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How to fit a garden gate closer without a slam

Updated: October 2026

You have the closer on the path and the drill in your hand. How to fit a garden gate closer is mostly about the leaf you already have, not about a new ranking. The [garden gate closer comparison](/hub/fencing-and-wire/garden-gate-closer) is where the eight amazon.co.uk listings and their 19 October 2026 prices sit. Peter F. used those files and the Lockey fitting sheet. This is not a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Follow the paper in your box when it disagrees with a general guide. The failures already in the UK reviews are an upside-down coil, pins that walk out, a missing stop, and a flush closer forced onto offset hinges.

You have the closer on the path and the drill in your hand. How to fit a garden gate closer is mostly about the leaf you already have, not about a new ranking.

Our top picks

WUDLEP WUDLEP TB200

Best overall

WUDLEP WUDLEP TB200
5.8/10about £59.99
View offer
Weielt Weielt 14 inch spring

Best value

Weielt Weielt 14 inch spring
7.0/10about £12.99
View offer
Lockey Lockey GCTB175

Rank 3

Lockey Lockey GCTB175
8.2/10about £78
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Free the leaf before you add a closer
  2. 2.Fit the coil the right way up, then add tension in steps
  3. 3.Fit a flush hydraulic closer with the roller and a stop
  4. 4.When you should stop and call a fitter

Free the leaf before you add a closer

Open and shut the gate with the closer still in the packet. It should swing without you lifting the latch end, and the latch should meet the keep. A binding gate or a dropped hinge will still fail after you add a spring. Lockey’s sheet says the gate must swing freely and the hinges should be greased before the closer goes on. That check is right for a coil as well. Adding tension to a sticking leaf is how a light spring gets wound until it bangs. A flush face, with butt or T hinges, is what the Lockey GCTB175 is drawn for. The hinge centre must be no more than 6 mm from the post face. Do not pack an offset hinge and hope. If you have not bought yet, the coil-or-damper choice is on hydraulic gate closer vs spring.

Fit the coil the right way up, then add tension in steps

The Weielt, Zymuegist and scottchen PRO springs are about 14 inches. UK texts on the scottchen include a spring fitted upside down. Use the diagram in your packet. A pin that will not stay is a reason to stop, not a reason to wind harder. Add tension until the leaf reaches the latch, then stop. The spring pulls hardest when it is stretched, and nothing in the coil slows the last degrees. Set the least tension that latches, from a normal open, not from a kick. Who should skip these springs is on best garden gate closer. The Burg-Wächter 271 is a door closer, not one of these coils. Do not fit it to a fire door.
WUDLEP WUDLEP TB200

Testsieger

WUDLEP WUDLEP TB200
5.8/10about £59.99
View offer

Fit a flush hydraulic closer with the roller and a stop

The Lockey GCTB175 mounts on the opening side and pushes the leaf shut, only where the gate face is flush with the post. The closer pivot lines up with the hinge pivot. Lockey’s sheet puts the guide roller 222 mm from the hinge centre line. Leave the holding pin in until the closer is on the roller. Pull the end cover, slide the groove onto the roller, replace the cover, then open the leaf slightly so the pin can drop out. Forcing the pin out on the bench springs the arm before it is located. Turn the speed screws a little at a time: travel first, then the latch. The opening limit is 90 degrees. Fit a stop, or Lockey says the warranty does not hold. The WUDLEP TB200 also wants a stop for 90 degrees or less, and its pound band is not the Lockey chart. Follow the sheet in that box.

When you should stop and call a fitter

Stop if the hinges are offset and you cannot change them to flush butt or T hinges. Stop if the leaf is over 50 kg and 1.0 m on the Lockey maker’s sheet, or outside 40–64 inches and 50–145 lb on the WUDLEP listing. Stop on a public right of way, where Highways Act 1980 section 147 and BS 5709 sit with the highway authority, and on a school or inspected play area. RoSPA’s five-second guidance is not a setting on these closers. Any fire door is out of scope. A rehang is a different afternoon. The split between 14 kg and about 84 kg is on self closing gate hinges.

Common questions

What should I check before I drill?
That the gate swings freely, the latch meets, and the hinge layout matches the closer. For the Lockey that means a flush face and a hinge centre no more than 6 mm from the post. A binding leaf will still bind after the closer is on.
Which way up does the spring go?
The way the sheet in that box shows, with the adjustment where the maker put it. An upside-down coil is already in the scottchen UK reviews. Do not copy a US top-to-the-right diagram onto a different spring, and do not copy an anti-clockwise note onto a clockwise sheet.
How much tension is enough?
Enough for the latch to catch when you let the leaf go from a normal open. More tension makes a coil slam, because nothing damps the end of the swing. If the pin will not stay in the hole, stop winding.
Where does the Lockey roller go?
222 mm from the hinge centre line, on the opening side, with the closer pivot in line with the hinges. Leave the holding pin in until the roller is in the groove. You may have to make a small bracket so the roller meets the leaf.
Do I need a gate stop?
Yes for the hydraulic units in this set. Lockey voids the GCTB175 warranty if the gate can open past 90 degrees. WUDLEP’s listing asks for a stop for the same reason. The latch can be the stop on the closing side. You still need something on the open side.
Can I pack an offset hinge so the GCTB175 fits?
No. The sheet is flush butt or T hinges only. Packing the post is not the instruction. A public path, a leaf over the printed limit, or a fire door is a fitter’s job, or a closer that was actually drawn for that hinge.

Related pages

Garden gate closer buying guide

Garden gate closer

Best garden gate closer for a flush UK garden gate

Hydraulic gate closer vs spring on your garden gate

Self closing gate hinges if you will rehang the leaf

Sources

Manufacturer pages and UK guidance used for the limits and the rules. Listing prices, stars and review counts are from amazon.co.uk on 19 October 2026.

  1. Lockey GCTB175 garden gate closer (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Lockey GCTB175 fitting instructions (PDF) (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Lockey GC200, GC400 and GC600 gate closers (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. RoSPA Play Safety: gates and access (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK Countryside Code for land managers (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Intertek: EN 1154 controlled door closers (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Gatemaster: automatic closing mechanisms (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. SpringFix UK: spring, hydraulic and self-closing hinges (retrieved 19 October 2026)