Typically there is no force on the rod itself in any other direction than opening and closing the gate so "bending" should not even be a factor. In this instance I am curious to see if the rod had been rubbing something and caught a few times opening and closing causing the break. It does look like there is too little thread but they are all checked before they leave to confirm they are secure and adjusted properly. This should not have happened unless there was some outside force on the rod itself.