Driveway gate openers ???

NIXON · Dec 31, 2003

Do any of you folks have one of these ?? If so, what brand ?
Any particular likes or dislikes ? One concern of mine is that it will have to be located about 500'from a 110V power source .
Do any folks make a unit that can be powered by photo cell, or should I just bite the bullet and rent a trencher ?
TIA , John

CTyler · Dec 31, 2003

Don't have any experience with gate openers. I do know there are units that run off a battery and the batt is charged from the solar panel though.

mountain_man · Dec 31, 2003

Here a link to Mighty Mule gate openers . They are sold by Agri Supply .

They make both solar and 120V gate openers. I haven't purchased one yet, but expect to in the Spring.

HammerFour · Jan 1, 2004

I think the Mighty Mule openers use a 110 transformer that sends low voltage current out to the opener, so you don't have a high volt wire to bury.

wroughtn_harv · Jan 1, 2004

I install operated gates for a living.

The low voltage ones I recommend are along the line of Patriot or Apollo. They cost twice as much as the Mule or it's compatriots at the places like Tractor Supply. But, and this But is of extreme importance, but they are worth something and the lesser priced ones aren't.

The best piece of advice I can give anyone looking at putting in an automated gate is to get into their vehicle of choice and drive around for a day or two and look. Look especially at the automated gate that is in the open position permanently or the operator is detached. Nine out of ten of these inoperable gates will be the cheapos, guaranteed.

I have Apollos that have been out there for eight--ten years with their only maintenance being batteries. The better units use deep cycle marine type batteries and are charged with either a trickle charger or a solar panel. I don't know why but the batteries don't last more than a year or two under these circumstances. That's why I recommend rotating the battery with other the battery in the boat etc.

The Patriot low voltage system appears to be comparable so far to the Apollo in durability.

If you're looking at the gate being more than a hundred feet or so from the house there are a couple of features that you might find necessary.

One would be a free exit coil. This is a coil that's buried along the drive that activates the gate to open when a metal object passes by. It's easier to install than the cutting of the drive to bury the wires like you see in commerical installations.

The free exit allows you and your visitors to leave without anyone operating the gate. It can be adjusted in sensitivity to where you can activate it with your four wheeler etc.

Sentex makes a reasonable priced system where a visitor pushes a button and your phone in the house rings. You can talk to them and push a code on your phone to open the gate. Or you can ignore them or talk to them and deny them access.

Another thing one must consider is the safety of the unit. A gate closing on a car can be expensive. A kid caught in either the gate closing or getting trapped in a pinch point can be devastating.

I use Elite and Osco for hundred and ten volt units for swing gates. I've had fantastic luck with All-o-matics for slide gates. They've been bullet proof.

When a customer to be starts trying to cut corners I remind them of the most likely situation when the operator will fail. It will be when it's cold and rainy and you're really involved in something. And the gate won't fail on you. It will fail on your wife when she's most susceptible to snot slinging fit itis.

Probably even more important than the operator choice is the post and hinge installation. Keep that in mind. You can put the best operator in the world on a bad post and it will fail immediately if not sooner. A poor operator choice will live a lot longer than it should on a good post.

jinman · Jan 1, 2004

Harv, just this weekend my girfriend had her gate actuator break. The end of the actuator which attaches to the post broke and pulled out of the actuator. Her gate is very heavy and this is the second time the actuator has broken. I'll get some pictures and post them this weekend. Also, I think I have an idea for a spring-loaded mounting of the actuator to the post which will reduce the instantaneous shock load to the actuator. ...and yes, it looks like the Mule from TSC. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

bgott · Jan 1, 2004

What is your take on sliding gates as opposed to a swinging gate?

snowbound · Jan 2, 2004

We have an automatic gate. But we just leave it open because it's really complicated and nobody really knows how it works. There are several layers of security equipment around the property from previous owners. Most of it is abandoned in place and we haven't got around to figuring out how to get rid of it.

But the gate is a weird story. The previous owner had installed a new set of gates. _The day before we closed on the house_. So it turns out that he was gone before they were installed and we hadn't arrived yet. It isn't clear that anyone ever was told how they work.

Then about six months ago a plumber's truck delivering a piece of air handling equipment took out the intercom/keypad for the gate. So if that _was_ part of the working system, it's not now. The plumber told us to get him an estimate and he would have it fixed. So we got the local "gate" guy to come over and tell us what was in the system. Since they are the big gate installer around here we thought maybe it was a system they installed. No, the guy says that he's completely unfamiliar with any of the equipment in the gate system and all he could do would be to completely install a new system for $7000.

Well if we used the gate then maybe we would care if it were working or not.

We don't have to worry too much. In the first place nobody much comes here. In the second place we live across the road from one of the reservoirs for New York City and the road is patrolled by the NYDEP reservoir police. And since September 11 there are more patrols, and not just NYDEP but also the state troopers and for a time there they had prison guards on overtime patrolling the reservoirs. Our place is on a little stretch where they like to pull over for lunch or coffee. So we have armed guards a lot of the time.

I have no idea why previous owners here invested so much in the gate system.

_RaT_ · Jan 2, 2004

Harv, my gate uses an Apollo actuator and board. It works quick and reliably. I used to have 2 solar cells charging the 12V deep charge battery but ever since installing 120V at the gate for my wife to put lights on it for the various occasions, I have installed a battery stuff.com trickle charger that not only keeps the battery optimum, can actually supply enough curent to operate the gate.

I am rebuilding everything at the gate now including the old 20' wide gate. The new one will be about 14' and not require the extra leverage operating arm.

Where or how do you do the hinges? Do you make up your own or buy ball bearing ones designed for gates? How about the arched top. I have an idea of how to build it, that is by drilling holes in my shop floor and pinning the steel square tube and arching it myself. Is there a better way?

Lastly, I am intrigued by the automatic trip loop that runs parallel to the driveway. I have gravel and the iron loop sounds great. Do you have a source for it?

Thanks, Rat...

wroughtn_harv · Jan 2, 2004

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Also, I think I have an idea for a spring-loaded mounting of the actuator to the post which will reduce the instantaneous shock load to the actuator. ...and yes, it looks like the Mule from TSC.)</font>

It isn't the shock that kills the operator. It's the operator is a knife in a gun fight. Look at the mounting hardware and bracketry of a good operator and then at what the Mule comes with. It'll become instantly crystal clear.

Sometime grab a heavy gate where the operator attaches to it. It takes a real piece of equipment to initiate movement and even more to stop it.