Retrofitting Bollards: Secure Your Driveway & Access Reliably – the Guide

Strangers keep parking in your driveway, your yard is used as a turning area, and every morning there is another unfamiliar car in the way? With retractable bollards, you decide who drives onto your property. At the push of a button they clear the way – and close it again seconds later.

We manufacture these bollards in Hamburg and have installed them in very different places: on the Große Freiheit, in front of the Lüneburg tax office, even on Sylt outside the Sansibar. You can find some of these projects in our references. Read on to find out what matters when retrofitting.

When is retrofitting worthwhile?

Security bollards protect driveways, car parks, yard entrances, fire service access routes and business premises. The reasons are usually the same: keeping unauthorised parkers out, protecting vehicles or goods from theft, managing access for authorised users or securing sensitive areas. The advantage of the retractable version: the entrance is open when it should be open – and closed again within seconds.

Retractable or fixed?

Retractable bollards rise automatically out of the ground and lower back into it. They are the right choice when the same entrance needs to be open at some times and blocked at others. Fixed bollards are the permanent barrier – as ram protection in front of buildings, shop windows or loading zones.

Which drive? Our clear recommendation

There are three types of drive, and we are open about why we rely on one of them. Electric spindle drives are simple but sensitive to water and frost. Hydraulics are powerful but maintenance-intensive. Our bollards work with compressed air: there is no electronics inside the bollard itself, the system is water- and jet-protected to IP69, very low-maintenance – and if anything ever does need attention, it is easy to get to. Over the years, this has proven to be the most robust solution for us.

How sturdy does it need to be? Wall thickness and weight

Depending on your protection needs, you choose the right level of robustness: from around 80 kg for a private driveway, through 160 and 320 kg (12 mm wall thickness), up to the security bollard with 30 mm wall thickness (approx. 500 kg) for high-security and site-protection entrances. All bollards are made from V4A stainless steel (1.4571, AISI 316Ti), which is unaffected even by road salt and constant rain.

Installation: easier than most people think

You do not need a specialist contractor for installation. All you really need is a hole in the ground, around 1.2 m deep. The bollard is inserted, aligned and surrounded with compacted sand, then paved over – done. No concrete, no heating, no drainage. Send us a few photos of your installation site beforehand and we will tell you free of charge whether everything fits.

Control: from a handheld remote to an entire street

In the simplest case, you press the radio remote (868 MHz) and the bollard moves. If you want more, you can integrate the control into Loxone, KNX or Homematic, open by GSM call or let number plate recognition do the work. For busy entrances, we offer our street control system with induction loops, direction detection and connections for traffic lights and signals – as we implemented, for example, on the Große Freiheit in Hamburg.

Frequently asked questions

Can I install the bollard myself?
Yes. All you need is the opening in the ground; the bollard is delivered ready to connect. If you have questions, we help free of charge via WhatsApp or email.

Are the bollards suitable for winter?
Yes. Thanks to the compressed-air technology (IP69) and because there is no electronics inside the bollard, they run reliably in frost, wet conditions and road salt.

How quickly does the bollard rise and lower?
Depending on the design, in roughly 3 to 10 seconds.

Want to secure your driveway? Take a look at our retractable stainless steel bollards or give us a call – we will help you choose the right security class.