Gate Openers?

[Caver Dave]

The automatic/electric type for a gate that will control access onto the property. Gate (12' standard tube farm gate) is currently mounted to 6"x6" post (appears very sturdy) and is flanked by several other 6x6 posts with top/bottom rails & welded fence. Will likely need some "adjusting" to get it balanced (but raising it 4"-5" to keep the end out of the gravels comes to mind)

From what I've read, most folks go with the GTO/Mighty Mule brand... cheapest & very plentiful, but due to the control boards being mounted in the shroud over the linear actuator and lack of any seals, very prone to water intrusion burning them up.

Would appear a separate control board mounted in a weather-tite box would be better?

The "Strongway" branded stuff looks pretty good $$ wise with the control board in a separate box, multiple inputs (for various switches, safety items, longer range remotes, etc.), multiple outputs (1-2 linear actuators, lights/buzzers, locks, etc.), BUT it's 24VDC... which means 2 batteries (was gonna use a single 12VDC deep-cycle/marine vs. the little SLA's) and a box large enough for a pair (which won't jive with my "aesthetics" requirements )

Any other recommendations that don't start at $1K+ (Apollo, etc)?

And before anyone mentions it... I haven't climbed to the top of the food chain to exit my warm/cool/safe vehicle into the cold/hot/dark/wet to open/close that fawker twice each way!

 

[termitebuffet]

Mine is from tractor supply , et600 ...maybe I'm going off of memory , it's got remote box for board

Zoo City Sawz

 

[Fabrik8]

So this is a swing gate and not a slide gate, right?

Also, why not SLA batteries and a solar charger instead of deep cycle batteries?

I've had these people bookmarked for a while, probably because of some garage door product that I wanted for some reason:

Gate Opener | Gate Accessories

 

[termitebuffet]

So this is a swing gate and not a slide gate, right?

Also, why not SLA batteries and a solar charger instead of deep cycle batteries?

Yes swing gate ....I use a deep cycle battery and a 5watt panel Iirc

Zoo City Sawz

 

[Caver Dave]

So this is a swing gate and not a slide gate, right?

Correct, swinger

Also, why not SLA batteries and a solar charger instead of deep cycle batteries?

I'd rather have 750+ amps and not need it, than overrun a tiny SLA in the middle of winter (short days/overcast)... plus, planning to power other things of the deepcycle like intercom/video and possible GSM opener...

I've had these people bookmarked for a while, probably because of some garage door product that I wanted for some reason:

Gate Opener | Gate Accessories

I found them immediately, but everything appears kinda steep...

 

[sammi_davis]

Ghost controls makes very nice openers. They are the ex Engineers from Mighty Mule. When Mighty Mule got bought out they went and made their own company. This is the evolution that the Mighty Mule would have become with sealed Electronics and better quality gears.

 

[Caver Dave]

Ghost controls makes very nice openers.

Yes, they do!

Any other recommendations that don't start at $1K+ (Apollo, Ghost, etc)?

 

[BRUISER]

I have a mighty mule opened on a 12 foot gate I made. Gate is heavy as hell and it has no issues. I have an old red top battery that the gate connects to for 12 volt and a trickle charger from a 120 outlet to battery.

I have had it for over 10 years.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[skyhighZJ]

We have a mighty mule on a 16’ cattle gate and the bottom of our drive. Blue top optima I got used and a small solar trickle charger. Remote open with delay closure. I sealed the boxes the best I could and it hasn’t given any issues thus far even when Harvey breezed through this past fall. For the money it has served us well. Our “jackass” will run his head into the gate trying to get out and wander down the lane to the neighbors to see his girlfriend and it hasn’t budged/broke/jammed up.

 

[paradisePWoffrd]

Whatever one you go with, I suggest driving in good/deep ground rods, next to the gate, to prevent any lightning intrusion in the electronics.

 

[DAWGTOY]

we installed a mighty mule a little over 2 years ago and no problems so far. (fangers crossed)
ours is on a solar charger with a optima blue top and it has worked flawlessly.
i sealed up where the wires enter the housing with some silicone
and have had no problems even in the coldest weather with snow covering the panel.

16 foot tube gate with cattle panel attached.

 

[kaiser715]

Any new options or experiences to report? I am fixing to put in an automatic opener, thinking Ghost, maybe. Going to be a 16' single.

 

[Caver Dave]

Any new options or experiences to report? I am fixing to put in an automatic opener, thinking Ghost, maybe. Going to be a 16' single.

After talking with them and comparing the features/ease of install, Purchased a Ghost Controls TSS1 Heavy-Duty Single Automatic Gate Opener Kit for Swing Gates Up for $399 in April for a single 12' tubular cattle gate. Took a couple of hours to install (2 beers) it after waiting for the longer brackets ("Push to open", though it's actually pulling to open, due to the way gates's mounted on the backsides of the posts vs. in between).
Purchased plastic battery box at Advance (set on pavers behind fence & below the control box) that would take the battery I had (though I was heading for a deep-cycle, used a regular car battery out of my DD), and wired it up.
After some difficulties reading the plain English instructions, got both remotes programmed (2nd remote was extra) and we were off to the races!

After a few weeks, the panel was telling me the battery voltage (12.6VDC before install) was south of 12VDC... as it's just over 1100' from the house (fawk trenching a cable that far from the house panel in this rocky ass ground or $2500 for AEP to drop another transformer down there... which also poo-poo'd all the "surveillance" goodies I hand planned down there), I ordered in a 30W/12VDC mono-crystalline solar panel (per the Ghost engineer, the onboard charge controller will take 30W) and the cheapest "satellite dish" mount I could find (both from Amazon & 1/2 the price of their 10W solution). Took a few days to actually aim the panel per the interwebs.... checked the voltage every couple of weeks for the first month (12.5VDC) and quit looking for a problem. Will see how it does this winter when sunlight gets scarce for days on end, but think

ZERO issues and the support was awesome (spoke to both their mechanical & electrical engineers... at the same time ... on the phone... without a 10 minute wait or callback).
Would absolutely buy it again!

 

[Ron]

So school me up @Caver Dave .
I get how this opener works, but what "locks" your gate?
Just the tension from the opener?

 

[awheelterd]

So school me up @Caver Dave .
I get how this opener works, but what "locks" your gate?
Just the tension from the opener?

I have wondered that as well. Also, if it does have a mechanical lock, how easy is it to force it open or to cut wires and trick it into opening?

 

[Caver Dave]

So school me up @Caver Dave .
I get how this opener works, but what "locks" your gate?
Just the tension from the opener?

Mine currently has no "lock" per-see (other than a HUGE Kryptonite bike we use when leaving for a night/weekend ), but there are options... basically, they have a bar that mounts to the gate and lock mounts to the post.
The lock is similar to most automotive trunk latches (spring loaded, folds bar contacts it) and uses 12VDC/solenoid to "unlock"/retract.
Most gate controllers have connections for these locks, where the programming energizes them *before* sending voltage to the opener (linear actuator)... which explains why there's a tiny delay with all of them.

Most use a padlock or have a key cylinder for manual override...

Driveway Opener Gate Lock Comparison (GateCrafters.com) - YouTube

 

[Caver Dave]

I have wondered that as well. Also, if it does have a mechanical lock, how easy is it to force it open or to cut wires and trick it into opening?

I got the "special" arm pins... basically a pin that's drilled to accept a padlock (vs. a clip/hairpin) to keep them from being pulled.

The electric locks require 12VDC to open, so a pocket knife and jumpbox gets you in...

Nothing you can do will keep someone with a battery powered angle grinder out for longer than 3 minutes

 

[kaiser715]

@Caver Dave Thanks!!

I was thinking hard about giving Ghost a try, so I guess that's it.. Was thinking liftmaster, but they have problems, too.

 

[Caver Dave]

Just wanted to follow up on this after about 8-10 months of use...

3-4 weeks ago during the hard freeze (was single digits up here on the mountain), I left for work, the gate opened & shut behind me.
My wife calls about lunch to say the gate won't open. I relay to pull the hair pin & hitch pin the secures it to the gate, and swing it open...

I arrived back home in the dark and threw the meter on the battery. Thinking with 10+ cycles per day, winter times reduced sun angle (fawk moving the panel 2-4 times a year) & rain/snow since early December keeping the charge times reduced, I figured the car battery (my 7 year spare out of the DD) might be getting low... nope, fully charged at 12.6VDC, so buttoned all back up for the night.
Later that week, after some googling, walked down, observed 7 beeps (a code signifying something was wrong with the arm) and "reset" it via the switch (conveniently hidden on the bottom of the control box )... we're back in business!

Fast forward to sometime last week... same scenario, arm moves 2"/stops = 7 beeps, and no amount of resets were working.
So, Wednesday I called Ghost Controls (trying not to be pissed about an opener that's less than 1 year old taking a ), got right thru to "Mike", described the issue & beeps... he told me there's a lifetime warranty on the arm (control board is 1 year) and he'll be sending me a new arm with return shipping for the old arm. I asked if they just rebuild them and ship them out for warranty... "Absolutely not, we take it apart to see what/why it failed and use that info to make them better! You will be getting a brand new arm".

It arrived today (brand spankin' new), and took less than 15 minutes to swap out (despite the cold/rain) and the gate is again keeping the lookey-loos (several adjoining properties for sale, teenieboppers looking for a deadend to drink/party on, etc.) "of my yard"!

That my friends is first rate customer service and is one of the few things I've bought recently that gave me the warm/fuzzy that it was the right choice.

 

[anvilrubi]

My gate openers right out of high school and rides shotgun

 

[frankenyoter]

Mighty Mule will work but all the internals are plastic. So if there is a part bad, replace the unit .

Liftmaster/Chamberlain will a bit more but will last more cycles and has replacement parts available.