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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AfterFast, Reliable Gate Motor & Opener Across Burlington
A gate motor or opener repair in Burlington usually costs between $280 and $640, with slide gate work on commercial properties along the Route 128 corridor often running higher because of the heavier operators and access control involved. We answer the phone around the clock and can have Hal or one of his crew at your Burlington property fast, because we are already working the Mall Road and Network Drive area most weeks. If your gate is stuck, beeping, or ignoring the remote, call (877) 610-2993 and talk to a person who knows Burlington gates.
We have spent years watching how Burlington’s specific combination of New England frost heave, road salt drift off the arterials, and a huge stock of 1960s and 1970s residential gates plus 1990s commercial operators shapes what breaks and when. That local pattern matters more than most people realize. A gate operator installed in Woburn behaves differently than one on a Burlington office park loop, and we plan our work around that.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Burlington’s Preferred Gate Motor & Opener Company
We are a local shop, not a franchise with a rotating cast. Hal Gatewood started this company in 2001, and his name is on the shop and on every invoice we hand a Burlington customer. We publish our address and license number. You can drive to the shop and look Hal in the eye if you ever want to. That is the oldest accountability there is, and it is the kind Burlington homeowners and property managers tell us they stopped expecting.
Burlington has a strong local reputation for us because we fix what other companies want to replace. On a residential gate off Cambridge Street, a national outfit quoted a full operator swap. We found the hinge post frost-heaved two inches out of plumb, welded the frame back square in the driveway, and saved the customer the cost of a new motor that would have bound up anyway within a year. Fix the panel without the post and you’ll fix it twice. We say that to people in Burlington all the time.
Every call to (877) 610-2993 is answered by a live person, 24 hours a day. Not a voicemail. Not a queue. When a delivery bay gate on Mall Road seizes at 6 a.m., the tenant does not have time to leave a message and hope. They get Hal or one of his crew on the first ring, and we roll.
Our Gate Motor & Opener Services in Burlington
Motor Installation
A new gate motor installation in Burlington starts with measuring the gate’s weight, cycle frequency, and post condition, then matching the operator to the actual load, not the brochure. On residential split-levels in 01803, the gate is often original wrought iron from the 1960s. That frame is heavier than a modern aluminum gate, so we size the operator honestly. You get a written price before we start, and the 90-Day Done Right Promise stamped on the job.
Motor Repair
We repair gate motors that other shops would rather swap. That includes seized motors after a Burlington January cold snap, failed limit switches, stripped gears, and control boards that have stopped responding. Hal welds on site, so a cracked motor mount or a sheared bracket gets fixed in your driveway, not hauled to some shop two towns over. A gate sags in the hinge post, not in the middle, and that is where we start the diagnosis.
Linear Motor
Linear gate motors are common on Burlington’s commercial slide gates, especially along Network Drive and Mall Road where heavy operators have been cycling for 25 years. We service Linear brand openers, replace worn rack and pinion sets, and retrofit older Linear units with modern safety edges and loop detectors. If a truck idling at the gate trips the photocell repeatedly, that is an alignment and shielding issue we understand from years of working the Route 128 corridor.
Slide Motor
Slide motors in Burlington take a beating from road salt, freeze-thaw, and high cycle counts on commercial properties. We rebuild them, replace them, and most importantly, we fix the underlying cause before installing a new one. On a 1996 FAAC slide gate operator on Network Drive, our tech found the rack and pinion worn to skipping under load. We replaced the operator, rebuilt the frost-heaved hinge post footing, and set a LiftMaster with battery backup so the pharma tenant’s access control stayed live during a January cold snap.
Battery Backup and Intercom Integration
Two things Burlington commercial properties ask about more than anything: battery backup and intercom integration. Battery backup keeps the gate working when power drops, and integrated intercoms let tenants buzz in trucks, deliveries, and visitors from a keypad or phone. Obsolete control boards on legacy Viking swing gate operators often will not accept modern keypad entry. We tell you honestly whether the board can be retrofitted or if a full operator swap is the cheaper long-term answer. We stock parts locally and carry the common boards for older models to keep turnaround fast.
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.
Trusted Brands We Service in Burlington
We are certified to service nine major gate brands: LiftMaster, FAAC, BFT, Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, DoorKing, Elite, and Mighty Mule. In Burlington, we see a lot of Linear and Viking units on commercial properties and a steady stream of LiftMaster and Mighty Mule on residential gates. Because we keep common parts for these brands in our local stock, a Burlington customer is not waiting a week for a board to ship from the distributor. We carry what the Route 128 corridor actually uses.
Common Gate Motor & Opener Problems We See in Burlington Homes
- Frost-heaved hinge posts on 1960s gates: Burlington’s inland Middlesex County location means ground frost regularly penetrates 30-48 inches. Wrought iron gates on original posts have shifted 2-3 inches out of plumb over decades. The operator binds, the rack teeth shear, and the motor overheats. The fix starts at the post, not the motor.
- Seized motors after single-digit cold snaps: January cold pushes temperatures below single digits. Motors on slide gates and swing arms seize, and limit switches blow. This is especially common on Mall Road and Network Drive delivery gates that cycle hundreds of times a week.
- Obsolete control boards that will not talk to modern keypads: Legacy swing gate operators from the 1990s often cannot accept current keypad entry or intercom integration. We evaluate whether a board retrofit is possible or if the whole operator is at end of life.
- False-tripping safety photocells near truck idling zones: Commercial slide gates near Route 3 see delivery trucks idling at the entrance. Exhaust, heat shimmer, and vibration can trip photocells. It is often an alignment and shielding issue, not a component failure.
Pricing for Gate Motor & Opener in Burlington, MA
Here is what we actually charge in Burlington, because you should not have to guess. Residential motor repair runs $280-$520 depending on the part and labor. A full residential operator installation runs $640-$1,250. Commercial slide gate work along Route 128 runs higher: $800-$2,400 for repair and $2,500-$6,000 for full replacement with access control integration. Battery backup installation adds $180-$400 on most systems. Intercom integration runs $350-$950 depending on wiring and panel condition.
The price you are quoted is the price we do the work for. No trip charge inside the county. $40 off any repair over $200. Free second opinion on any written estimate, and a permanent 10% discount for seniors and veterans. We agree on the number before we touch a wrench, and it is written down.
We Also Serve Cities Near Burlington
Our Gate Motor & Opener work from Burlington regularly takes us into Pinehurst, Woburn, Wilmington, and Lexington. If you are just over the town line in Woburn or Wilmington and your gate stopped working, call and ask. You will find our service area for this work is broader than our Burlington home turf, and we are already on the road.
Serving Burlington, MA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Burlington 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 Burlington
Usually mechanical. On a 25-year-old slide gate, the rack and pinion have worn enough that the operator skips under load, trips the current sensor, and reverses. We see it constantly on Network Drive. We inspect the rack, the pinion gear, and the gate rollers before touching the board. The fix is often a new rack section and pinion gear rather than a full operator. Call (877) 610-2993 and we will tell you what we find.
Sometimes. Older Viking boards have limited input capacity. If the board has auxiliary open and close terminals, we can often wire a modern keypad and intercom directly. If the board is the original from the 1990s, it may not accept a current intercom protocol. We give you a straight answer: retrofit the board or swap the operator. Either way, you will know the cost before we start.
Because the post has moved. Frost heave pushes Burlington’s clay soil up 30-48 inches every winter. A hinge post two inches out of plumb means the gate binds every cycle, and a new motor will strain and fail early. We square the post, weld the frame, and then install the operator. Skip the post and you fix it twice.
Yes. False trips near truck idling zones are usually caused by heat shimmer, exhaust, or vibration moving the photocell out of alignment. We re-align, shield the beam path from exhaust turbulence, and sometimes swap to a different beam modulation. This is routine on Route 3-adjacent properties. It is rarely a failed component.
We do. Solar gate openers work on Burlington residential lots where trenching a power line would mean tearing up a long driveway or crossing ledge. Burlington has pockets of shallow ledge, especially near the Route 3 side, where trenching gets expensive fast. We size the panel and battery for New England’s shorter winter charging days, not a Texas summer. Call (877) 610-2993 for an exact quote, estimates are free.
Retrofit or Replace: What Burlington Gates Actually Need
If you have a gate in Burlington, from a 1960s split-level off Route 3A to a 1990s office-park slide gate on Mall Road, you are asking the same question: can this be fixed, or is it time for new? Here is what our techs actually see in 01803 and 01805. Residential wrought iron gates from the 1960s and 1970s are almost always worth repairing. The steel is thick, the frames are solid, and the issues we find are post alignment, hinge wear, and obsolete openers. That is welding work and a new operator, not a new gate. Commercial slide gates from the 1990s are at the end of their design life. The rack and pinion is worn, the operator has been discontinued, and the safety package no longer meets current code. At that point, a full replacement with a modern operator, battery backup, and integrated access control is usually the cheaper five-year decision.
Burlington’s ZIP 01803 contains the Route 128/Route 3 corporate campus corridor, where slide gates and swing-arm operators installed during 1990s build-outs are now past their 25-year service life. That is a replacement wave with no real equivalent in Woburn or Billerica. If you manage a campus property and your gate operator is original to the building, the question is not whether it fails but when it fails during a January cold snap. We can help you plan the replacement before the delivery bays lock open on a Tuesday morning.
Call (877) 610-2993 for a free estimate on any gate motor or opener work in Burlington. Hal or one of his crew will answer, give you an honest read on the phone, and show up when promised.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Burlington since 2001.