Mighty Mule 502 Solved (maybe)

[TractorGuy]

I have a 362D system that the slave opener intermittently operates at half the speed of the main. Emailed MM within a month of purchase and they didn't reply for a couple of weeks. After they replied I tried all their suggestions and nothing worked so I emailed them again and never heard back. I even met a guy in their finance division that said he would ask the tech department and he never heard back from them. Pretty bad when they ignore their own employees.

Other than what they suggested I never took the time to look at it further but I imagine it is getting low voltage to the slave opener. The fact that it's intermittent would suggest it isn't in the long length of wire but more than likely in the control board relays. A reputable company would get right back to you and offer to replace the board on a system that is practically new and under warranty.

I even posted a link to this video on one of their advertising videos and they never replied or removed the link.

slow gate opener - YouTube

 

[Gem99ultra]

After having read the above 11 posts, and after me having two Mighty Mule "expert repairmen" come work on our MM gate opener ( for $60/hr + call-out charge), and buying various replacement parts including a new control board, I finally broke down and simply bought a brand new complete unit.

That solution lasted about 2 months max. Like you, I also received the same customer support, i.e. NONE. With that lack of concern for my opener failure, I pulled the entire unit out and tossed it in the trash. Getting out of the truck and opening and closing the game proved more of a time saver than spending major buck and massive hours of time trying to fix the unfixable. My conclusion is that MM gate openers are in fact total junk, a waste of time and money.

 

[woody]

After having read the above 11 posts, and after me having two Mighty Mule "expert repairmen" come work on our MM gate opener ( for $60/hr + call-out charge), and buying various replacement parts including a new control board, I finally broke down and simply bought a brand new complete unit.

That solution lasted about 2 months max. Like you, I also received the same customer support, i.e. NONE. With that lack of concern for my opener failure, I pulled the entire unit out and tossed it in the trash. Getting out of the truck and opening and closing the game proved more of a time saver than spending major buck and massive hours of time trying to fix the unfixable. My conclusion is that MM gate openers are in fact total junk, a waste of time and money.

to bad you live so far away I may have been able to use some of that junk. seams like I am always working on the one I have.

 

[Stimw]

I had a M M double opener, it wasn't worth the money or trouble I went through with it!
I had better luck with an opener from HF and it lasted much longer but it lost the codes and the remotes quit working and there was NO support.

 

[Soundguy]

I didn't even know HF had gate openers.

 

[Big Barn]

Wow. This thread doesn't say much for Mighty Mule.

I've been fortunate to have trouble free use of my BTF openers since their installation 24 years ago. I have no idea of present day quality though.



Terry

 

[Stimw]

I didn't even know HF had gate openers.

I don't think they carry them anymore. The double gate unit was made in Italy (a lot of expensive Villas) and the instructions were semi-translated.
It was a good opener and only used 2 wires to the operators.
It had some kind of over current relays that would trip when it reached it's travel limit.
The M M has limit wires to switches in the operators. Mine would quit after a heavy rain.
My HF quit when the STUPID BOWL was in JAX and a friend said they were jamming radio signals during that time. ???

 

[LBOCEAN]

Thanks for the link to the Support Wizard. I submitted my issue of Blown Fuse w/photos and requested a copy of the schematic for the board. We'll see what they come back with.

In the meantime, before finding this post, I did a complete refurbish of my unit. Took it apart to the core. While I believe water was the culprit of my issues, the main controller board appeared overheated in a few area's and developed some crust build-up in two places on the backside of the board, which I cleaned using my last minute contact fluid (mentioned below... Fuel Injector Cleaner). I believe I have a bad Can Capacitor and Relay, but won't know until I remove and test them.

In the meantime...

Rev Counter Board... This you can fix yourself. What usually is the issue is the micro switch gets oxidized inside, and the internal contacts don't switch properly ~ To fix this, remove the board, Pickup some cheap Fuel Injector Cleaner (essentially its Isopropyl Alcohol w/a grease cutting agent), then use the lid from a big laundry soap container (anything about that size), pour the cleaner into the lid and submerge (Only) the end of the board with the switch, use a small stick to actuate the switch while its in the solution. Bring it back out and keep working the switch, then repeat the process a few times. Then blow it dry. ~ Test the switch with an Ohm Meter... connect one lead to the Common leg = COM, then use the other lead to test the two remaining legs (one is normally open = NO, the other is normally closed = NC). When applying the other test lead to either leg, the switch acts like a toggle, switching/alternating continuity between the two legs. Keep dipping the switch and working with it until you get it to function properly. ~ Additionally, the component at the other end should be kept out of the solution as it is a photo sensor. To clean the photo sensor, use compressed air and a small tiny brush (like what you use to clean your electric razor with). Use a magnifying glass to see if there is any dirt covering either of the glass lenses. (There small, but you'll be able to tell if there clean or not, just angle them in the light to get a reflection)

Motor, Jack-screw Assembly... I can tell you that MM Does Not put any effort into making sure their units are assembled for long term functionality. Using a small 12V battery to extend the ram all the way out, the Jack-screw was entirely rusted. I took a wire wheel brush at the end of a drill and cleaned the entire thing. I then coated the whole screw with Bearing Grease, than ran the screw in/out of the assembly a few times to make sure it was lubricated ~ The Motor (in my case) was still operational, however, I did inject some trans fluid into the small bearings.

 

[Soundguy]

fairly anemic motor I might add.

 

[ttkeeler]

After having read the above 11 posts, and after me having two Mighty Mule "expert repairmen" come work on our MM gate opener ( for $60/hr + call-out charge), and buying various replacement parts including a new control board, I finally broke down and simply bought a brand new complete unit.

That solution lasted about 2 months max. Like you, I also received the same customer support, i.e. NONE. With that lack of concern for my opener failure, I pulled the entire unit out and tossed it in the trash. Getting out of the truck and opening and closing the game proved more of a time saver than spending major buck and massive hours of time trying to fix the unfixable. My conclusion is that MM gate openers are in fact total junk, a waste of time and money.

After my second FM502 quit I am never buying another Mighty Mule product as they just don't last and troubleshooting is a nightmare. Any recommendations on other brands to use or avoid? My actuator arm wires are installed in conduit in our rock pillars which I would prefer to not have to pull and replace...any other brands out there that would use the same wires as the FM502?