Review on 🚪 North States Toddleroo 47.85" Wide Swing & Lock Gate: Secure Hardware Mount for Standard Stairways by Tony Wylie

GOOD • Tailored to my needs (pet pen) • Unlike some competing models, it fits a decent range of widths. Models that require additional extensions • The latch is secure enough • I found the width adjustment easy enough to achieve two different lengths on each side, if not a little tedious • In my setup the gate can almost fully open out of this way and stay They are discreet in use • I was able to install it in 30 minutes using a spirit level, pencil, tape, Phillips screwdriver, ice pick to 'mark the center' of the holes, drill and an impact wrench to secure the screws. Of these tools, neither a pencil nor a percussion instrument was required—the pencil does not need to mark center lines; An impact wrench is just a tool I have for screwing and requires judicious use of low speed so as not to force the assembly parts against the wall. THE BAD • The lack of a common center bracket was frustrating • Jigs unfortunately have to aggravate the offset hinge; They are both on the same sheet of paper. A 36" long template is a lot to try and cut perfectly straight. The glossy paper it's printed on doesn't stick well to tape. 36"THE UGLY• Mounting hardware is just inadequate: ⅝" hinge mount + ⅝" drywall + 1½" screw engagement = ideal 2¾" screw length. The screws included with my unit were probably 1½" that wouldn't hook enough of the stud to make a difference - luckily I had 2" screws that needed to hook ¾" of the stud. They looked like they did too #6, which didn't matter. They seem to be available much longer than 1½", The #8 screws I used probably extended the hinge point hardware a bit when installed. Adjusting the hinge point/mounting point will likely ruin the powder coating if you use the sheet metal wrench provided. for locking cleats • The 'self-locking' feature can work when the gate is in its narrowest position and with extensive cleat/hinge adjustment - otherwise it simply isn't stiff enough to securely lock the bottom latch. In my experience, the best way is to close backwards until it rests against the latch, lift latch, squeeze latch, slide latch so locking pins are in center of channels, lower latch to desired position • The "high" Version of gate is almost two times shorter than standard version by just 6 inches OTHER THOUGHTS • The disturbed dog took one look at the gate and did not examine it further; In the past, it usually overcame a makeshift 24-inch barrier. Cats have yet to figure out how to normally get through the gate. They can squeeze through the bars if they're determined, but they don't do it regularly; Jumping hadn't crossed their minds, maybe because they weren't wide enough to sit on top. I was able to remove the gate and see if the hinges had enough play to leave a gap wide enough for the cats to crawl through. • The manufacturer recommends attaching them to bolts or other hard surfaces and to the structure of the latch. requires an almost perpendicular crossing. Mounting the hinge side to the stud and the latch to the drywall should be fine, but the manufacturer doesn't recommend it.