Orange Honey Gate
The standard plastic honey gate for any beekeeper bottling honey from a 5-gallon bucket. Threaded barrel installs through a 1-3/4 inch hole, sealing tight against the bucket wall with stainless steel hardware that won't rust or fail. Open the gate, fill your jar, close it — no drips, no mess.
Features
- Food-grade plastic body — safe for direct honey contact
- Stainless steel screws and nut — no plastic threads to strip or break
- Threaded barrel design — drop-in install through a 1.77 inch (45mm) hole
- Adjustable flow — open partially for precise jar filling
- Tight gasket seal — no leaks at the bucket wall
- Vibrant orange color stands out on white or black buckets
How it works in real life
Drill a 1-3/4 inch hole through the side of your 5-gallon bucket, near the bottom but high enough to clear the inner rim. Slide the threaded barrel through the hole, tighten the nut on the inside, and you've got a permanent gate on your bottling bucket. Pour warm honey in from the top, let it settle, then use the gate handle to control flow into each jar. Most beekeepers run a bucket of honey through this gate over the course of an afternoon — fill a jar, close the gate, label the jar, repeat. The orange color makes the gate easy to see in a dim shop or barn.
Before you order
You'll need a 1-3/4 inch hole saw to install this gate. Most hardware stores carry them (often labeled 1-3/4 inch or 45mm). If you'd rather not drill, our 5-gallon Honey Bucket with Gate ships with a gate pre-installed and ready to use. The Orange Honey Gate fits any food-grade 5-gallon bucket with a flat side panel.
Pairs Well With
- 5 Gallon Food-Grade Honey Bucket with Tear-Tab Lid — the empty bucket to install this gate on
- 5-Gallon Honey Bucket with Gate — pre-assembled version if you'd rather not drill
- 5 Gallon Bucket Lid Tool — for opening sealed lids without prying damage
- Double Sieve Honey Strainer — filter honey as you pour it into the bucket
Specifications
- Install hole diameter: 1.77 inches (45mm)
- Material: food-grade plastic body, stainless steel hardware
- Color: orange
- Gate dimensions: 2.25 × 2.25 × 2.875 inches
- Weight: 0.20 lbs
- Compatibility: any 5-gallon food-grade bucket with flat sidewall
Frequently Asked Questions
What size hole do I need to drill?
1-3/4 inches (the same size sold at any hardware store as a 1-3/4 inch hole saw). The exact spec is 1.77 inches (45mm), and standard 1-3/4 inch hole saws work fine.
Where on the bucket should I install it?
Low enough that you can drain most of the bucket through the gate, but high enough to clear the inner rim at the bottom of the bucket. Most beekeepers mount it 1 to 2 inches up from the bottom of the bucket's outside wall.
Will this gate work with other food-grade containers?
Yes, as long as the container has a flat wall section large enough for the gate's footprint and the wall isn't thicker than the threaded barrel can grip. Standard 5-gallon HDPE buckets are the most common use, but it'll work on metal honey drums too.
Does it leak?
Not when properly installed. The rubber gasket between the gate and the bucket wall seals tight when the stainless steel nut is fully tightened on the inside. If it leaks, the gasket may have shifted during install — back off the nut, reseat the gasket, and re-tighten.
What's the difference between this and the Perfection Honey Gate?
This is the standard slide gate — simple, affordable, gets the job done. The Perfection is a premium spring-loaded gate with a ball handle, used by beekeepers who bottle in volume or want dripless precision flow control.
