Plow On

We received a little bit of snow this first week of 2026. And two things are clear. 1st, our area needs the snow. And 2nd, we unfortunately have to shovel snow to dig out gates, so they open and close.

Whether gates are manually operated or automated, they work best and are less trouble if the snow is cleared away. Just like you clear off your windows before moving your car, you should do the same with your gates. Clear their path of travel.

If you know it’s going to snow and can do so, leave any gates you need to use open. It’s easier to plow on through the opening rather than working around closed gates.

But whatever you do, don’t use a gate as a snowplow! It could damage the hardware and the gate. If it’s an automated gate, it would void any warranties on the operator and could create a dangerous situation using the gate as a plow.

To help keep gates working efficiently, lubricate moving parts with a water repellent product to reduce seizing in cold and wet conditions. For swing gates that means lubricating hinges and latches. On a slide gate, that could mean lubricating either the gate tracks or gate frame, wheels, and latches.

And if you have an automated gate, make sure the operators, accessories like photo eyes and keypads, chains, solar panels, etc. are clear of snow and ice as well.

Pictured: Tahoe Fence ornamental steel drive gates with bias (racked to follow slope of ground) and positive compound arch top at Tahoe City (Placer County.)

Pining for the Holidays

It’s that time of year when people decorate and celebrate the season. Our religious customs and practices, in addition to the lights, ribbons & bows, wreaths, and trees, show what we believe.

Wreaths date back to ancient civilizations. They originated to be worn on one’s body. The Greeks wore laurel wreaths as victorious athletes. The Romans wore them as crowns.

The circular shape was associated with eternity, having no beginning or end. Greenery, such as the use of pine boughs, was believed to demonstrate nature’s enduring cycle of life through the colder and darker winter months.

This belief was reinforced in Northern and Eastern Europe. The areas in and around Germany would bring conifer trees inside at Winter. During the Middle Ages, the triangular shape of the trees came to represent the Holy Trinity to Christians.

Moravian Christians, one of the oldest Protestant Christian denominations, would illuminate their Christmas trees at night with candles. After the advent of electricity, Christmas candles were eventually replaced with lights.

However, you celebrate the season, we’re pining for happy and healthy holidays for all!

Pictured: Tahoe Fence shop & yard decked out for the holidays in Mound House (Lyon County.) 2025

Bridging Science and Gate Design

Gates have been around as long as humans have been building. A Canaanite gate dating back around 3,850 years was uncovered by archeologists in Israel in the early 1990s. It’s wood and stone construction was used to fortify an ancient port city.

However, cantilever slide gates are a modern development. Their design allows for larger openings to be enclosed without the use of tracks or wheels on the ground. Cantilever gates are sandwiched between covered wheels on posts (usually installed in the adjacent fence,) or its frame runs on post and/or ground mounted hardware. But nothing of the gate touches the ground when closed. It is in essence a rigid beam supported at one end which allows the other side to be suspended through the opening.

To function cantilever gates need a tail, an extension of the gate. When supported correctly the tail allows the other end to float. A tail is roughly half of the length of the opening. A 30-ft opening would require about a 45-ft long gate.

Applied physics and engineering in bridge construction, most notably the Forth Bridge in Scotland, are the reason cantilever gates are possible. When finished in 1890, the Forth Bridge was Britain’s 1st all-steel bridge. At the time it was also the world’s longest spanning cantilever bridge at nearly 8,300-ft. And its creation established the working structural concept used in today’s cantilever gates.

Pictured: Tahoe Fence chain link cantilever slide gate for automated access control in Silver Springs (Lyon County.) 2025

Special thanks to Awaxx Systems for providing the gate operator and accessories!

Cold Snap

Thankful for You

It’s that time of year when people reflect on what we’re grateful for.

At Tahoe Fence, we’re thankful for you!

Tahoe Fence wouldn’t be in business for more than 50 years if not for our wonderful customers and exceptional employees.

We appreciate you and hope you are able to enjoy time together with loved ones over the holiday.

From all of us at Tahoe Fence, Happy Thanksgiving!

Pictured: Tahoe Fence green walkway handrail on wood posts at Incline Village (Washoe County.) 2025

Tahoe Fence had a customer ask if we could match a design they took a liking too.

Yes, we can. And yes, we did!

Turns out what we built was interesting by design. Without knowing it at the time, our boxed-lattice redwood was built following the 70/30 rule.

The 70/30 rule is used in art and living space design. 70% of the space is filled with a simple but not overwhelming primary element, like a color or style. The remaining 30% of space is comprised of the main subject, or more intricate detail.

The end result is visually interesting and dynamic. Or in our customer’s own words, “beautiful!”

Pictured: Tahoe Fence Box Lattice Redwood in Carson 2025

America’s Veterans, Thank You

It’s estimated that there are nearly 18 million veterans living in the United States. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 9 million work in the civilian labor force. Of these 9 million, almost 13% work in construction and manufacturing.

Their military training and discipline is well suited for project management and leading team/mission driven objectives. And technical abilities learned in the military, like carpentry, equipment operation, logistics, and welding are desirable skills for construction and manufacturing.

With Veterans Day coming up, Tahoe Fence would like to say to America’s Veterans,  “Thank you!”

Thank you for your service to our country. And thank you for your hard work and continued contributions to build and protect America.

Pictured: Tahoe Fence chain link enclosure inside a manufacturing plant with a parts pass-through gate and American flag in the background in Mound House (Lyon County.)

Halloween is Nevada Day

If you’ve been around these parts long enough, you know Halloween is Nevada Day. Both are on October 31st.

When we were young, Nevada Day and the parade were celebrated on the 31st in Carson City. You could go trick or treating around Carson the night before. Then go to the parade the next day, with your candy to snack on.

And if you and the parents were up to it, go trick or treating again in the areas surrounding Carson City on Halloween night.

Although it’s done a little bit differently now, we still get into the Spirit of Halloween and show our Nevada Spirit this holiday weekend.

Enjoy your Nevada Day Weekend, the parade, and Halloween.

And since the weather has started to turn cold, Tahoe Fence is showing its Nevada Spirit and is offering free firewood again from our fence scraps. It’s to help those out that need it.

We have bins/cages outside our yard to collect wood from. It’s on a 1st come basis. However, we will fill or change out the bins as needed, and as long as we have wood scraps. We just ask that you clean up the area after collecting your firewood and please leave our wood bins/cages.

Pictured: Old fence board Halloween ghosts in the office windows. Jack-o-lantern fittings bags over large diameter pipe cutoffs. And Wood scrap Nevada-shaped plaque with burned outline of Lake Tahoe and chain link heart in Mound House (Lyon County.)