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 Repair Across LaFollette
Gate repair in LaFollette runs $180 to $480 for most hinge, post, and realignment jobs, while electric gate repair with a new control board or LaFollette Gate Motor & Opener typically lands between $425 and $1,100 depending on the operator and what failed. We get to LaFollette homes in the 37766 zip code within a day for most non-emergency calls, and we answer the phone around the clock when a gate is stuck open or won’t close at all. Call (877) 610-2993 and a live person picks up, not a voicemail tree.
LaFollette sits in the Cumberland Mountain foothills, and that changes how gates fail here. Driveways off Demory Road, around the Norris Lake shoreline, and up the gravel cuts toward the ridge all put different stress on hinge posts, operators, and latching hardware than what you’d see in Clinton or Jacksboro. Hal Gatewood has been running Gate Repair crews long enough to know the difference, and it’s why we fix the post and the footing instead of just hanging the gate back on a post that’s already leaning.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is LaFollette’s Preferred Gate Repair Company
Hal Gatewood’s name is on the shop, the shop address is published, and the license number is there for anyone who wants to look it up. That matters in a small town like LaFollette, where people still ask their neighbor who did the work and whether the guy showed up when he said he would. We’ve built our reputation in Campbell County by doing exactly that, showing up, and standing behind the work with a 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing on every invoice.
When you call, you get a live person any hour of the day or night. Not a call center three states away. Hal or one of his crew answers. If we’re on a job, you get a call back within minutes. LaFollette homeowners regularly tell us the thing they appreciated most was that the person on the phone knew what a Norris Lake hillside gate post does in January, because he’s reset a hundred of them right here in the foothills. The LaFollette terrain is not like the flat parts of East Tennessee, and neither is the repair work.
Every technician who shows up is background-checked and uniformed. We quote the price up front, before any work starts, and that price doesn’t change at the door. If you have a written estimate from another company, bring it. Hal will give you a free second opinion, no obligation, no pressure.
Our Gate Repair Services in LaFollette
Hinge & Post Repair
Most gate sag in LaFollette starts in the hinge post, not in the middle of the panel. On hillside lots with clay-heavy soil, post footings that were poured shallow decades ago heave and lean with every freeze-thaw cycle. We dig out the old footing, pour a deeper base with rebar where the slope load demands it, reset the post in plumb, and only then hang the gate. Fix the panel without fixing the post and you’ll fix it twice. Our Gate Repair team welds on-site so your gate never leaves your driveway.
Gate Realignment
A gate that drags at the latch side or won’t hold open has usually shifted because the post moved, the hinges wore, or both. We realign the frame, replace worn hinge bushings, and adjust the latch so it closes without slamming or bouncing. On long tube-steel farm gates around LaFollette’s rural acreage properties, we often find the bottom hinge has wallowed out over years and the gate is hanging on the top hinge alone. That’s a repair, not a judgment call.
Electric Gate Repair
LaFollette’s ice storms add weight to automatic gates and trigger false obstruction faults in aging operators. We service LiftMaster, FAAC, BFT, Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, DoorKing, Elite, and Mighty Mule systems. When a control board fails from moisture, surge, or age, Hal will tell you honestly whether the board can be replaced and the safety inputs retrofitted, or whether the operator is old enough that replacement is the cheaper move over the next five years.
Automatic Gate Repair
Solar openers, hydraulic swing operators, slide gate motors, Gate Access Control - LaFollette keypads, and remotes all fail eventually. The downhill pull on a gravel drive off the ridge puts extra load on the drive-side post and the operator arm. We check the whole system, not just the part that stopped working. A gate that closes halfway and reverses usually has a photocell aim problem or an edge sensor that’s gotten knocked loose by ice or a mower deck, and we fix the cause rather than resetting the board and hoping it holds.
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 LaFollette
We’re certified on nine major gate brands, and we keep common Viking, Ghost Controls, and DoorKing parts on the truck so LaFollette jobs don’t stall waiting on a shipment. Older operators on farm gates and lakeside drives are often Elite or Mighty Mule units that have been out there for fifteen years. Hal can usually get those running same-day if the motor and board allow it, and he’ll tell you straight when a bottom-tier box-store opener isn’t worth putting another dollar into. We don’t fix things that should be retired; we tell you before we touch it.
Common Gate Repair Problems We See in LaFollette Homes
- Leaning drive-side hinge posts on hillside drives. The constant downhill pull on Norris Lake-area properties below the crest of a gravel drive works the post out of plumb. A replacement post set without an oversized footing will be leaning again within one freeze-thaw season. We pour a footing sized to counter the grade.
- False obstruction faults after ice storms. LaFollette gets harder freeze-thaw cycles than lower Tennessee Valley towns. Ice coat adds weight, bends hinge pins, and knocks photocells just enough out of aim that an automatic gate reverses for no reason. We re-aim and test under load, not just with a push of the button.
- Sagging chain-link gates on hollow-lot properties. Many older Campbell County homes on hillside hollow lots have chain-link or tube-steel gates that were hung before the soil moved. A straight panel that drags at the latch usually means the post has heaved. Level the panel alone and the post keeps moving.
- Obsolete control boards without entrapment protection. Older automatic gates around LaFollette were often installed before UL 325 required photo-eyes or edge sensors. If your board lacks input terminals, you can’t legally or safely retrofit the protection. We’ll tell you whether your board supports a safe upgrade or needs replacement.
Pricing for Gate Repair in LaFollette, TN
Here’s what LaFollette gate repair typically costs in the 37766 zip code. Hinge and latch replacement runs $180 to $340. Post reset with a new concrete footing runs $350 to $720, depending on depth, slope, and whether we weld in place. Gate realignment runs $220 to $480. Electric gate repair runs $425 to $1,100 for a board, motor, or limit switch replacement. A full operator replacement, installed, runs $1,200 to $2,800 depending on the brand and drive length. You’ll get the exact quote in writing before any work starts, and that number is firm.
Every repair over $200 gets $40 off. There’s no trip charge inside Campbell County, seniors and veterans get 10% off permanently, and the 90-Day Done Right Promise covers every job. Call (877) 610-2993 for your free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near LaFollette
Our Gate Repair crews run to Clinton, Oak Ridge, Knoxville, and Farragut regularly. LaFollette residents get the same promise every time: a live person on the phone, a set price before work starts, and a written 90-Day Done Right Promise when we leave.
Serving LaFollette, TN - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the LaFollette 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 LaFollette
The drive-side hinge post on steep lakeside properties takes the full downhill pull of the gate every minute, and shallow footings in clay-heavy Appalachian soil give way under that constant load plus LaFollette’s freeze-thaw cycles. Reset the post without pouring an oversized concrete footing, and it leans again within a season. We dig out the old base, drill and pin rebar into the surrounding ground where slope demands, and pour a 36-inch-deep footing that holds plumb. Call (877) 610-2993 for a post inspection; estimates are free.
Only if the control board has input terminals for photo-eyes or edge sensors. Many pre-2001 boards on farm gates and older lakeside openers around LaFollette simply have nowhere to wire safety devices, which means retrofitting isn’t code-compliant and replacement is the only safe fix. Hal will check your board in person and tell you which side of that line you’re on. Call (877) 610-2993 for an honest read, no charge for the inspection.
The post has moved, not the panel. On hollow-lot and hillside properties with clay-heavy soil, the hinge post heaves with freeze-thaw cycles and tilts just enough to drop the latch side. You can shim and re-hang, but the post will move again. The real fix is resetting the post in a deeper footing. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll check the post before you spend money on the panel.
Sometimes, but not always. Steep gravel drives, tree canopy, and short winter days reduce solar charge, and a gate that needs to hold against a downslope puts more demand on the battery and motor. On clear, open drive approaches a solar opener works fine. On shaded hollow lots, a low-voltage AC run or a stronger solar array with battery capacity is the difference between a gate that works and one you push open by March. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll walk the site and give you a straight recommendation.
If the motor runs, the board has safety inputs, and the arm and hinges are sound, repair usually wins. If the board is obsolete, the motor is drawing too many amps, or the operator can’t support entrapment protection, replacement is cheaper than throwing money at a unit that will fail again. We won’t upsell you; Hal will show you the failed part and the math. Call (877) 610-2993 for a free evaluation.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving LaFollette, TN and surrounding Campbell County since 2001.