Boom gates control a lane one vehicle at a time: the arm lifts, a car passes, the arm drops. They are the standard entrance for estates, complexes, office parks, car parks and farm roads, often paired with a guardhouse and a second boom for exits. What makes one work well is less the arm than the system around it: how drivers are let in, what happens during load-shedding, and who services it. Tell us how many lanes and how they should work, and we pass your request to independent gate and access control installers, who quote you directly.
Manual or automatic
A manual boom gate is lifted by hand, usually with a counterweight, and locked down with a padlock. It is cheap and needs no power, which suits farm roads, construction sites and entrances with someone on duty. An automatic boom gate has a motor in the pedestal that raises and lowers the arm on a signal. It suits busy entrances and gates nobody staffs. Arm lengths are roughly 3 m to 6 m, so measure the width of each lane, including any island, before asking for a quote. The pedestal is bolted to a concrete plinth, and an automatic gate needs a power supply at the gate, which often means trenching cable from the nearest building. Ask who does that work and whether it is in the price.
How drivers are let in
The access control decides who gets through. Common options are:
- Remotes for residents and staff
- Keypads with PIN codes for regular visitors
- Intercoms to the guardhouse or to each unit
- Access cards or tags at a reader
- Number plate cameras that open for listed vehicles
Vehicle loops in the road stop the arm coming down on a car and close it behind each vehicle. Many estates add tyre spikes on the exit, or retractable bollards where an entrance needs more than an arm.
Load-shedding, backup and manual release
An automatic boom that stops when the power goes off leaves an entrance either jammed open or blocking residents. Ask for a battery backup that keeps the gate cycling through load-shedding, how many openings it gives on a full charge, and how long the battery usually lasts before it needs replacing. Every automatic boom should also have a manual release so the arm can be lifted by hand in an emergency. Ask who keeps the key.
Guardhouses, humps and servicing
A boom gate rarely stands alone. Many complexes put speed humps before the entrance so cars arrive slowly, and bollards to protect the pedestals from turning vehicles. Arms do get hit, so ask about the price of a replacement arm and whether it has a breakaway fitting. Plan for regular servicing of the motor, loops and backup, and ask for a service contract in the quote.
What to put in your request
- Number of lanes and the width of each
- Manual or automatic
- Remotes, keypad, intercom, cards or cameras
- Power at the gate and trenching needed
- Battery backup and a service plan
Boom Gates for homes, businesses and public spaces
- Homeowners: a manual boom across a long private driveway or a smallholding entrance
- Estates, complexes and body corporates: entry and exit booms at the gatehouse with remotes, intercom and backup
- Shops, malls and petrol stations: car park booms at a shopping centre entrance and exit
- Offices, hotels and car parks: an office park entrance with access card readers and a visitor lane
- Warehouses, factories and depots: a depot or factory gate controlling trucks in and out of the yard
- Municipalities and public spaces: a boom closing a municipal depot, landfill or parking area
- Schools, hospitals and campuses: a school, hospital or campus controlling staff and visitor parking
- Contractors and event organisers: a manual boom at a construction site entrance for the duration of the job
Frequently asked questions
Do you install boom gates yourselves?
What length of boom arm do I need?
Will a boom gate stop a car forcing its way in?
What should a boom gate quote include?
Boom Gates by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg