As mentioned a moment ago, there are a couple of different contributing factors that can cause fence gates to sag.
All outdoor structures and furniture are going to be subjected to whatever harsh weather conditions occur. Heat, humidity, wind and weather are all going to do a number on even the best built fences and gates.
At the same time, though, square and rectangular framed structures (fence gates in a nutshell) are always going to be subjected to gravity – the natural force that pulls these frames "out of whack".
It doesn't take much (or very long) for gates that aren't really well-designed to start being pulled apart, twisted, and torqued into the kind of tension that inevitably causes them to sag and droop.
You usually start to see this on the "free side" – the side without hinges, the side supporting most of its weight all on its own. That's also the side of the fence gate that's usually subjected to the most trauma as it gets slammed shut over and over again.
Add into the mix people that like to lean on this side of the fence gate (including little kids that like to swing back and forth on them – we've all done it) and it's not hard to see why gates start to sag over time.
Thankfully, though, there are ways to prevent this drooping from happening. And many of the strategies are whole lot easier to use and implement than you might have thought before!
