It Still Works | 2W 500 Series Gates at Goss Ranch

Out on the Goss Ranch, there aren't many shortcuts.
The ranch has been part of the same family since 1914. Over the decades, corrals have been expanded, fences rebuilt, and facilities adapted to meet the needs of each generation that has worked the land. When Casey and Sharlee Goss took over operations in 2009, they inherited more than a ranch. They inherited over a century of hard-earned lessons about what works and what doesn't.
"Been doing a lot here," Casey said. "Rebuilding stuff that my father-in-law built, his dad built, his grandpa built." It's a familiar story across the West. Infrastructure doesn't get replaced because it's old. It gets replaced because it can no longer do the job. For Casey, that included a number of homemade wooden gates that had faithfully served their purpose for years. Eventually, it was time for something new.

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For this episode of Ironclad, we traveled to Augusta, Montana, to see how 2W 500 Series gates have held up after years of daily use on the Goss Ranch. Hear directly from Casey about what he looks for in a gate and why he continues to trust 2W in some of the busiest parts of his operation.

A Gate Doesn't Get Many Second Chances

Most ranch equipment gets a break at some point. Gates don't.
They're used when calves need checked before sunrise. They're opened when cattle need moved before a storm. They're slammed shut in the middle of branding season, leaned on, pushed against, and expected to work every single time. When a gate fails, everyone notices. A good gate, on the other hand, often goes unnoticed because it simply does its job.
A few years ago, Casey began replacing some of the ranch's wooden gates with 2W 500 Series gates.
"They came in very well built, strong gates," he said. Today, several of those gates have been in service for roughly six years. During calving season and spring work, they're opened and closed multiple times a day as cattle move through corrals and alleys. And after years of use, they're still doing exactly what they're supposed to do.

Built by People Who Understand the Job

The connection between the Goss Ranch and 2W goes beyond steel and welds. Like many family ranches across Montana, 2W's story begins with cattle. Based in Nanton, Alberta, in the heart of Canadian cattle country, 2W was built on generations of ranching experience. With more than a century of family ranching history behind the company, their equipment is designed by people who understand the realities of long days in the corral, changing weather, and infrastructure that has to perform season after season. That shared understanding shows up in the details. The adjustable hinges. The fully welded sockets. The heavy steel construction. They're the kind of features you don't think much about when a gate is new. You notice them a few years later when the gate is still hanging straight. The heavy-duty 2W 500 Series gates Casey uses feature adjustable bolt-in hinges, greaseable sockets, and a design that prevents the gate from being lifted off its hinges like some traditional pin-style setups. Paired with sturdy posts and heavy steel construction, they're built for the areas of a ranch that see the most traffic. For Casey, that means corrals, alleys, and working facilities where gates are used day after day throughout the busiest times of the year.

The Difference Is in the Years

Standing in the corral, Casey points toward a pair of gray gates. They've been there for years. The paint carries a few scars. The gates have seen Montana winters, spring mud, and the daily demands of working cattle. But they're still hanging straight, opening smoothly, and doing the job they were built to do. For Casey, that's what matters.
Not how a gate looks the day it's installed. How it performs years later. "We've been using the heavy-duty gates on our main corrals and alleys," Casey said. "That's why I keep running to 2W."
It's a simple statement, but it says a lot. Out here, equipment doesn't earn trust because of a catalog description. It earns trust one season at a time.

Built for the Next Generation

The Goss Ranch has been standing for more than a century. The corrals have changed. The equipment has changed. The people working the ranch have changed. But the goal remains the same: build things that last. Because when something is used every day, year after year, durability isn't a luxury. It's a requirement. And sometimes the best compliment a rancher can give a piece of equipment is the simplest one of all:

It still works.