FEBRUARY 2007 WORLD FENCE NEWS Split post tops spurred development of the Buffalo Hinge SEBASTOPOL, Calif. — Michael Difranco, owner of Difranco Fence Co., said he got tired
of having to replace woods posts which had been damaged because of
hinges which concentrated the weight of the gate on the edge of the
post and caused it to split. It led him to develop and market the
Buffalo Hinge, which uses the strength of the full thickness of the
post to support the weight of the gate. The Buffalo Hinge also features
attractive designer edging. “ I have gotten too many distressed phone calls from homeowners
who have a gate falling down because the hinge that was used attached
to only half of the post,” said Difranco. “The post split
at the top, yet was still in good shape at the bottom and solid in
its footing. It seemed a shame to have to excavate the entire post
and replace it just because the top was split. I finally decided
to do something about this problem and developed a hinge that would
bite the whole eaves of the post. It even has a nice Southwestern
design around the edging. My installers love the new Buffalo Hinge.
It will also likely hold up better when the wind blows the gate open,
which is a common problem for gate hinges.” For more information, contact Buffalo
Hinge at 707-829-2345 or visit www.buffalohinge.com.
The Buffalo Hinge grips a wider area of the gate post to spread the load and
provide
a stronger and more secure mounting. (Difranco Fence Co. photo)
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