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 Repair Across Candler-McAfee
Gate repair in Candler-McAfee, GA typically runs $140-$380, and most hinge, sag, and latch jobs are finished the same visit. If your gate is dragging across the driveway or the latch won’t catch, call us at (877) 610-2993 and a live person answers, day or night. We know Candler-McAfee’s gates better than most because we work on them every week: old chain-link swing gates, worn hinge posts, and frames racked out of square by red clay heave. You won’t get a call center. You’ll get Hal Gatewood’s crew, and Hal stands behind every job with a 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing.
Key Takeaways:
- Most Candler-McAfee gate repairs run $140-$380, with the price agreed before work starts
- Hinge post heave from red clay is the #1 cause of sagging gates in 30032
- We weld on site, so your gate stays in your driveway
- Calls answered by a live person 24/7 at (877) 610-2993
- 90-Day Done Right Promise stamped on every invoice
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Candler-McAfee’s Preferred Gate Repair Company
Hal Gatewood has been fixing gates since 2001, and his name is on the shop. That matters in a place like Candler-McAfee, where a lot of homeowners have been burned by a national outfit that quoted one number on the phone and a different one at the door. We don’t play that game. The price we quote is the price on the invoice. You can drive to the shop and look us in the eye, or Hal will be there himself. That’s the oldest accountability there is.
We’re in Candler-McAfee regularly, so when you call about a sagging chain-link gate off McAfee Road or a welded tubular gate that won’t latch near Columbia Drive, we know exactly what we’re walking into. We don’t send a faceless crew from three counties over. The person who shows up is background-checked, uniformed, and carries the same 90-Day Done Right Promise that Hal signs on every ticket. One call brings him back, no runaround.
Our Gate Repair team fixes what others want to replace. That’s not a slogan; it’s how we quote jobs. If a hinge post can be re-plumbed and re-set instead of replaced, we’ll tell you. If a weld crack can be ground out and re-welded on site, we’ll do it in your driveway. Candler-McAfee homeowners aren’t looking for the cheapest bid. They’re looking for someone who will still be around when the next thing breaks.
Our Gate Repair Services in Candler-McAfee
Electric Gate Repair
Older automatic gates in Candler-McAfee often run on control boards that were obsolete a decade ago. If your opener hums but the gate doesn’t move, or the gate opens halfway and reverses, we trace it to the board, the capacitor, or the limit switch before recommending parts. We service FAAC, BFT, Linear, and Viking openers, and we keep common control boards and capacitors on the truck so most Candler-McAfee electric gate repairs are one-trip jobs.
Automatic Gate Repair
Automatic gate repair in Candler-McAfee usually comes down to two things: the operator and the gate geometry. If the gate itself is racked out of square, even a new operator will strain against the frame and burn out early. We check the gate’s swing plane first, then the operator. When we replace an older 1970s-era operator, we make sure the retrofit includes current UL 325 entrapment protection: photo-eye sensors or edge sensors wired properly, not bypassed.
Hinge & Post Repair
This is the work we do most in Candler-McAfee’s 30032 ZIP code. Original 1960s hinge posts were often set only 18-24 inches deep. The red clay in DeKalb County shrinks and swells with the seasons, and over decades that movement walks the post out of plumb. The concrete footing can be perfectly intact and the post will still lean, pull the gate leaf with it, and make the latch miss by half an inch. We re-plumb and re-set posts at 30 inches, replace worn hinge brackets with heavier galvanized hardware, and true the frame so the gate swings square.
Gate Realignment
A gate sags in the hinge post, not in the middle, and that’s where we start. Gate realignment in Candler-McAfee means dropping the leaf, checking the post for heave, replacing the hinge hardware if it’s worn, and re-hanging the gate so it clears the driveway and the latch catches without lifting. On old chain-link swing gates with flat-top tubular frames, we also check the frame welds. Sustained humidity above 70% corrodes those corner joints from the inside out, and a gate that looks “just saggy” often has a cracked weld waiting to let go.
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 Candler-McAfee
We’re certified to service nine major gate brands, and in Candler-McAfee we see a lot of older FAAC and Linear swing operators still hanging on from the 1990s and early 2000s, plus a fair number of BFT and Viking units on newer installs. We keep common parts for those brands on the truck so we’re not waiting on a distributor to finish your repair. If your operator’s control board is obsolete and no longer manufactured, we’ll tell you straight, and we’ll quote a retrofit that fits your existing gate rather than pushing a full system replacement you don’t need.
Common Gate Repair Problems We See in Candler-McAfee Homes
- Hinge post heave from red clay: Original 1960s posts set only 18-24 inches deep get pushed out of plumb by the clay’s wet-dry cycle. The concrete isn’t cracked, but the post leans, and the gate sags with it.
- Rust at hinge-side weld corners: DeKalb’s sustained 70%+ humidity corrodes the original galvanized hinges and frame corners on flat-top tubular steel gates. Weld cracks form at the hinge side first, which is why the gate droops worst where it mounts.
- Vehicle bumps on narrow side-yard driveways: Candler-McAfee’s post-WWII ranch homes have tight side yards. Gates get clipped by cars backing out, warping the frame and stressing the hinge post until the leaf drags across the driveway.
- Obsolete operator control boards: 1970s and 1980s-era operators lack modern UL 325 entrapment protection and their boards aren’t made anymore. When one fails, we quote a retrofit with photo-eyes or edge sensors, not a band-aid.
Pricing for Gate Repair in Candler-McAfee, GA
A hinge bracket replacement or minor realignment in Candler-McAfee typically runs $140-$220. Re-plumbing and re-setting a heaved hinge post runs $260-$380, including digging out the old footing, setting the post at 30 inches with proper concrete, and re-hanging the gate. Weld and rust repair on a tubular steel frame runs $180-$320 depending on how many corners need grinding and re-welding. Electric gate repair, including a control board replacement on a FAAC or Linear opener, runs $240-$450. The exact price is quoted and agreed before work starts, and there’s no trip charge inside the county. Standing offers: $40 off any repair over $200, and a permanent 10% discount for seniors and veterans. Call (877) 610-2993 for a free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near Candler-McAfee
Our Gate Repair in Candler-McAfee crew also runs calls to Belvedere Park, Decatur, Panthersville, and Scottdale. If you’re just outside the 30032 ZIP code, call us anyway. We’ll tell you straight whether we can get to you, and when.
Serving Candler-McAfee, GA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Candler-McAfee 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 Repair in Candler-McAfee
Because the hinge post, not the hinges, is the real failure point in this ZIP code. In Candler-McAfee, most original chain-link gates from the 1950s through 1970s were hung on posts set only 18-24 inches deep. DeKalb’s red clay shrinks and swells seasonally, and over decades that movement walks the post out of plumb. New hinges on a leaning post won’t fix the sag. You need the post re-plumbed and re-set, usually at 30 inches, before the gate will swing square. Call (877) 610-2993 for an exact quote, estimates are free.
At least 30 inches, which is 6-12 inches deeper than most original 1960s footings in Candler-McAfee. The extra depth gets the post below the worst of the shrink-swell zone, so the seasonal clay movement doesn’t heave it out of plumb. We also use a wider footing diameter and proper drainage gravel at the base, which the original installs usually skipped. If a post is already heaving, we’ll re-set it rather than just shimming the gate, because shimming fixes the symptom, not the post. Call (877) 610-2993 for a quote.
Yes, but the gate has to be structurally sound first. We won’t mount an opener on a gate with a heaved post or a cracked frame weld, because the operator will strain against the misalignment and burn out in a year or two. We re-plumb the post, true the frame, then install the opener with proper brackets, a current UL 325 compliant control board, and entrapment protection. If the gate is too far gone, we’ll tell you that too, and quote replacement honestly rather than retrofitting a losing bet. Call (877) 610-2993 with the gate’s measurements and we’ll walk you through it.
Yes. Since UL 325 became the standard, any automatic gate operator installed or retrofitted must include entrapment protection: photo-eye sensors or edge sensors that stop and reverse the gate if something is in the path. Older 1970s and 1980s operators never had this. We won’t install a retrofit without it. We also won’t bypass the sensors or wire them so they test fine but do nothing. That’s how people get hurt, and it’s how inspectors flag jobs. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll explain exactly what your gate needs.
That’s post heave, and it’s the most common gate failure we see in Candler-McAfee. The original 18-24 inch footings from the 1960s sit in expansive red clay that swells when wet and shrinks when dry. The clay grips the concrete plug and ratchets it upward and sideways over decades, even though the concrete itself never cracks. The post tilts, the gate sags, and the latch misses. The fix is to dig out the old footing, re-plumb the post at 30 inches with a wider concrete collar, and re-hang the gate. It’s labor-intensive, but it’s a one-time fix. Call (877) 610-2993 for a free estimate on re-setting your gate post.
If your gate in Candler-McAfee is sagging, dragging, or won’t latch, call (877) 610-2993. A live person answers 24/7, the estimate is free, and the 90-Day Done Right Promise is in writing on every job. Owner-operated since 2001, serving Candler-McAfee, GA and nearby communities with repair-first, weld-on-site gate work.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate. Locally owned and owner-operated since 2001.