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.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterFast, Reliable Gate Parts & Welding Across Crafton
Gate hinge or post failure in Crafton almost always traces back to the hillside. The clay-rich soil on these steep residential lots heaves through every freeze-thaw cycle, pushing posts out of plumb and tearing hinge hardware right off the post face. You call for a hinge and discover the real problem is three feet underground. We fix both. Hal Gatewood has owned Gatewood Fence & Gate since 2001, and our Gate Parts & Welding crew works on Crafton gates in the driveway, not in a shop across town. Call (877) 610-2993 any hour and a live person picks up.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Crafton’s Preferred Gate Parts & Welding Company
We’re the ones who show up, look at the post, and tell you the hinge is fine but the footing is gone. That matters in Crafton because slope failures produce a particular kind of gate problem. A flat-lot gate sags in the middle. A Crafton gate leans downhill as the post rotates in expanding clay. Fixing the hardware without re-plumbing the post fixes nothing. We learned that by working on the borough’s 1910s-to-1950s wrought iron and steel gates, the ones still hanging on Craftsman bungalows and brick two-stories along Crafton’s sloped streets.
Our repair crew is background-checked and uniformed. The person who answers the phone at midnight is the same company you’ll see in the driveway. We carry the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing on every invoice. If a weld fails or a post shifts again inside 90 days, call and Hal comes back. No runaround. We work throughout the 15220 zip code and the surrounding neighborhoods from Crafton Boulevard up through the hillside streets off Noble Avenue and Clearview Avenue.
Our Gate Parts & Welding Services in Crafton
Hinge Replacement
On Crafton’s older gates, the original strap hinges or barrel hinges are often rusted thin but the real failure is the wood or steel post behind them. A hinge replacement here means cutting off the old hardware, welding on new strap or weld-on hinges, and checking the post for plumb before the gate gets re-hung. On a 1930s gate, we’ll source period-appropriate hardware when it’s available, because a modern commercial hinge looks wrong on that gate and often doesn’t fit the original leaf dimensions.
Post Replacement
This is the dominant call in Crafton. Clay-rich hillside soil expands and contracts through every November-to-March freeze-thaw cycle, and that movement works a concreted post out of plumb within a few seasons. We dig out the failed footing, pour a deeper pier, set the post properly, and only then re-hang the gate. A new post with a 36-inch concrete pier handles Crafton’s soil far better than the shallow footings we keep finding under gates that were installed decades ago. Fix the panel without the post and you’ll fix it twice.
Rail Repair
Wrought iron and steel gate rails rust through at the bottom rail first, where water pools and road salt gets tracked onto the walkway. Pittsburgh’s humidity accelerates the corrosion. We weld in replacement stock, grind the joint clean, and match the finish as close as the existing patina allows. On a classic Crafton gate from the 1920s, that means welding in heavy-gauge steel and letting the years blend the look, rather than bolting on an aluminum patch that belongs on a rental property.
Custom Welding
Some gates can’t be fixed with off-the-shelf parts because the original builders aren’t around anymore. We fabricate hinge plates, latch strikes, and gate-leaf extensions right on site. If a gate was hung before modern safety standards existed and simply can’t accept a compliant operator bracket, we’ll weld an adapter plate rather than rip out the whole leaf. The gate stays in your driveway where it belongs. Show me the gate closing on its own and I’ll show you where it’s failing.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Crafton
Older Crafton gates frequently carry operators from FAAC, BFT, Linear, and Viking, and we’re certified on all of them. The issue we see repeatedly is a solid old operator on a gate that no longer swings true because the post has shifted. We don’t sell a new board when the board isn’t the problem. If a control board is obsolete and no longer available, we’ll say so plainly and price a retrofit honestly, not halfway. We keep common hinge stock, gate rollers, and latch hardware on the truck, so most Crafton calls finish in one trip.
Common Gate Parts & Welding Problems We See in Crafton Homes
- Downhill post lean on sloped lots. Frost heave in Crafton’s clay works hinge posts toward the downhill side over multiple winters, racking the gate leaf out of square until the latch bolt jams or a hinge pin shears. We reset the post before touching the hardware.
- Snapped or torn hinge straps on original wrought iron. The strap hinge is rusted thinner than it looks, and one freeze cycle finishes it. We weld replacement straps to the post and leaf rather than bolting through weakened metal.
- Rusted-through bottom rails on steel gates. Humidity and decades of salted walkways eat the bottom rail from the inside. Cutting out the rusted section and welding in matching stock is usually cheaper than a full gate replacement.
- Obsolete operator brackets on pre-safety-era gates. A 1960s or 1970s gate often has no provision for a modern safety photocell or edge sensor. We weld or fabricate brackets so the old gate keeps working and meets current safety standards.
Pricing for Gate Parts & Welding in Crafton, PA
Hinge replacement on a typical Crafton gate runs $180 to $340, depending on the number of hinges and whether the post needs re-plumbing. Post replacement, including excavation of the old footing and a new concrete pier, typically runs $550 to $950 in Crafton’s hillside soil. Rail repair and welding work runs $160 to $420, and custom fabrication is quoted by the piece, with most jobs landing between $250 and $600. We quote the price before any work starts, in writing, and that’s the price you pay. No trip charge inside the county, and every job carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise. Call (877) 610-2993 for a free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near Crafton
Our Gate Parts & Welding in Crafton coverage extends to Dormont, Carnegie, McKees Rocks, and Mount Lebanon. If you’re on the edge of the borough or just outside it, call and we’ll tell you straight whether we cover your street. The post problems don’t stop at the municipal line.
Serving Crafton, PA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Crafton 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 Crafton
Because the original footing is too shallow for Crafton’s clay-rich hillside soil. Most older gate posts were set in 18 to 24 inches of concrete, and the freeze-thaw cycle that runs from November through March swells that clay enough to rotate the post out of plumb within a few seasons. The fix is a deeper pier, typically 36 inches, set below the frost line. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll tell you what your post actually needs.
Most of the time we repair it. A 1920s Crafton wrought iron gate with rusted hinge straps, a torn bottom rail, or a shifted post is a welding and re-hanging job, not a replacement. Where the original iron is too far gone, we’ll say so, but we quote the repair first and the replacement only when the metal physically won’t hold a weld. Call for a free estimate and we’ll show you exactly what’s salvageable.
Usually, yes. The drag is almost always the post, not the operator. On an uphill Crafton property, a frost-heaved post leans the gate leaf into the grade on the swing side. We reset the post, re-plumb the hinges, and the operator stops fighting the weight. If the board or arm is genuinely shot, we’ll tell you that too, but we won’t sell you an operator to fix a post problem. Call (877) 610-2993 and ask for Hal.
Yes, and it’s a straightforward retrofit. A gate hung before modern safety standards were implemented won’t have the photocell or edge-sensor provisions that a current install requires. We weld or fabricate brackets so the old leaf can carry the new safety equipment without replacing the whole gate. A gate that closes on a kid or a dog because it predates the safety code isn’t something you want to leave alone. Call us and we’ll price the retrofit honestly.
Hinge and post failures caused by frost heave in the clay soil. It outnumbers every other gate problem here. On a flat lot, a hinge replacement is a hinge replacement. In Crafton, it’s usually a post reset with welding, because fixing hardware on an out-of-plumb post is a callback waiting to happen. If your gate leans or drags in Crafton, call (877) 610-2993. The estimate is free and the answer is usually shorter than you think.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Crafton and the surrounding boroughs.