

 

[jinmon]

Idea #2 uses less materials. Looks like you have a pivot in the design like a piece of rebar or pipe running through it, that could work well IMO.
If you don’t have the rebar or pipe for the pivot, you could use metal wire attached to the t-post and run through the pvc to be a simple hinge.

Good point about it using less materials - it uses fewer connectors and requires fewer cuts too! I conceived of a second t-post as the pivot running up through the left side of the gate - essentially, the left side of the frame does double duty as both the side of the gate and the hinge. But you’re right, sturdy wire would work too! And technically, you wouldn’t need that left-hand piece of PVC at all - essentially you build a 3-sided frame with hinges at the ends of the top and bottom horizontal pieces - but the PVC would give you something to attach that side of the wire fencing to for stability. Lots of options!