The operator is sized to the leaf, not the driveway
An operator is rated by leaf weight and leaf length, and the two limits are separate. A light 20′ leaf can exceed a motor rated for far more weight simply because of leverage. Undersizing is the most common fault we are called out to fix — the gate works for a season, then the motor starts labouring, the board cooks, and the whole unit fails early.
Access control is a separate decision from the operator. Keypad, intercom, phone entry and a plain remote all bolt to the same gate, and mixing two of them is normal — a keypad for the gardener, mobile credentials for the household.
How people get in
A code on a weatherproof pad. Simplest thing to give a gardener or a cleaner, and the code can be changed in a minute without anyone visiting.
Camera and speaker at the gate, handset or phone inside. The right answer when the gate is out of sight of the front door.
Open from a phone, anywhere. Useful for deliveries, and the access log tells you who opened the gate and when.
A handheld remote for the household, plus an exit loop buried in the driveway so the gate opens as you drive up to it from inside.
Electric gate openers we have built
What decides the detail
Photo eyes across the opening and edge sensors on the leaf are not optional under UL 325. A gate that traps a child is not a design problem, it is a liability.
Latch and strike get welded to the frame, never screwed to the stile. A screwed strike can be levered off the gate with a pry bar in about ten seconds.
The run to the operator is a permitted electrical job. We coordinate it rather than tapping a garden circuit and hoping the inspector does not notice.
Questions we get asked
How long do electric gate openers last?
A correctly sized operator on a well-hung gate runs ten to fifteen years. An undersized one on a heavy leaf can fail in three. The gate matters as much as the motor: if the leaf drags or the track is dirty, the operator carries that load every cycle and wears out early.
Can you fit an opener to my existing gate?
Usually. We check the leaf weight, how square and how free it swings or rolls, and the state of the posts and hinges first. If the gate is sagging or the posts are moving, that gets fixed before any motor goes on — automating a bad gate just breaks it faster.
Is a solar gate opener worth it?
It is worth it when trenching power to the gate is expensive — a long driveway, a finished hardscape you would have to cut, or a detached entrance. On a short run with power nearby, mains plus battery backup is cheaper and more reliable in a wet winter.
What is UL 325 and do I need it?
UL 325 is the safety standard for powered gates: entrapment protection, sensors and control placement. ASTM F2200 covers the gate construction itself. Both apply to residential automatic gates, and we test to them at handover with you present.
Get a real number
Tell us the opening width and we will tell you what it takes. Site visits are free inside the service area and take about forty minutes.