After 22 years our Bump Gate delay catch posts were looking past their use-by date. So I thought I would replace them with the same 100 mm x 75 mm treated hardwood. But that was not to be. In these post-Covid times of product supply shortages, I couldn’t find a scrap of suitable straight or treated timber available in stock.

As I was at the hardware store I had a look around and spied these galvanized steel end posts used for landscaping with pine sleepers. The plus side of these posts is that being galvanised they are not susceptible to dry rot, they are a C section so they are lighter than a rectangular post and they also require less concrete.

While installing the new style of delay catch posts I found yet another advantage. If you attach the delay catch bracket and the delay hook to the end post before installing it, you can more easily position the post in relation to the delay hook and the lockpin bracket on the gate, and get it right first time.

The new posts were set up and installed while the concrete was wet and then left for a week. I allowed time for the concrete to cure properly so that it doesn’t break up when our Bump Gate is in use. To prevent accidental use, I tied the gate open to a temporary star picket positioned between the gate and one of the new posts. Now in service, the new delay catch posts work a treat! Best of all, they will not need any attention for a very long time.

So if you’re installing a Bump Gate anytime soon, and have a heavy duty or standard model kit for timber posts, still use your timber hinge and lock posts. But we recommend that you check the landscaping section of your local hardware store and give the galvanised steel end posts a go for your delay catch posts.