How do I automate a gate I already have?
By Kodiak Gates & Iron
Yes, most gates that are already hanging can be automated. Kodiak Gates & Iron, a custom iron shop in Caldwell, Idaho, adds openers to gates it did not build, and makes the mounting brackets to fit your gate.
The real question is not whether it can be done. It is what has to be true about your gate, your posts and your power first, and who can fix the parts that are not ready.
Can any gate be automated?
Most can. Four things decide it, and all four are checked at your gate: how heavy the gate is, how far it has to swing or slide, the shape of the posts and hinges, and how far the gate is from power.
A gate that swings easily by hand, on straight posts set in solid footings, is the simple case. A gate that drags, sticks or hangs on a post that has moved needs that fixed first. That is welding work, not opener work. An opener put on a gate that does not move freely will keep pushing until the hinge or the post gives out.
What has to be true before an opener goes on?
The gate has to move freely, and the posts have to hold the extra force of a motor.
That means:
- The hinges are sound and sized for the gate.
- The frame is square and has not sagged at the latch end.
- The posts are straight and set in footings that will not shift.
- There is a strong spot to mount the opener arm.
If any of these is off, Jose welds and fits the fix before the opener is chosen. That is why the visit looks at the iron before it looks at the opener.
Why does it matter who installs the opener?
Because an opener comes as a kit, and the kit expects a gate built to factory sizes. A gate that has hung in your driveway for years almost never matches.
When the same shop welds and installs, the bracket that holds the opener is made for your gate, on site. It is not shimmed until it holds. If the gate needs to be reinforced, hung again or set straight first, the same person does it on the same visit. Jose Luis Dominguez has been a licensed contractor since 2007. You do not end up with two companies blaming each other when the gate sticks.
Most opener companies do not weld. Most welders do not install openers. Kodiak does both. You can read more about our gate automation work.
Do I need a swing opener or a slide opener?
Your gate decides. A swing gate gets a swing opener and a slide gate gets a slide opener.
What your driveway can change is whether a swing gate should stay a swing gate. If the driveway rises steeply away from the gate, the gate may have no room to open. Then the answer can be a rising hinge or a switch to a slide gate. That choice is made at your gate, looking at the slope, not from a catalog.
What if there is no power at the gate?
There are two ways to power it. Run a line in a trench from the nearest power, or use a solar panel with a battery.
A trench depends on the distance and what it has to cross, like the driveway, sprinkler lines or landscaping. Solar depends on how much sun that post gets and how many times a day the gate opens. Both are measured at your gate. Read more in our guide Can a driveway gate run on solar power?
What does it cost to automate a gate I already have?
Every job is quoted after someone looks at your gate. The things that change the price all belong to your gate and your driveway.
What we look at:
- Swing or slide
- How heavy the gate is
- How wide the opening is
- How far the gate is from power
- Trench or solar
- The slope of the driveway
- Room to work
- The finish
- Whether the posts, hinges or ironwork need work first
A gate that already swings true on good posts, close to power, is a very different job from one that needs a post reset and a long trench. That is why the estimate is free and the number is honest.
Kodiak provides first year maintenance at no cost, when Kodiak did the installation.
Ask for an onsite estimate
Send a photo of your gate and posts, tell us where the property is, and about how far the gate is from the nearest power. You get a quote after someone has stood at your gate, not before.
Request an onsite estimate, or call 208-906-1526. If your gate needs work before an opener can go on, see our gate repair service.
