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Hydraulic gate closer vs spring on a garden gate

Updated: October 2026

The gate bangs, or it stands open after the courier. A hydraulic gate closer vs spring choice is which of those problems you will still have on Sunday. The [garden gate closer comparison](/hub/fencing-and-wire/garden-gate-closer) holds the amazon.co.uk prices from 19 October 2026 for the coils and the two hydraulic listings in this set. Peter F. used those files and public UK notes on damping. This is not a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Hinges that replace the existing knuckles are a third mechanism. They stay on their own page. This one is the bolt-on pair: a coil that only pulls, and a damper that only works inside a printed gate.

The gate bangs, or it stands open after the courier. A hydraulic gate closer vs spring choice is which of those problems you will still have on Sunday.

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.A spring stores force; a hydraulic unit spends it
  2. 2.The coils on this shelf, including the door-closer case
  3. 3.Two hydraulic listings that are not the same closer
  4. 4.Which one to buy, with the condition attached

A spring stores force; a hydraulic unit spends it

Open a coil and the spring stretches. Let go and it pulls hardest while it is still stretched, then the leaf accelerates into the latch. Nothing in the coil checks that last movement. SpringFix and Gatemaster put it the same way: a spring-assisted closer shuts quickly, and a hydraulic unit damps the close. On a light picket gate you may accept the bang. An overtensioned spring makes it worse. A hydraulic closer can separate travel from the latch, and it still needs a stop at about 90 degrees. Lockey says a missing stop voids the GCTB175 warranty. A five-second close is RoSPA guidance for play areas. None of these listings print that time.

The coils on this shelf, including the door-closer case

Three coils are the spring side. The Weielt 14 inch at about £12.99 has 4.4 from 419 reviews and no kilogram limit. The Zymuegist at about £12.39 has 4.5 from 17. The scottchen PRO at about £25.99 has 4.3 from 330 and the same missing weight. Pins that walk out show up on the Weielt and the scottchen. Paying about £25.99 does not buy oil in the cylinder. The Burg-Wächter 271 at about £11.95 is a surface spring arm in a case, ranked in Door Closers, with no hydraulic damper. A field cites BS EN 1634-1. That is not a fire-door certificate. Some UK reviews used it on a gate, and one case split. Do not put it on a fire door. Which way up the coil goes is on how to fit a garden gate closer. More tension is not a substitute for damping.
WUDLEP WUDLEP TB200

Testsieger

WUDLEP WUDLEP TB200
5.8/10about £59.99
View offer

Two hydraulic listings that are not the same closer

The Lockey GCTB175 at about £78 has 4.2 from 187 UK reviews. It is flush butt or T hinges only, hinge centre no more than 6 mm from the post face, 50 kg, 1.0 m on the maker’s sheet, and 90 degrees, with separate travel and latch speeds. It is not fire rated. UK reviews include pistons that lost force, from months to about four years. That does not turn it back into a coil. The WUDLEP TB200 at about £59.99 prints 40–64 inches and 50–145 lb, about 23–66 kg, with a stop for 90 degrees or less. Speeds are not named. The star line is 5.0 from two ratings and there is no review text. Lockey’s GC200/TB200 family, roughly 50–150 kg, is a different closer. The letters TB200 are not a shared limit. Who should take each one is on best garden gate closer.

Which one to buy, with the condition attached

Buy the Weielt when the leaf is light and a firm shut is acceptable, unless you would gamble on seventeen ratings to save 60 pence. Buy the Lockey when the faces are flush, the hinge centre is within 6 mm of the post face, the leaf is within 50 kg and 1.0 m, and the bang is why you are shopping. Fit the stop. Buy neither when the hinges are offset or the leaf is over the printed limit. The WUDLEP belongs only if the gate sits inside 40–64 inches and 50–145 lb and you accept no written reviews. A hinge, if you will take the leaf off, is on self closing gate hinges.

Common questions

Does a garden gate spring always slam?
It has no damper, so the leaf speeds up as the spring contracts. A light gate and a low tension can be a firm close rather than a crack. Wind it further and the UK reviews describe a slam. A buffer quietens the post. It does not check the swing.
When is the jump from about £13 to about £78 worth it?
When you want the last degrees slowed, and the gate is flush and inside the Lockey limits of 50 kg and 1.0 m. You are paying for travel and latch adjustment, plus 187 UK reviews, not for a closer that ignores offset hinges. The about £59.99 WUDLEP is cheaper and almost unreviewed.
Will the Lockey soften an offset gate?
No. The GCTB175 is flush butt or T hinges only. Offset layouts belong to other closers, including Lockey’s heavier family, which is not the WUDLEP listing. Forcing this unit on is how the warranty and the piston both suffer.
Is the cheaper hydraulic the same product?
No. WUDLEP prints 40–64 inches and 50–145 lb, with two ratings and no review text. Lockey’s GC200/TB200 sheet, up to about 150 kg, is a different model. The shared nickname TB200 is not a shared limit.
Can I use the Burg-Wächter instead of a coil?
You can, in the sense that it is a spring in a case and some reviewers put it on a gate. It is ranked as a door closer, one outdoor case split, and it does not damp. It is not the hydraulic side of this comparison.
Does damping mean the gate will latch?
Only if you set the latch speed and the keep actually meets the bar. Lockey separates travel and latch for that reason. A closer that stops short of the keep is a speed setting or a dropped gate, not proof that oil cannot close a leaf. None of these products print RoSPA’s five-second play-area time.

Related pages

Garden gate closer buying guide

Garden gate closer

Best garden gate closer for a flush UK garden gate

How to fit a garden gate closer so the leaf latches

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)