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.
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Before
AfterAutomatic Gate Installation Nationwide
Automatic gate installation is the job of turning a gate into something you open from your car, your phone, or a keypad, without a single compromise on safety. It takes more than bolting a motor to a frame. The gate has to be square and light enough to move freely, the posts have to hold still, the power has to reach the opener, and the sensors have to stop the gate the instant something is in its path. Latch & Post Gate Repair has done this work since 2009 as part of the Cedarwell family of independently owned and operated gate specialists. Call (626) 649-4572 and a live person answers, any hour, any day.
What Automatic Gate Installation Includes
When people ask for automatic gate installation, they usually picture the motor. The motor is one piece of five. A complete job covers the gate itself, the opener, the safety devices, the power and control wiring, and the access controls such as remotes, keypads, and phone apps. If any one of those is skipped or done cheaply, the whole system suffers. A great opener on a sagging gate burns out early. A solid gate with no safety edge is a liability. We price and install all five together so nothing gets left out to make a quote look smaller.
Most automatic gate installations land between $2,800 and $7,500 for the full package, depending on gate size, opener type, and how far power has to travel. You see the exact written figure before we start. No pressure, no surprise invoice.
Starting With a New Gate or an Existing One
Some customers need a brand new gate and opener together. Others already have a good manual gate and just want it automated. Either way works. If your gate is staying, we check the hinges, the welds, and how plumb the posts are before we quote the opener, because a motor can only be as reliable as the gate it pulls.
Swing, Slide, or Something Else
The right opener depends on how the gate moves. Swing gates use arm or underground operators. Sliding gates use a chain or rack drive. Some properties need a mix, such as a pedestrian gate beside a vehicle gate. We recommend based on your driveway, not on what is easiest for us to install.
Choosing the Right Opener for Your Gate
An opener is sized by the weight and width of the gate and by how often it cycles. A family that uses the gate six times a day has different needs than a business with a hundred trips. We calculate before we recommend, then choose a unit from LiftMaster, DoorKing, FAAC, BFT, Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, Elite, or Mighty Mule, all brands we are factory-trained on.
Swing Gate Operators
Articulating arm and linear arm operators suit most residential driveways. Underground operators hide the motor below grade and keep the gate looking clean, but they cost more and need good drainage around the housing.
We check the post spacing and the swing radius first, because a swing gate that hits a slope or a parked car is a daily problem.
Slide Gate Operators
Slide operators drive the gate along a track or a cantilever frame using a chain or a rack. They work where there is no room to swing, and they handle heavy gates well when sized correctly.
Alignment matters most here. A slide gate a half inch out of level will wear out wheels and strain the motor within a season.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees – you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Safety Edges, Sensors, and Entrapment Protection
An automatic gate is a moving machine that weighs hundreds of pounds, and it shares a driveway with kids, pets, bikes, and cars. Safety devices are not an upgrade. They are part of a correct installation, and they are included in the written price you approve first.
Photoelectric Sensors
Photo eyes sit on either side of the opening and send a beam across it. Break the beam and the gate stops or reverses. We mount them at the right height for a small dog or a child on a scooter, not just for a car bumper, and we test them with the gate moving before we leave.
Contact Safety Edges
A safety edge is a sensitive strip along the leading edge of the gate. If it touches something, the gate reverses. On a slide gate we also protect the closing side and any pinch points along the fence line.
Force Settings and Reverse Testing
Every opener has an adjustable force setting. Set too high, the gate can push through an obstacle. Set too low, it reverses in a light breeze. We tune it to the gate, test reversing with a real obstruction, and show you how to check it yourself every few months.
Power Options for an Automatic Gate
Where the power comes from changes the cost more than almost anything else. Gates close to a house are easy. Gates at the far end of a long driveway are not. We walk the route from the panel to the gate and give you the options with dollar figures attached.
Hardwired Line Voltage
Most openers run on a dedicated circuit with a low voltage transformer at the gate. Running the line underground means trenching and conduit at a depth that meets code. It is the most dependable choice and the one we recommend when the distance is reasonable.
Solar Power and Battery Backup
Solar kits make sense when trenching would run into thousands of dollars or cross rock and roots. A properly sized panel and battery bank will run a residential gate for days without sun. We also install battery backup on hardwired systems so the gate still opens during a power outage, and every gate we install has a manual release so nobody is trapped.
Remotes, Keypads, Intercoms, and Phone Control
The opener is only useful if everyone who needs it can use it. We program remotes with you standing at the gate, set keypad codes you pick yourself, and connect phone apps where the opener supports them. Some customers want a visitor to buzz in from the street. Others want a delivery code that works for a day. We set up the access you actually need.
For driveways with guests, contractors, or deliveries, an intercom with a call button to your phone is worth the cost. For simple family use, a pair of remotes and a keypad for the neighbor who waters the plants is plenty. If you later need to adjust or repair any of it, our gate opener repair team handles the same brands.
Our Automatic Gate Installation Process
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Site check and measurements. We measure the opening, check the grade, test any existing posts, and trace the power route. You get a written price at this stage, before any work is approved. If you do not like the number, we leave and you owe nothing.
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Written quote and scheduling. The quote breaks out gate, opener, safety devices, wiring, and labor line by line. A live person confirms every appointment, and we plan around your household, including quiet hours.
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Posts and gate work. New posts are set in concrete at the right depth and given time to cure before they carry weight. Existing gates are checked, repaired, and squared first.
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Opener, wiring, and sensors. The operator is mounted to the manufacturer’s specs, the power and control wiring is run, and the safety devices are installed and aligned.
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Testing and walkthrough. We run full cycles, test reversing, set the force, and program your remotes and keypad. We clean up, then walk you through how everything works. The job is not done until you have seen it work yourself.
How Much Does Automatic Gate Installation Cost?
A full automatic gate installation, gate plus opener plus safety devices, usually runs $2,800 to $7,500. If you already have a solid gate and only need the opener fitted, expect $900 to $3,500. A sliding gate system typically falls between $2,200 and $6,500 depending on length. These are honest ranges, not teaser prices.
What moves the number: gate size and weight, swing or slide, how far the power has to travel, whether the ground needs extra concrete or grading, and how many access controls you want. To avoid overpaying, get a written line-item quote before work starts, make sure safety edges and sensors are included rather than sold separately, and ask what the installer does about cleanup. That is exactly what our free estimate includes. Every quote is written, explained line by line, and yours to keep with no obligation.
When Automating Your Gate Makes Sense
- You are tired of getting out of the car. Rain, snow, and late nights all make a manual gate a chore. If the gate itself is sound, adding an opener is often the simplest upgrade you can make.
- The gate is too heavy to move by hand. A gate that takes real effort to push is a gate people leave open. An opener keeps it closed and the driveway secure.
- You want controlled access without a guard. Keypads, intercoms, and timed codes let family, guests, and deliveries in while keeping everyone else out.
- Your old opener has failed and is not worth fixing. If repair costs are piling up, a new system can cost less over three years. Our gate motor repair crew will tell you honestly which side of that line you are on.
- The gate sags, scrapes, or no longer closes fully. Automating a bad gate shortens the life of the motor. We fix the gate first, or replace it, and then automate. See driveway gate repair if the gate itself needs work.
Brands We Install and Service
We are factory-trained on LiftMaster, FAAC, BFT, Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, DoorKing, Elite, and Mighty Mule. That means the technician who arrives understands how your specific unit is wired, not just how gates work in general.
LiftMaster and DoorKing account for a large share of the residential and light commercial openers we install. Mighty Mule suits lighter residential gates, and Elite and Viking show up often on heavier or commercial jobs. We stock the parts that keep them running, so a service call years later does not turn into a long wait. For the broader job of building and hanging the gate itself, see gate installation.
Where We Work
Latch & Post Gate Repair serves homeowners and businesses across the United States through local crews working to the same Cedarwell Care Promise. Each location is an independent local business, not a distant national operation. The technician who arrives knows the local soil, the local climate, and the local building practices. The standard of care, the written pricing, and the cleanup routine stay exactly the same. Start at our home page or call (626) 649-4572 to reach your nearest crew.
Frequently Asked Questions About Automatic Gate Installation
Automatic gate installation is the work of fitting a gate with a powered opener, safety sensors, wiring, and access controls so it opens and closes without you touching it. It can include a new gate or automate one you already own. Call (626) 649-4572 for a free estimate.
A full automatic gate installation usually runs $2,800 to $7,500. Adding an opener to a gate you already have typically costs $900 to $3,500. Gate size, opener type, and the distance power must travel drive the final number, and you see it in writing before work starts.
Usually yes. We check the hinges, welds, and posts first, because a new motor on a sagging gate wears out fast. If the gate needs a repair, we tell you before you spend anything on the opener, and we can do both in the same visit.
Yes. Every installation has a manual release, and we can add battery backup so the opener keeps working when the power is out. Solar-powered systems keep running on their own battery bank. We show you how to use the release before we leave.
Adding an opener to an existing gate is often a one-day job. A new gate with posts, opener, and wiring usually takes one to two days on site, plus time for concrete to cure. Custom fabricated gates add lead time. Call us to talk through your project.
Every installation is covered by the 365-Day Done Right Promise. If it is not done right within the year, Latch & Post makes it right, no argument and no fine print. That is in addition to any manufacturer warranty on the gate or opener.
Schedule Your Automatic Gate Installation Today
Call (626) 649-4572 for a free, no-obligation estimate. A live person answers 24/7, even on weekends and holidays. We will walk you through the options, put a written price in your hands, and schedule the work when it fits your family. No pressure, no surprises, and a 365-Day Done Right Promise on every installation.
Written by Cody Beckman, Owner at Latch & Post Gate Repair, serving homeowners since 2009.