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 Palm Beach
A gate motor and opener in Palm Beach usually runs $850-$2,400 depending on the operator, the gate’s weight, and whether we’re rebuilding the existing setup or starting fresh. Most Palm Beach Gate Repair jobs can be completed the same day we arrive, since our trucks carry the common control boards, capacitors, and limit switches for the brands found on Worth Avenue and South Ocean Boulevard. If your gate is groaning, slamming, or not responding to the keypad, call (877) 610-2993 and a live person answers, day or night.
This island is different from the mainland. Every gate here sits between the Atlantic and the Intracoastal, which means salt air works on the operator from both directions. We plan for that before we ever unbolt a cover. The Gate Motor & Opener work we do across Palm Beach starts with checking what the salt has already done, not just what part failed.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Palm Beach’s Preferred Gate Motor & Opener Company
Hal Gatewood has been at this since 2001, and his name is on the shop and on every invoice. That matters on an island where a lot of the homes are landmarked, the gates are custom, and the homeowner wants to know exactly who is driving up the paver driveway. We’re locally owned and owner-operated, with a published address and license number anyone can look up. Scheduling and dispatch run through our South FL office, but the crew that shows up at your gate serves Palm Beach directly and knows the island’s soil, salt, and architecture.
We’ve rebuilt operators on Mediterranean Revival estates off South County Road and on contemporary Intracoastal-front homes near the Lake Worth Lagoon. The same person who answers your call is the person who can tell you what a seized gearbox on a custom bronze gate is going to need. No call center three states away. No voicemail at two in the afternoon. Calls answered by a live person, 24/7. Every job carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it’s not done right, one call brings Hal back. No runaround.
We also don’t start quoting work until we’ve looked at the actual gate, the actual post, and the actual operator. The price is agreed before any work starts. If you have a written estimate from another company, bring it to us. We’ll give you a free second opinion. That’s saved more than one Palm Beach homeowner from paying for a full replacement when the real fix was a $25 limit switch and an afternoon of patience.
Our Gate Motor & Opener Services in Palm Beach
Motor Repair
Most motor failures in Palm Beach are corrosion failures that happen twice as fast as they would across the bridge in West Palm Beach. Salt-laden air gets into the gearbox, chews up the grease, and attacks the control board contacts until the gate loses its mind. We rebuild what can be rebuilt and replace what cannot, on site, in your driveway. The gate stays in place. You don’t haul a 1,200-pound iron panel to a shop.
A motor repair usually runs $250-$650 when we catch it before the gearbox is fully seized. If the motor has already burned out from pushing against a misaligned post, the cost climbs toward a full replacement, and the alignment work has to happen first or the new motor dies young.
Motor Installation
Gate Installation - Palm Beach projects for new operators typically land between $1,400 and $3,600, depending on whether we’re mounting a linear arm on a heavy swing gate, installing an underground operator, or converting from a chain-drive slide system. On custom ornamental gates, especially the Addison Mizner-era ironwork you see along South Ocean Boulevard and in the Estate Section, we take the time to match the new operator’s envelope to the existing architecture. The motor should be heard as a quiet click and a smooth swing, not a rattling box bolted to a beautiful post.
We quote a firm price before any part is ordered or any hole is drilled. The written price is what you pay, and it includes the work we agree to, nothing padded.
Linear Motor
Linear arm operators are common on Palm Beach driveway gates because they handle long, heavy leaves well and mount cleanly on masonry piers. A bent or corroded linear arm is often the first thing to fail, especially after a hurricane season of salt spray and wind. Replacing a linear motor arm on a standard estate gate runs $350-$900. Replacing the entire linear operator, including new arms, brackets, and settings, runs $900-$2,100.
We stock Palm Beach Gate Parts & Welding supplies on our trucks, which means we’re not booking a return trip for most Palm Beach jobs. We set the open and close limits, check the obstruction sensitivity, and make sure the gate stops the way it should before you ever put your hand on the remote.
Slide Motor
Slide gates run on a track, and on a barrier island, that track is often sitting in blowing sand, salt, and wind-driven debris. The motor has to work against a wheel and roller assembly that keeps collecting grit. A slide motor repair in Palm Beach commonly runs $300-$800, and a full replacement with new rack and limit setup runs $1,500-$3,200. If the gate is dragging, binding, or making a grinding sound when it moves, call before the motor cooks itself. We adjust, clean, and re-lubricate the track as part of every slide motor service call.
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 Palm Beach
We’re certified on nine major gate brands, and the ones we see most often on Palm Beach estates are Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, and DoorKing. Linear arms on masonry piers, Viking operators on commercial and estate entries, Ghost Controls on newer retrofit installs, and DoorKing slide systems on longer driveways. We carry the common boards, remotes, and capacitors for these brands on the truck, which means a faster fix for a Palm Beach customer and fewer days spent with the gate propped open. When a proprietary part has to be sourced, we tell you the timeline honestly, same day, before you pay a dime.
Common Gate Motor & Opener Problems We See in Palm Beach Homes
- Salt corrosion on gearboxes and control boards. The two-sided salt-air exposure on this island attacks the operator’s internals far ahead of manufacturer timelines. We open the control box and see green fuzz on the terminals more often than any other failure in Palm Beach.
- Wind-load stress bending heavy ornamental gates. From June through November, hurricane-force gusts push against large iron gates and twist the frame. The motor then fights a warped leaf and burns out its capacitor or gear set. The fix starts with realigning the gate, not just swapping the motor.
- Degraded underground conduit connections and loop detectors. Salt-laden humidity seeps into buried conduit at the driveway edge. When the loop detector fails, the gate won’t open for your car or the delivery truck. We dig test holes, check continuity, and replace the loop or the splice as needed.
- Intermittent keypad and intercom failure after storms. Water intrusion into the keypad housing or the aerial intercom wiring is a steady problem on Intracoastal-side properties. We re-seal, replace corroded connectors, and re-aim the camera so the system works the way it did the day it was installed.
Pricing for Gate Motor & Opener in Palm Beach, FL
Here are straight numbers for the Palm Beach market. A basic capacitor or limit switch replacement runs $180-$400. A typical motor repair is $250-$650. A mid-range linear arm replacement runs $350-$900. A full operator installation on an existing swing or slide gate typically runs $1,400-$3,600, and a complete system with new custom gate, motor, intercom, and access control is a measured, quoted job, not a same-day install.
What affects the price most is the gate’s weight and the condition of the posts. A cast iron estate gate on South Ocean Boulevard is not the same machine as a light aluminum driveway gate in West Gate. The heavier the gate, the larger the operator, and the more attention the post footings need. We quote the full price in writing before any work starts. You approve that number, and the number does not move. Call (877) 610-2993 for a free estimate. There’s no trip charge inside the county, and if you already have a written estimate from someone else, we’ll give you a free second opinion.
We Also Serve Cities Near Palm Beach
If you’re across the bridge in Palm Beach or just over the line, we serve the surrounding communities too: West Gate, West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach, and Lake Park. Salt exposure changes block by block here, and so does the right fix. Call the same number, (877) 610-2993, and talk to a live person who knows the difference between a Flagler Drive salt issue and a Royal Palm Way drainage issue.
Serving Palm Beach, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Palm Beach 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 Palm Beach
Because Palm Beach is a narrow barrier island with the Atlantic on one side and the Intracoastal on the other, so salt-laden air hits the operator from both directions at once. Control boards, hinge hardware, and gearboxes corrode far faster here than across the bridge, where exposure is one-sided. A good Palm Beach repair starts with corrosion control, sealing, and sometimes relocating the operator enclosure, not just swapping the failed part. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll inspect what the salt has already done before it takes the next board with it.
Yes. The Town of Palm Beach’s Architectural Commission reviews exterior modifications, which means a gate replacement on a historically significant property can require design approval before work begins. A repair that keeps the existing gate and replaces only the operator usually does not trigger ARCOM review, but a full replacement gate often does. We flag that early and can coordinate with your architect or the town as needed. On a landmarked estate near Worth Avenue, we rebuilt a failing swing operator on a custom wrought-iron gate by refitting the shifted post footing and installing a new sealed FAAC operator, all while keeping the original gate intact, so no review was required. That’s the difference between knowing the island and just working on it. Call (877) 610-2993 to talk through your specific gate.
The first step is realigning the gate leaf and checking the post, not forcing the motor to work harder. Wind-load stress bends heavy ornamental gate frames and shifts posts in sandy soil, and a motor pushing against a warped leaf burns out fast. We check the frame, the hinge, and the post footing before we ever touch the operator. A misaligned post means a new motor will fail the same way in a year. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll come measure, align, and only then replace what actually needs replacing.
Yes, in most cases. We add battery backup to existing swing and slide operators across Palm Beach, and it’s a smart move on a barrier island where a storm can knock out power right when you need the gate closed. The hardware typically runs $400-$1,200 depending on the operator and whether we need a new control board or enclosure. We match the backup capacity to your gate’s weight so it still opens and closes on battery power. Call (877) 610-2993 for a firm quote, agreed before any work starts.
It’s usually a loop detector problem, especially on Palm Beach, where salt-laden humidity degrades the buried conduit and loop splices at the driveway entry. A failing loop detects your car but not a taller, higher-clearance truck, so the gate does not trigger. We test the loop with a meter before blaming the keypad. If the loop is dead, we locate the break, splice it in a sealed junction box, or install a new loop. If the loop tests fine, then we turn to the keypad or the vehicle’s transmitter. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll track it down properly, in that order.
Call Gatewood Fence & Gate for Gate Motor & Opener in Palm Beach
If your gate is groaning, stuck, or stopped entirely, call (877) 610-2993 now. A live person answers. That person can tell you what the problem likely is, what it will take to fix it, and when Hal or his crew can be at your gate. The price is said plainly, in writing, before any work begins. No trip charge inside the county, $40 off any repair over $200, and a permanent 10% discount for seniors and veterans. The 90-Day Done Right Promise is stamped on every job. Hal Gatewood’s name is on the shop, and the shop is down the road. That’s the oldest kind of accountability there is.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Palm Beach with gate motor and opener repair, installation, and salt-air corrosion expertise since 2001.