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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After
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AfterFast, Reliable Gate Parts & Welding Across Oberlin
Most gate repairs in Oberlin come down to two things: a hinge that has seized or a post that has moved. The frost heave in Lorain County’s clay soil pushes gate posts out of plumb every winter, and when the post moves, the hinge gets yanked out of alignment and starts eating itself. We fix the post and the hinge together, because fixing one without the other means you’ll call us again next spring. If you’re dealing with a sagging gate, a frozen operator, or a hinge that cracked when you tried to force it open, call Hal Gatewood and his crew at (877) 610-2993. We weld on site in your driveway, not in some shop two counties over.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Oberlin’s Preferred Gate Parts & Welding Company
We’re Gate Parts & Welding specialists who have been fixing gates since 2001, and Hal Gatewood’s name is on the shop and on every invoice. That matters in Oberlin, where homeowners have been burned by outfits that quote one price on the phone and show up with a different number on the clipboard. Our pricing is agreed before we ever strike an arc. No trip charge inside the county, $40 off any repair over $200, and a free second opinion on any written estimate you bring us from another company.
Oberlin residents call us because we answer the phone with a live person, 24/7. Not a voicemail, not a call center three states away. And when we say we’ll be there, we show up. Every job carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it’s not done right, one call brings us back. No runaround, no fine print. We also extend a permanent 10% discount to seniors and veterans, which covers a lot of the homeowners on West College Street and Professor Street and the blocks around the college.
Our Gate Parts & Welding Services in Oberlin
Hinge Replacement
Period gates on Oberlin’s older homes often carry original cast or wrought iron hinges that have been painted over for 50 years and seized solid. We don’t default to a modern bolt-on weld plate. We heat the old hinge, free it if it’s salvageable, and hand-fit a replacement when it isn’t. For a Queen Anne on Professor Street, we cut out a seized hinge post, fabricated a matching period strap hinge in-house, and re-set the post footing below frost depth. The gate swings now like it did in 1912. Typical hinge replacement in Oberlin runs $180-$420 per hinge, depending on whether the post also needs work.
Post Replacement
This is the big one in Oberlin. Lorain County’s dense clay soil freezes and thaws from November through March, and every cycle heaves the ground enough to tilt old gate posts out of plumb. A leaning post binds the gate into the walk and strains the hinges until something cracks. We dig out the old footing, set the new post below frost depth, and pack the hole with gravel for drainage before concrete goes in. Welding a brace to a post that’s already leaning buys you a season. A proper footing buys you 30 years. Post replacement in Oberlin typically runs $350-$750, depending on post material and how much of the old footing has to be chipped out.
Rail Repair
Bottom rails rot on wood gates and rust through on iron frames, especially along Professor Street and Main Street where road salt and lake-effect moisture work on metal six months a year. We cut out the bad section, weld in new stock, and paint or prime it to match. If the rail damage is tied to a post that has shifted, we address that first. A rail repair alone usually runs $120-$280 in Oberlin, and we can often do it same-day if the weather holds.
Custom Welding
Some of the gates around Oberlin College predate standardized parts entirely. That means we fabricate. Strap hinges, decorative finials, latch brackets, and custom pickets all get cut, bent, and welded in the back of our service truck or at the shop. We also weld bracing for operators onto existing gates without changing the street-facing profile. Custom welding work in Oberlin runs $90-$150 per hour plus materials, and we’ll quote the job before any steel gets cut.
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.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Oberlin
We’re certified to service nine major gate operator brands, including FAAC, BFT, Linear, and Viking. On an older Oberlin property with a 1990s control board, we can usually retrofit a new FAAC or BFT board into the existing enclosure without replacing the whole motor. We keep common parts stocked locally for Oberlin customers, which means less waiting on a warehouse shipment and more same-week repairs. If a Viking or Linear operator needs a pinion gear, photocell, or capacitor, we know the part numbers without looking them up.
Common Gate Parts & Welding Problems We See in Oberlin Homes
- Frost-heaved posts on the college blocks. The clay soil around Oberlin College expands and contracts every winter, and each cycle pushes cast-iron hinge posts a little further out of plumb. By March, gates that swung clean in October are binding into the walk.
- Paint-locked strap hinges on pre-1930 iron gates. Decades of paint fill the hinge pin bore until nothing rotates. Forcing the gate open snaps the pin or cracks the leaf, and then it needs heat, drilling, and a hand-fitted replacement.
- Obsolete operator boards that die during snow melt. Lake-effect snow melts and refreezes around control boxes, and 1990s boards short out. The operator quits mid-cycle and leaves a heavy manual gate frozen in place until spring thaw.
- Worn pinion gears on legacy slide and swing operators. In Oberlin’s older installations, gears have been running without lube or adjustment for a decade. We can replace the gear and re-align the safety photocells to pass a UL 325 entrapment check without replacing the whole operator.
Pricing for Gate Parts & Welding in Oberlin, OH
Here are the ranges we actually quote in Oberlin, so you know before you call:
| Service | Typical Oberlin Range |
|---|---|
| Hinge replacement (per hinge) | $180 - $420 |
| Post replacement | $350 - $750 |
| Rail repair / weld section | $120 - $280 |
| Custom welding (hourly + materials) | $90 - $150/hr |
| Operator board retrofit | $200 - $450 |
| Full gate fabrication (custom) | $1,200 - $4,500 |
These prices are quoted and agreed before any work starts. That’s not a promise we make lightly. It’s the core of how Gatewood Fence & Gate does business, and it’s why our Oberlin customers keep our number. Every job also carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing, and we offer $40 off any repair over $200, no trip charge inside Lorain County, and a free second opinion on any written estimate. Seniors and veterans get 10% off, every time. Call (877) 610-2993 for a free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near Oberlin
Our crews run routes through Gate Parts & Welding in Oberlin and the surrounding communities several days a week, so response times stay short even outside the college blocks. We regularly handle gate repairs in Amherst, Grafton, Elyria, and Vermilion. If you’re within a half hour of our route, the trip charge is waived.
Serving Oberlin, OH - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Oberlin 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 Oberlin
Yes, in most cases we can. We heat the seized hinge, free the pin, and hand-fit a replacement if the original is broken beyond repair. We only swap to modern hardware when the original hinge has cracked through the leaf, and even then we’ll fabricate a period-appropriate replacement rather than bolting on whatever the supply house stocks. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll look at it before recommending anything.
A new post footing is almost always the answer here. Lorain County’s clay soil frost-heaves every winter, and a brace welded onto a post that’s already moving just moves with it. We dig out the old footing, set the post below frost depth, and backfill with gravel for drainage. That stops the seasonal lean for good. Expect $350-$750 depending on post size and access.
Yes, we retrofit new control boards and gear assemblies into existing enclosures all the time. FAAC and BFT boards from the current generation fit into many 1990s housings with minor bracket work. If the motor windings themselves are burned out, replacement is usually the cheaper call than rebuilding. We’ll tell you which is which, with a written price, before you spend a dollar.
No. On the blocks around the Oberlin College campus, owners care about the streetscape, and so do we. We weld on the back side of the frame, match the finish, and use period-style hardware wherever possible. If a repair would change the visible profile, we’ll say so before cutting. Most of what we do here is invisible from six feet away.
Both. Swing gates are more common on the older residential blocks, but we service slide gates across Lorain County. Rollers, track adjustments, cantilever carriage rebuilds, and operator retrofits all fall under our Gate Parts & Welding work. Call (877) 610-2993 and describe what you’ve got; a live person answers.
Give us a call at (877) 610-2993. Hal Gatewood or a member of his crew will answer, talk through what your gate is doing, and get you on the schedule. Free estimates, upfront pricing, and no trip charge inside the county. The name is on the shop, and the shop is down the road. That’s the oldest accountability there is.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Oberlin and Lorain County since 2001.