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 Keene
Gate repair in Keene usually means one of two things: a swing gate that has sagged off its hinges because the Blackland Prairie clay under the posts has shifted again, or an automatic opener that quit because the rack got jammed after that same post moved. We handle both, and we get to Keene fast. If your gate won’t latch, drags on the ground, or the motor just hums and does nothing, call (877) 610-2993 and you’ll get a live person, not a recording. Hal Gatewood has been fixing gates since 2001, and the crew that shows up in Keene is the same crew that answers when you call back with a question.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Keene’s Preferred Gate Repair Company
We are not a national outfit that subs the work to whoever picks up the phone. Hal Gatewood’s name is on the shop, his address is published, and his license number is there for anyone to look up. When a Keene homeowner calls about a sagging wooden privacy gate off FM 917 or a slide gate that stopped halfway across a driveway in the Meadow Crest addition, the person who answers knows the area. We have been doing Gate Repair in Johnson County long enough to know which neighborhoods were built before posts were set deep enough for this soil, and which ones have original operators that are nearing twenty years old. That local knowledge keeps us from guessing on parts or labor time, which keeps the price honest.
And when we say we will be there, we mean Hal or one of his own crew. Not a subcontractor. Every job carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If something is not right, one call brings us back, no runaround.
Our Gate Repair Services in Keene
Hinge & Post Repair
Most swing gates in Keene do not sag in the middle. They sag at the hinge post because the post has moved. The soil around 76059 is Johnson County Blackland Prairie clay, and it swells when wet and shrinks when dry, year after year. A post set shallow will lean, and the gate will drop. We dig out the old footing, set the post below the active clay layer, concrete it, and then correct the hinge alignment so the gate actually closes and latches. If you just fix the panel without the post, you will fix it twice. We fix the post first.
Gate Realignment
When a gate drags on the driveway or the latch will not catch anymore, the fix is rarely a new gate. On the larger semi-rural lots around Keene, the tubular-steel ranch gates and wooden privacy gates from the 1970s and 1980s have original hardware that is tired but sometimes salvageable. We weld, shim, and reset. We use sag correction kits where they make sense and proper hinge reinforcement where the steel has fatigued. Realignment usually puts the gate back in service the same day.
Automatic Gate Repair
Automatic slide gates on long Keene driveways fail most often because the post holding the operator has moved, throwing the rack and pinion out of alignment. Then the motor trips the loop detector, or reverses mid-travel, or just sits there grinding. We service Viking, Ghost Controls, and DoorKing openers regularly, and we stock the common boards, remotes, and safety edge components those brands need. We also check the entrapment protection under UL 325 before we leave, because a slide gate that crushes a person or animal is not a repair we will walk away from.
Electric Gate Repair
Electric gate systems around Keene run off three power sources: mains, solar, or battery with solar assist. On acreage where running conduit from the house is not practical, solar openers from Ghost Controls and Mighty Mule are common. The failure is usually not the panel. It is a dying battery, a shade problem from overgrown cedar elms, or a corroded connection at the post. We diagnose the actual fault, replace only what is dead, and do not sell a new opener because a $40 battery would have fixed it.
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 Keene
We are certified to service nine major gate brands, and in Keene we see a lot of Viking and Ghost Controls on acreage gates, with DoorKing and Elite on the university and church properties along Old Betsy Road. Because we service all of them, we are not steering you toward one brand that pays us a kickback. If your opener runs on LiftMaster or FAAC, we know those too. We carry the common boards, transmitters, and safety edges locally, so most Keene repairs are done in one trip, not two.
Common Gate Repair Problems We See in Keene Homes
- Leaning hinge posts from expansive clay. Keene sits on Blackland Prairie soil that shrinks in drought and heaves after rain. Posts set shallow in the 1970s and 1980s lean within a few years, and the gate follows. Resetting the post below the active clay layer is the only fix that lasts.
- Rust at the hinge post base on ranch gates. The tubular-steel gates on larger lots collect moisture at the bottom hinge, rust through, and eventually the weld fails and the gate drops. We weld on site, so the gate never leaves your driveway.
- Misaligned racks and jammed openers on slide gates. A slide gate on a long acreage driveway depends on the rack and pinion staying parallel. Post movement breaks that, and the operator starts stalling or reversing. We realign the rack and reset the limits before the motor burns itself out.
- Wooden privacy gates that will not close. Faculty housing off Mesquite Street and similar neighborhoods has a lot of wooden gates from the 1980s and 1990s. The panels themselves are often fine. The posts have twisted, so the latch no longer lines up. We plumb the post and rehang the panel, and you keep the gate you already paid for.
Pricing for Gate Repair in Keene, TX
A hinge and latch adjustment in Keene typically runs $150 to $280. Resetting a leaning gate post in concrete runs $300 to $650 depending on depth and whether we have to pull the old footing. Automatic gate repair on a Viking or Ghost Controls opener typically runs $180 to $420, including most logic board and limit switch replacements. A full R&I on a slide gate operator is $900 to $1,800. Solar battery replacement usually lands between $90 and $220. We quote the price before we touch anything, and that is the price you pay. You get $40 off any repair over $200, no trip charge inside the county, and seniors and veterans always get 10% off. Call (877) 610-2993 for an exact number.
We Also Serve Cities Near Keene
If you are outside Keene, we run to Cleburne, Joshua, Burleson, and Crowley weekly. A lot of that work comes from referrals from Gate Repair in Keene customers who told a neighbor. Same pricing, same warranty, same crew.
Serving Keene, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Keene 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 Keene
The post is almost certainly sitting in expansive Blackland Prairie clay, and the original hole was not dug past the active shrink-swell layer. In Keene, that layer runs several feet deep, and a post set at 24 inches will move. The fix is a post hole excavated below the active zone, concrete, and proper gravel drainage. We do this routinely on gates across 76059, and it stops the cycle. Call (877) 610-2993 and we can look at the post and tell you whether it has to come out or can be stabilized.
Yes, and that is one of the most common Keene service calls we run. Long driveways on the bigger lots around town often have Ghost Controls or Mighty Mule solar openers, and the first things to check are the battery, the panel angle, and shade from mature trees. We carry replacement batteries and panels, so we can usually restore the opener without trenching wire to the house. Replacing a dead battery runs $90 to $220, and we check the whole charging circuit before we leave.
Yes. A slide gate that reverses or stops mid-travel is often sensing resistance from a misaligned rack, or the safety photocell is dirty or out of line. It is also possible the loops are tripping because a post moved. We treat it as a safety call, check the entrapment protection under UL 325, and fix the mechanical cause, not just the symptom. If your gate is doing this in Keene, call us at (877) 610-2993 and we will schedule a visit.
A significant share of Keene residents observe the Saturday Sabbath, which means they will not answer the door or authorize work between Friday sundown and Saturday sundown. That is not a problem, just a calendar fact we plan around. We schedule consultations and any multi-day installs to wrap before sundown Friday, so your job is not stranded halfway through. If you call on a Saturday, a live person still answers, but the person scheduling your visit will ask about the best windows for your household, not assume one.
If the panel itself is not rotted or split, the post is the problem. Most wooden gates in Keene’s faculty housing and older neighborhoods were built with decent panels and posts that were never deep enough for this soil. We reset the post, rehang the panel, and the gate works again. That repair runs $300 to $650. Replacing the panel on top of a leaning post would just lean again in a year. Call (877) 610-2993 and we will tell you honestly which part actually failed.
Key Takeaways
- Keene’s Blackland Prairie clay moves gate posts every drought-rain cycle; resetting posts below the active clay layer is the only lasting fix.
- The Saturday Sabbath in Keene means repair scheduling has to respect Friday sundown, and we do.
- Most Keene gate repairs run $150 to $650; full operator replacement on a slide gate runs higher, and we quote the exact price before work starts.
- Every job carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing, with $40 off repairs over $200, no trip charge inside the county, and a permanent senior and veteran discount.
Call Gatewood Fence & Gate for Gate Repair in Keene
If your gate is sagging, jammed, or dead, call (877) 610-2993. A live person answers, day or night. We will schedule around the Sabbath calendar, give you a price before any work begins, and Hal or one of his own crew will be the one who shows up. You can also drive to the shop and look us in the eye before you agree to anything. In Keene, the name you see on the invoice is the name on the truck, and that has been true since 2001.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Keene, TX.