D&D Technologies

A gravity latch drops into its keeper as the gate swings shut, so the gate latches itself with no one doing anything. That is what you want on a gate that must not be left standing open — a pet gate, a yard gate, anything with a safety function. A slide bolt or a post latch has to be operated by hand and is for a gate you want held shut rather than latched automatically.

Gravity latches

Regular and heavy duty versions are stocked. Heavy duty is the one for a solid timber gate, where the extra mass means the latch takes a real hit every time the gate closes. The heavy duty version with cable and ring lets you release the latch from the far side of the gate by pulling the ring, which is the traditional garden-gate arrangement.

Thumb latches

A thumb latch is operated from both sides: press the thumb lever on the outside, lift the arm on the inside. It suits a front or side gate where you need to get in and out without a key and want something that looks the part.

Post and loop latches

Post latches mount on the gate and catch a keeper on the post, in standard and contemporary styling. The round rail loop latch is for gates built from round rail rather than square section, where a flat-backed latch has nothing to sit on.

Slide bolts and drop rods

A slide bolt holds a gate shut and can usually take a padlock. On a double gate, the drop rod holds the passive leaf while the active leaf latches to it — listed with the accessories.

Security

None of these is a lock. If the gate needs to be secured, use a lockable latch — the LokkLatch range is key lockable from one or both sides — or add a padlockable slide bolt or drop bolt.