Heritage cast jointed gates are much sought after and are getting more difficult to find. Farmweld reproduces both the Sunshine McKay cast jointed gate and the Adelaide made Simpson cast jointed gates, with two differing styles of cast iron knuckles. They are hard to distinguish from the original heritage Sunshine McKay and Simpson gates.
Reproduction heritage cast jointed gates
Original Sunshine McKay gate in need of repair
The old Sunshine McKay & Simpson gates date back to the early 1900’s. The McKay gates were made in Sunshine, Victoria and the Simpson gates from the Adelaide foundry in South Australia. They are fetching high prices at clearing sales and auctions.
It’s surprising to see some really badly damaged gates on Ebay going for ridiculous prices. We can only assume this is because they’re getting harder to find. In 2011 I saw a pair of 2.4m (8′ in the old imperial measurement) gates sell for in excess of $2500. Some gates were irrepairable and others needed some serious restoration work. These prices were for gates that were pick up only, which would have restricted the number of buyers, but they still fetched high prices.
Back in their heyday, these old gates were known as “drag & drop” gates due to their weight. Surviving gates often require a significant amount of restoration to fix badly bent and rusted away bars. I’m not sure what makes these gates so appealing. They were extremely heavy, made with solid steel bars and joined with cast iron joints or ‘knuckles’. The castings on some gates like the Simpson gates, looked quite pretty. Other gate styles were more simple, with a steel frame and twisted wire instead of bars. These were a practical and less attractive gate, however they still attract interest from collectors and renovators.
We first added these gates to our range after a Victorian insurance company approached us to make a set for one of their customers. The cast iron joints and handle are all hand cast in a foundry. We made a gate that was near indistinguishable from the original despite using modern techniques. The cast iron castings are from iron, and the bars are steel pipe, so they’re not quite as heavy as the originals. We use a special welding technique to bond the cast iron to the steel, giving a much smoother finish than piling on mounts of MIG welding. Although a bit lighter than the original McKay gates, they are still very heavy at around 85kgs for a 3.6m gate. The castings are taken from original gates so we are limited to specific sized gates from 8′ / 2.4m through to 12′ / 3.6m. Smaller gates from 1.2m can be made but without the diagonal bracing. Sunshine McKay Gates are available with the smooth knuckles and a ‘bow’ shaped centre. The Simpson gate has a floral patterned centre disc with ornamental castings.
Cast jointed gate with plain castings and bow centre
Ornamental cast knuckles and round centrepiece
All gates are custom made to fit to a maximum length of 3.5m.
For more information about these gates and our other bar farm gates, visit the heritage country gates page.
For more information and pricing contact us today.
Would you please quote on a pair of 7 foot bow centre gates and fittings thanks with delivery to 3337 Melton.
Regards Cheryl
Hi Cheryl, I’ve sent you an email with the pricing. Please let me know if you don’t get it, by giving me a call.
Would you please supply price listings for your farm gates.
Cheers Stuart
Hi Stuart, I’ve sent you an email. Email me direct if you’ve got any questions.
hi i noticed that you have cast iron gates could you recast hinges for the mckay sunshine gates if i found a set . thanks greg.
Hi Greg, If you can get a set to us we can get a quote for having more cast for you. Please email me photos and your contact details.
Hi, old you please give me a price for a 3.8 meter sunshine gate delivered to Perth WA.
Cheers Evan
Evan, I’ve sent you an email along with additional information. As per the article above the longest we make these gates is 3.5m.
just wondering on a price of a 3m gate please
Hi Russell, I’ve sent you an email with the pricing and some other information. You didn’t mention your location so I’ve been unable to quote for delivery. Please email me if you have any other questions.
hi can you please send me a quote for a 12 foot Mckay gate. where are you located and do you ship gates
thanks Hayley Noble
Hi Hayley, I’ve sent you an email with the price but I couldn’t give you an idea of freight as you didn’t say where you’re located. Please get back to me with your details and I’ll send you an all inclusive price for shipping to your door. We’re located in the Adelaide Hills and ship our products all around Australia with very reasonable shipping rates. If you don’t get the email please give me a call.
Could you please send a price list of your gates. Thanks
I’ve sent you an email. If you don’t get it please email me direct at [email protected]
Hey there, was after some prices on the 3.6mt cast jointed gate with the bow centre.
Thanks
Hi Brent, I’ve sent you an email. If you contact me with your location I’ll also include a quote for delivery if required.
Hi could you please give me a price on a 3m cast jointed gate with the round centre.
our location is Wooragee Vic
Thanks
Hi Tania, I’ve emailed you direct.
Hi,
Could you please send me a quote for a pair of 7 foot gates. We are located in Teesdale VIC 3328.
Thanks
Emma I’ve emailed you direct. If anyone else would like a quote please use the form on the ‘Contact Us’ page or email direct. Contact info is also in the footer below.