Free on-site gate assessment - hinges, posts, and your LiftMaster or Nice gate operator checked before anything is quoted
The assessment is free and the quote is the invoice.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterFast, Reliable Gate Motor & Opener Across Fort Worth
Gate motor repair in Fort Worth typically costs $225-$480 for most opener faults, and full operator replacement on an existing gate usually runs $1,100-$2,600 depending on the brand and setup. We get to most Fort Worth neighborhoods the same day you call, because a gate stuck open is a problem you shouldn’t have to sleep on. Gatewood Fence & Gate has been owner-operated since 2001, and Hal Gatewood’s phone number is on every invoice we write. Call (817) 241-4067 and a live person answers, day or night.
Our Gate Motor & Opener crew works Fort Worth every week, from Fairmount bungalows to the HOA subdivisions out by Walsh Ranch. What we see out here isn’t the same as what people see in Dallas. Fort Worth gates sit on Blackland Prairie clay, and that clay moves. It heaves. It shrinks. It throws gate posts out of square season after season, and that’s where a lot of “motor problems” actually start.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Fort Worth’s Preferred Gate Motor & Opener Company
We’ve been at this since 2001, and the name on the shop is the name that shows up. Hal Gatewood owns Gatewood Fence & Gate. He’s not a franchise. He’s not a call center three states away. When you call, you get a live person, around the clock, every day of the week.
Fort Worth customers keep calling us back because we fix what’s actually broken instead of swapping parts that don’t need swapping. If a control board fails, we replace it. If the post is heaving in clay, we dig it, reset it, and square the gate before it burns out another motor. Every job carries our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it’s not right, Hal comes back and makes it right. No runaround, no fine print.
We’re certified to service nine major gate brands, including LiftMaster, FAAC, BFT, Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, DoorKing, Elite, and Mighty Mule. The person who shows up is background-checked and uniformed, and he’ll quote the price before any work starts. Not an estimate that changes at the door. The number you agree to is the number you pay.
Our Gate Motor & Opener Services in Fort Worth
Motor Installation
New gate motor installation in Fort Worth usually starts around $1,100 for a single swing arm operator and goes up from there for slide gates, dual operators, or heavy ornamental iron. We install operators from several brands, and yes, we stock common parts locally so we’re not waiting on a warehouse in another state. For any installation, we check the post footings first. On Fort Worth’s clay, a new motor on a shifting post is a future failure waiting to happen. We reset what needs resetting before we mount anything.
Motor Repair
Most motor repairs we do in Fort Worth fall between $225 and $480. That covers things like failed capacitors, stripped gears, fried control boards, and misaligned limit switches. The key is diagnosing the actual cause. When a motor burns out, we don’t just throw a new one in and leave. We ask why it burned out. If the hinge post is out of square from clay heave and the operator has been fighting it for two years, fixing the operator alone means you’ll see us again. We’d rather fix it once.
Linear Motor
Linear arm motors, sometimes called linear actuators or piston openers, are common on Fort Worth swing gates in both older Fairmount-style homes and newer HOA subdivisions like Chapel Creek. A typical linear motor repair in Fort Worth costs $180-$400, and full replacement on an existing gate runs $1,200-$2,400. These motors use a screw or piston to push and pull the gate. The two things that kill them fastest: post movement from clay soil, and ice storms. When water gets in the housing and freezes, the piston binds. We see it every winter on west-side properties exposed to open prairie wind.
Slide Motor
Cantilever slide gates are everywhere in Fort Worth, especially on ranch properties west of town and in gated subdivisions. Slide motor repair typically runs $250-$600, and if the rack and pinion is the problem, that’s usually a welding job. We weld on site, in your driveway, so the gate never leaves your property. We also handle battery backup retrofits for slide gates, which is something a lot of Fort Worth HOAs require now. If the power goes out during a storm, the gate still needs to open. Battery backup makes that happen.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Fort Worth
We work on LiftMaster, FAAC, BFT, Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, DoorKing, Elite, and Mighty Mule. For Fort Worth customers, the brands we see most often on older gates are Linear and BFT, and Viking shows up a lot on ranch and agricultural gates. We keep common Linear and Ghost Controls parts on the truck, which means faster turnaround on repairs. If a BFT board has to come in, we’ll tell you honestly how long that takes and whether there’s a faster retrofit option. Hal doesn’t oversell a retrofit to make a sale. If the old board is rebuildable or replaceable, that’s what we do.
Common Gate Motor & Opener Problems We See in Fort Worth Homes
- Clay heave knocking the post out of square. Blackland Prairie clay swells with spring rain and shrinks in summer drought. The post shifts, the gate binds, and the motor strains every single cycle until something fails. We reset the post, not just the motor.
- Pre-UL 325 gates without entrapment protection. Before 2001, operators weren’t required to have photo-eyes or edge sensors. Fort Worth HOAs now flag these during inspections. We can retrofit entrapment protection on many older gates without replacing the entire operator, but if the board is obsolete, a new operator is the honest answer.
- Freeze-thaw damage to slide gates. North Texas ice storms are rough on slide gate rollers and gear housings. Water gets in, freezes, and cracks housings or seizes rollers. West-side properties get the worst of it because there’s no tree line to break the wind.
- Exposed wiring and degraded junction boxes. Fort Worth summers cook plastic and rubber. Junction boxes crack, wiring insulation gets brittle, and phantom faults start tripping the operator irregularly. We chase those electrical gremlins down.
Pricing for Gate Motor & Opener in Fort Worth, TX
Here’s what we quote in Fort Worth, upfront and in writing:
| Service | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Motor repair (diagnostic + parts + labor) | $225-$480 |
| Linear motor replacement | $1,200-$2,400 |
| Slide motor replacement | $1,400-$2,900 |
| Full operator installation (new or retrofit) | $1,100-$2,600 |
| Battery backup installation | $450-$900 |
| Post resetting (when clay heave has shifted the footing) | $350-$800 |
| Entrapment protection retrofit (photo-eyes/edge sensors) | $400-$1,100 |
The final number depends on the brand, the gate’s size and weight, and whether the post needs resetting. Our quote includes everything before we start. No trip charge inside the county. We offer $40 off any repair over $200, a free second opinion on any written estimate, and a permanent 10% discount for seniors and veterans. Call (817) 241-4067 for a free estimate.
One more thing worth saying about older gates: when a 1990s LiftMaster chain-drive opener dies on a Fairmount iron gate, the repair may cost close to what a new operator costs. We’ll tell you that straight. We’d rather replace an obsolete operator with something that meets today’s safety standards than patch it and leave you with a gate that fails an HOA inspection. But if the old unit is still solid and the board is the only issue, repair is also a fine answer. Hal’s honest about which one makes sense for your gate.
We Also Serve Cities Near Fort Worth
Gate Motor & Opener in Fort Worth keeps our trucks rolling through Haltom City, North Richland Hills, Hurst, and Kennedale all week long. If you’re just outside the city line, you still get a live person on the phone, upfront pricing, and the same 90-Day Done Right Promise. No trip charge inside the county.
Serving Fort Worth, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Fort Worth area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Gate Motor & Opener in Fort Worth
Yes, in many cases we can retrofit a pre-2005 swing gate with photo-eyes and edge sensors without replacing the entire operator, provided the motor and control board are still serviceable. Pre-UL 325 gates are common in older Fort Worth subdivisions like Fairmount, and HOAs now flag them during inspections. Retrofitting typically runs $400-$1,100 depending on the gate’s layout and wiring access. If the control board can’t support the safety devices, then replacing the operator is the honest route, and we’ll show you why before we do anything. Call (817) 241-4067 and we’ll assess your gate for free.
The most common reason in Fort Worth is clay soil movement under the hinge post. Blackland Prairie clay swells and shrinks with seasonal moisture, slowly shoving the post out of square. The operator has to work harder every cycle until the motor overheats and burns out. Replacing the motor without resetting the post means you’re just buying another two years. That’s why we check the post footing first on every burnout. A post reset costs $350-$800, which is cheaper than a third motor. Call (817) 241-4067 if you’re on your second or third operator.
We get it moving safely without forcing it, then check the rollers, gear housing, and rack for freeze damage. Ice expands and cracks gear housings and seizes rollers, especially on west-side Fort Worth properties near the open prairie. Hammering or forcing a frozen gate can strip the rack or shear the pinion. We thaw it carefully, inspect for cracks, and replace what’s damaged. If your slide gate froze last winter, call (817) 241-4067 and we’ll inspect it before the next freeze.
If the control board is the only problem, repair usually makes sense and runs $225-$480. If the motor is also failing, or the unit lacks entrapment protection, replacement is usually the cheaper long-term answer once you factor in repeat service calls and HOA compliance. A new operator for a Fort Worth iron gate runs $1,100-$2,600 installed. We’ll tell you which side of the line your opener is on, plainly. Call (817) 241-4067 for a free second opinion on any written estimate you already have.
Yes, we service solar gate openers on ranch properties around Aledo, Benbrook, and the western edge of Fort Worth. Solar opener problems are usually one of three things: a weak battery that’s no longer holding charge, a shaded or dirty panel not generating enough power, or motor wear from a pipe gate that’s too heavy for the operator’s rating. We carry pipe-gate parts and livestock-latch hardware in the truck alongside our standard residential gear. Call (817) 241-4067 and we’ll come take a look.
Older Gates and Legacy Operators: The Fort Worth Reality
Fort Worth’s housing stock runs from 1920s craftsman bungalows in Fairmount and Ryan Place to massive post-2000 subdivisions with HOA-mandated automated entry gates. In between, you’ve got subdivisions built in the 1990s and early 2000s, right when gate automation took off. Those systems are now twenty to thirty years old. Control boards are obsolete. Motors are tired. Safety standards have changed. And the operators were installed before UL 325 required entrapment protection.
When one of those systems fails, Fort Worth homeowners face a real decision: repair a legacy opener with parts that may be discontinued, or install a new operator that meets current code. We approach that decision honestly. If the motor is fine and only the board failed, we’ll find a replacement board or rebuild the one you have. If the motor is burned up and the gate has no safety devices, we’ll recommend replacement and show you the numbers side by side.
The other Fort Worth variable is the ground under the gate. Blackland Prairie clay movement is relentless. We’ve reset posts in Benbrook that shifted 1.5 inches out of square in a single wet spring. That’s why a post-check is part of every motor job we do here. Not optional. Not an upsell. It’s the difference between fixing a gate once and seeing the same motor fail again in twenty-four months.
We replaced an obsolete LiftMaster slide gate operator on a Chapel Creek cul-de-sac after the old control board died and the HOA wanted to keep their existing keypad entry and loop detectors. The real culprit was a heaving hinge post: the clay had shifted it 1.5 inches out of square. We reset the post footing on deep-set concrete, then installed a new LiftMaster with battery backup and a safety photocell to meet UL 325. A week later we were in Aledo welding a rack and pinion on a pipe-frame slide gate where the original weld had fatigued from years of thermal expansion.
That’s what a week looks like for us in Fort Worth: HOA ornamental iron one day, cattle gates the next. The tools for both live in the truck. Hal’s been welding since 2001, and if a hinge needs rebuilding rather than replacing, that’s what we do. Show me the gate closing on its own and I’ll show you where it’s failing. Usually it’s the post.
If your operator is old, your gate is out of square, or your HOA just sent a code-compliance letter, call us. We’ll come to Fort Worth, look at the whole system, and give you a written price before any work starts. No trip charge inside the county. The name’s on the shop, and the shop’s down the road.
Call (817) 241-4067 for a free estimate.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Fort Worth since 2001.