A barrier arm that is too long can cause operational issues, safety hazards, and unnecessary wear on your operator. While it's easy to just say, "you should just buy the right size", that sort of answer doesn't account for an increase in the number of lanes, moving barrier openers, adding accessories, any sort of damage to the arm, a wide range of things. While not every boom arm can (or should) be trimmed in the field, certain barrier arms are able to be cut to size for just about any high-traffic area. Let's take a look at which barrier arms are safe to cut, how to do it correctly, and why LED-equipped arms are the major exception.
Why You Might Need to Cut Your Barrier Arm
When making new traffic control lanes, sometimes plans change, measurements are taken wrong, or after awhile they even get moved to other sites. There's a lot of reasons why a long barrier arm would need resized whether it's a lane width mismatch, the arm overhangs the traffic lane, new structures that obstruct the current arm, or even an older or damaged arm that may need repurposed elsewhere rather than just discarded. Cutting a barrier arm is ideal for saving on costs and reducing waste.
Types of Barrier Arms You Can Cut
- Standard Aluminum Arms (Octagonal, Square, or Rectangular)
- Square/rectangular profiles: Easier to cut cleanly than round tubes and function well for short-to-regular length
- Octagonal arms: Common on MIB/MBE barriers; available in various lengths (e.g., 10 ft, 12 ft, 15 ft)
- Material considerations: Aluminum is rigid and lightweight, but cutting it requires the right blade to avoid burrs.
- Arms Without Integrated Electronics: Any standard boom that does not contain wiring, LED strips, or inductive contacts is generally a candidate for field-cutting.
How to Cut Your Barrier Arm: Step-by-Step
The process of cutting your barrier arm is actually much easier than it may seem as it only requires a few minutes and minimal tools. A few quick notes, first and foremost being that it is absolutely critical that you DO NOT cut the connecting side of the barrier arm. If the connecting end of the barrier arm is cut it can drastically increase the risk of the barrier arm breaking if it can even be used at all. Ensure before you make any cuts that you are cutting from the correct end.
Tools You Will Need
- Metal-cutting saw or chop saw with aluminum blade
- Deburring tool or file
- Measuring tape and marker
- Safety equipment (gloves, eye protection)
- Foam edge protection
Step One: Measurement & Planning
Before doing anything, it's critical that you remeasure the opening width; the arm only needs to block vehicle entry, not cover the entire lane. It's important that you do this first as an arm that is too short will look unprofessional, be ineffective for security, and could be a potential safety hazard. If you're unsure how long your barrier arm should be or how to measure your driveway width, contact our expert sales team for assistance.
Step Two: Cutting Process
- Secure the arm in a vise or stable surface: This is to ensure a smooth cut and ensure a safe environment
- Mark the cut line clearly: Use an erasable marker, tape, or chalk
- Cut slowly and evenly: This prevents vibration or cracking and reduced burrs (small, jagged edges)
- Deburr all edges thoroughly to prevent injury and damage to vehicles
Step Three: Reinstallation & Testing
Once your barrier arm is successfully cut and you've ensured that it's safe at the cut end, you are free to reinstall your barrier arm and test it as normal. The barrier arm should reinstall just as it did before as the connecting end should not have been cut at all.
- Reattach foam edge protection or reflective tape
- Check the arm's balance and swing
- Test the operator for strain or irregular movement
When You Should NOT Cut a Barrier Arm
As mentioned before, most barrier arms are able to be cut to size with minimal issues if any at all, however electronic or LED-Equipped Barrier Arms cannot and should not be cut. They may contain embedded LED strips, wiring harnesses, and electrical connectors that run the length of the boom and cutting an LED arm will sever the lighting circuit, void safety functionality, and likely ruin the LED strip. LED arms are designed to be solid red when closed, flashing red in motion, and solid green when open and compromising this wiring reduces visibility and safety.
In Short:
Cutting a barrier arm is available for standard aluminum or PVC booms, but it requires precision, safety checks, and the right tools. It ensures a quick solution, it's great way to save on costs, and an even better way to reduce waste. Just as it's important to never cut from the connecting end of the barrier arm, it's crucial to never cut an LED-equipped barrier arm in the field as the integrated lighting and wiring make it unsafe and impractical without factory join kits.
