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 Parts & Welding Across Clawson
Gate parts and welding in Clawson usually comes down to one thing: rehabilitating aged, frost-heaved hardware on post-war bungalow lots rather than replacing storm-damaged modern gates. Most of the gates we work on are original to homes built between the late 1940s and 1960s, and the hinge posts, strap hinges, and drop-rod latches are still doing their job 60 years later, just out of plumb and tired. We come to Clawson regularly, and when we do, we bring the specific legacy parts those jobs need. Call (877) 610-2993 and a live person answers, day or night.
Hal Gatewood has been at this since 2001. He still runs the company himself, and his name is on the shop and every invoice. If a gate in Clawson sags or drags on the walk, we fix it in the driveway, not in some warehouse around the corner.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Clawson’s Preferred Gate Parts & Welding Company
Clawson’s residential grid was built out in roughly one 20-year window by a small set of Metro Detroit fence contractors. That sounds like a trivia note, but it matters on a service call. The same chain-link post gauges, drop-rod latches, and strap-hinge styles repeat block after block. We stock those specific legacy parts, so when we show up at a home off Crooks Road or near Normandy Road, we usually have the hinge and post anchors in the truck before we see the gate.
Our work in Clawson carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise, written on every job. If a hinge we welded or a post we set isn’t right, one call brings Hal back. No runaround, no fine print. We have been doing this long enough that our reputation in Clawson comes from neighbors telling neighbors, which is how it ought to work. A live person answers the phone around the clock, no voicemail and no call center three states away. That is not a perk. It’s how we have always operated.
The dispatching is coordinated from our Detroit office, but the crews serving Clawson live and work locally. We know the lots are tight, the fences run property line to property line, and a gate that won’t close on a 4,800-square-foot lot isn’t something you can ignore until fall.
Our Gate Parts & Welding Services in Clawson
Our Gate Parts & Welding team handles just about anything made of steel, iron, or aluminum on a residential property. In Clawson, four services cover the large majority of what we see.
Post Replacement
A gate sags in the hinge post, not in the middle, and that is where we start. In Clawson, the original post-set concrete is often 50 to 70 years old and fractured from decades of Oakland County freeze-thaw cycles. We dig out the old footing, pour a new one at 42 inches to get below frost line, set a galvanized hinge post, and re-hang the gate so it clears with a one-finger push. Fix the panel without the post and you’ll fix it twice.
Hinge Replacement
Rusted strap hinges are the standard failure on 1950s and 1960s chain-link and ornamental steel gates across Clawson. We cut the old ones off, weld period-correct replacements on site, and set the gate back square to the post. For homeowners who want to keep the original look, we match the hinge style rather than retrofitting something that looks wrong. On-site welding means the gate never leaves your driveway.
Rail Repair
Top and bottom rails take a beating when a gate has been out of plumb for years. On the compact lots that dominate Clawson, kids and dogs push and pull gates daily, and a bent bottom rail starts dragging in the grass or the concrete walk. We straighten rails where the steel is sound, and replace sections where it isn’t. No swapping parts that don’t need swapping.
Custom Welding
When an original ornamental gate has a broken scroll, a rotted picket, or a lot-line configuration that needs a one-off fix, we weld it. Our custom work has kept dozens of Clawson’s original steel gates in service instead of headed to a scrapyard. That is the repair-first philosophy Hal has run on since 2001: fix the gate, don’t haul it off and sell a new one.
We also handle gate rollers, latches, and locks across Clawson, but the three services above are the real spine of what this city’s housing stock needs.
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 Clawson
Some brands did a better job than others with hardware that would survive Michigan winters. Viking and DoorKing both show up on driveway and walk gates in Clawson, and we’re certified to service both, along with Ghost Controls and Elite. Just as important is what we stock. Because Clawson’s original gates repeat the same few designs block after block, we carry the drop rods, strap hinges, and post anchors that those legacy gates use. That means back-to-back jobs across the 48017 without a parts run.
Common Gate Parts & Welding Problems We See in Clawson Homes
- Hinge posts heaving out of plumb. Oakland County frost regularly penetrates 36-42 inches, and the repeated freeze-thaw cycle pushes 60-year-old post footings around. The gate starts leaning, the latch misses, and the panel drags on the walk. Straightening the panel won’t fix a post that has moved underground.
- Worn drop-rod latches. The original drop rods on 1950s chain-link gates corrode and bind over decades. Homeowners force them, and the rod bends. We install replacements that match the original design and set the strike so the rod drops cleanly.
- Rusted strap hinges tearing loose. Strap hinges take the full weight of the gate and rust from the inside out. When one snaps, the gate drops. We cut the old hinge off, weld a matching one on, and re-hang the panel square.
- Fractured post footings from spring ground movement. Spring is the peak call window in Clawson. Gates that worked fine in November won’t close in April because the ground beneath the hinge post moved all winter. We see it every year, on nearly every block.
Pricing for Gate Parts & Welding in Clawson, MI
A typical post replacement in Clawson runs $380-$650 depending on how deep the old footing is and whether the gate needs to be re-welded after the post is set. Hinge replacement typically falls between $180-$340 per hinge, with most jobs needing two. Rail repair runs $150-$400 depending on the extent of the bend and how much steel has to be cut out. Custom welding jobs in Clawson start around $120 for simple cracks and run up from there for ornamental scrollwork or panel fabrication.
Every price is quoted and agreed before any work starts. You will not get a different number at the door. We offer a free second opinion on any written estimate, $40 off any repair over $200, and a permanent 10% discount for seniors and veterans. No haggling required.
Serving Clawson, MI - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Clawson 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 Parts & Welding in Clawson
Because the hinge post is moving, not the gate. Clawson’s original post footings were poured 50-70 years ago and many are fractured from decades of Oakland County freeze-thaw cycles. Straightening the panel without addressing the post is a temporary fix, and most homeowners who have been through it once call us the second time. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll check the post, not just the gate, and quote you a real fix before starting.
It’s usually the gate. When a swing gate binds because a post heaved out of plumb, the operator has to push through increasing resistance until the motor burns out. Undersized operators on wide driveways fail repeatedly for the same reason. We check the gate geometry before anything else, because a new motor on a binding gate is money down a hole. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll diagnose it straight.
Yes. Any automatic gate in Michigan needs entrapment protection: photoelectric sensors, contact edges, or both depending on the installation. We handle the safety edges and sensor runs as part of every gate operator repair or install, and we test the reversing force before we leave. That is not an upsell; it’s the difference between a gate that stops and one that doesn’t. Call (877) 610-2993 for a free estimate.
Spring ground movement heaves the post footings, and the gate binds just enough to stick. In fall the ground settles back, and the gate works again until next spring. The frost-depth reality in Oakland County means that fix requires digging down to the original footing and resetting it below the freeze line. We do that work in Clawson regularly. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll tell you if a permanent fix is worth the cost on your specific gate.
Yes. We keep period-correct strap hinges and other legacy hardware in the truck specifically because Clawson’s original gates came from a small set of fence contractors using the same parts. Matching the original hinge is not a special order for us. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll bring what we need, not a generic retrofit.
We Also Serve Cities Near Clawson
Our Gate Parts & Welding in Clawson coverage extends naturally into the surrounding communities. We work in Royal Oak, Berkley, Birmingham, and Madison Heights weekly, often on the same day we’re in Clawson. If you’re close by and need the same post replacement or on-site welding work, call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll get you on the schedule.
Call Gatewood Fence & Gate for Gate Parts & Welding in Clawson
If your gate is dragging, sagging, or stuck, call (877) 610-2993 and talk to a live person. We’ll give you a straight answer, quote a price before any work starts, and stand behind it with the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. Hal has been doing this since 2001, and the name is on the shop, the invoice, and every gate we weld in Clawson.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Clawson and the surrounding Oakland County communities since 2001.