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 Temple Hills
Gate repair in Temple Hills usually comes down to one of two things: the post has moved, or the hardware has given out. On this stretch of Prince George’s County, the post is almost always the culprit. Marlboro clay heaves, shrinks, and swells through every freeze-thaw cycle, and a gate post set too shallow will rotate 15 to 30 degrees out of plumb without touching the panel itself. That’s the repair most people in the 20748 and 20757 ZIP codes actually need, and it’s the one we’ve been doing since 2001. Call (877) 610-2993 and you’ll get Hal or one of his crew, not a phone tree.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Temple Hills’s Preferred Gate Parts & Welding Company
The name on the shop is Hal Gatewood, and the shop is a real place you can drive to and look him in the eye. That matters in Temple Hills, where a lot of folks have already paid a national outfit one price over the phone and watched it change at the door. We don’t work that way. The price we quote is the price you pay, agreed before any work starts, and every job carries a written 90-Day Done Right Promise. If something isn’t right, one call brings Hal back. No runaround.
We’ve worked on gates along Branch Avenue, around the neighborhoods off St. Barnabas Road, and throughout both 20748 and 20757. We know the housing stock here: post-WWII ranches and split-levels with original chain-link swing gates that are now 50 to 70 years old. Those gates fail in predictable ways, and we’ve seen every one of them. What locals seem to appreciate most is that a live person answers the phone around the clock, and the person who shows up in your driveway is background-checked, uniformed, and has been fixing gates for decades, not weeks.
Our Gate Parts & Welding Services in Temple Hills
This page covers the work we do most often for homeowners in Temple Hills. If you need something broader, our Gate Parts & Welding team handles everything from latch replacements to full custom fabrication.
Post Replacement
This is the core service in Temple Hills. Marlboro clay doesn’t just settle; it actively rotates posts. A chain-link hinge post set in a 24-inch footing will lean, twist, or heave within a few wet-dry cycles. We pull the old post, re-dig past the active clay layer, and re-set it in a wider concrete collar so it holds through another freeze-thaw season. No new gate panel, no unnecessary parts. Just a footing that stays put.
Custom Welding
When the rail breaks at a weld point or the hinge brackets tear off the post, we weld on site, in your driveway. The gate never leaves your property. We do stick and MIG work on galvanized and powder-coated steel, and we’re comfortable fabricating reinforcement plates, rebuilding hinge mounts, and repairing sagging corners where the original welds have failed from years of clay movement.
Hinge Replacement
Hinges on 50-year-old Temple Hills chain-link gates are typically rusted through or wallowed out. But here’s the thing: if the post has rotated, new hinges will just bind again in six months. We straighten or replace the post first, then hang new hinges that actually line up. You fix the panel without the post and you’ll fix it twice. Show me the gate closing on its own and I’ll show you where it’s failing.
Rail Repair
Top rails on older swing gates corrode from the inside out in this humid climate. We cut out the bad section and weld in new galvanized rail, or replace the entire rail run when the rust has spread too far. This is often where a post has settled and bent the rail at the hinge line. Straighten the post, replace the rail, re-tension the fabric. Done.
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 Temple Hills
We’re certified on nine major gate operator brands, including Viking, Ghost Controls, and DoorKing. For homeowners around Temple Hills, that means we can troubleshoot a Viking swing arm or a Ghost Controls solar slide motor without guessing. We keep common parts in the truck, so a hinge rebuild or control board replacement doesn’t turn into a two-week wait. If we need to order something, we tell you the lead time before any money changes hands. We service what’s on your gate, not what we happen to sell.
Common Gate Parts & Welding Problems We See in Temple Hills Homes
- Rotated hinge posts from Marlboro clay. The panel looks fine, but the latch won’t line up and the gate drags. The post has moved, not the gate. We re-set and collar it below the active clay line.
- Corroded weld points on 50-to-70-year-old chain-link gates. Humid summers eat zinc coatings, and once the galvanizing goes, the welds are next. We grind back to clean steel and weld on site.
- Binding slide gates on heaving track. Long driveway gates in the 20748 ZIP often sit on track that has shifted with the clay. The rack and pinion binds, the motor strains, and eventually the board burns out. We re-level the track and re-align the operator.
- Sheared hinge welds from uneven settling. When one post heaves and the other stays put, the hinge weld takes the torque. We reinforce the mount and correct the footing so the load isn’t carried through the weld alone.
Pricing for Gate Parts & Welding in Temple Hills, MD
Every quote includes the price for labor, parts, and any concrete work, stated upfront and agreed before we start. There’s no trip charge inside the county, and we offer $40 off any repair over $200. Seniors and veterans get a permanent 10% discount. Call (877) 610-2993 with a photo of your gate and we’ll give you a firm number over the phone.
We Also Serve Cities Near Temple Hills
We handle gate parts and welding all around this part of Prince George’s County. That includes Hillcrest Heights, Marlow Heights, Fort Washington, and Silver Hill. If you’re just over the line, give us a call and we’ll figure out the fastest way to get your gate working. For more about what we do across the area, see our Gate Parts & Welding in Temple Hills page.
Serving Temple Hills, MD - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Temple Hills 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 Temple Hills
Why does my Temple Hills gate post keep leaning even after it was reset?
Because it was likely re-set too shallow to get past the active clay layer. Marlboro clay in Temple Hills can heave a post out of plumb within a single wet winter. The fix that lasts is re-digging the footing to below the shrink-swell zone, widening the hole, and setting the post in a full concrete collar. A 24-inch footing in this soil is a temporary fix. We go deeper. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll look at the hole and tell you what’s actually needed.
Can you weld my chain-link gate panel if the hinge post has rotated 20 degrees out of plumb?
We can, but nobody should. If the post has rotated 20 degrees, welding the panel without correcting the post means the hinge line is still wrong and the weld will crack again in months. We pull the post, re-set it properly in a collar that holds on Marlboro clay, then weld the hinge brackets back on. That’s the repair that lasts. A free estimate will confirm the angle and what the footing needs.
Do you install solar gate openers on long rural driveways in the 20748 and 20757 ZIP codes?
Yes. Long driveway setups around Temple Hills where running mains power is expensive are prime candidates for solar operators from brands like Ghost Controls and Viking. We size the panel and battery to the motor and the number of cycles per day, and we account for the clay under the track or swing arc. Solar power doesn’t help if the operator is fighting a post that’s moved, so we check the footings before we mount anything. Call (877) 610-2993 for a written quote.
What should I do if my automatic slide gate binds on the rack and pinion after a wet winter?
Stop the operator before the motor overheats, then, call us. The bind is almost always the track shifting on heaving clay under the gate run. We re-level the track, re-align the rack to the pinion, and check the operator’s limit switches. If the board has already burned out, we’ll replace it and set the travel limits correctly. A gate binding on the rack is chewing through its own motor every time it cycles. The fix costs a lot less now than a motor replacement in July.
Is there an entrapment protection requirement for automatic gates in Temple Hills?
Yes, and it’s not optional. Automatic gates in Maryland fall under the UL 325 standard, which requires monitored entrapment protection: photo eye sensors, reversing edges, or both, depending on the gate type and location. Vehicle gates need a reverse-on-contact device, and any pedestrian gate needs a separate safety system. We install and verify these systems on every operator we service. If your gate doesn’t have working entrapment protection, we’ll recommend it be repaired before the operator is used. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll check what’s on your gate.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Temple Hills since the shop opened its doors.