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 Shadow Hills
Gate repair in Shadow Hills runs $180 to $340 for most hinge, realignment, and operator fixes, and we can usually get to your property the same day you call. Shadow Hills is different from the rest of Los Angeles, and your gates are different too. We know Sunland Boulevard, we know Wheatland Avenue, we know the long dirt drives off La Tuna Canyon Road, and we know what happens when a pipe gate on decomposed granite starts leaning in a Santa Ana wind. Call (877) 610-2993 and a live person answers. Every time.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Shadow Hills’s Preferred Gate Repair Company
We are a local, owner-operated shop, and our name is on the work. Not a franchise. Not a call center. The person who shows up at your gate has been doing this since 2001 and works for Hal Gatewood, whose name is on the invoice and on the shop. We serve Shadow Hills from our Los Angeles-based office, and our crews know the roads, the soil, and the gates here.
Shadow Hills homeowners tend to call us after another company has already looked at a gate and recommended replacing the whole thing. Hal fixes what is there. We weld on site, in your driveway, and we do not haul your gate off to some yard across the county. A gate sags in the hinge post, not in the middle, and that is where we start. If it is not done right, the 90-Day Done Right Promise brings us back. That is not a marketing line. It is stamped in writing on every job.
We publish our address, our license number is on file, and Hal has been at this for 29 years as a company and since 2001 as the owner. You can look us up. You can even drive to the shop and look Hal in the eye. That is the oldest accountability there is.
Our Gate Repair Services in Shadow Hills
Electric Gate Repair
Electric gate repair in Shadow Hills usually means an operator that has been fighting a heavier load than it was rated for. Ranch gates built from pipe or rough-sawn wood weigh far more than ornamental iron, and the operators on them fail when the gate binds against a shifted post. We stock parts for FAAC, BFT, Linear, and Viking operators in our service vehicles, so most electric gate repairs on Shadow Hills properties are finished in one trip. We test the full safety loop, the photo eyes, and the force settings, because a gate that closes on a horse trailer is a problem you only need once.
Automatic Gate Repair
Automatic gate systems in Shadow Hills have a code requirement that most of LA does not: because this is a High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, your operator must fail open when power drops, and emergency access provisions have to stay functional. When we repair an automatic gate off Sunland Boulevard or Wheatland Avenue, we verify the battery backup, the manual release, and the fail-safe open function before we leave. That is not an upsell. It is the law in 91040, and it is also the difference between a fire truck getting through or not.
Hinge & Post Repair
Hinge and post failure is the most common call we get from Shadow Hills. The soil here is decomposed granite and soft alluvial fill that swells in the wet season and contracts in the dry season. A post that was plumb in March can be leaning two inches by August. We reset posts in compacted aggregate, re-weld hinge plates where they have stress-cracked, and re-anchor the post base so it stops moving. Fix the panel without the post and you will fix it twice. We would rather fix it once.
Gate Realignment
A gate that drags in summer but was fine in spring is a shadow hills signature. The drive shifts, the post leans, and the gate panel starts scraping decomposed granite. We lift the panel, reset the hinge geometry, and adjust or replace the rack and pinion on slide gates so the gate runs clean through the full travel. On slide gates we also check the track bed itself, because a dirt drive that erodes under the track creates the same binding pressure that burns out operators.
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 Shadow Hills
We service and repair nine major gate brands, including FAAC, BFT, Linear, and Viking, along with LiftMaster, DoorKing, Ghost Controls, Elite, and Mighty Mule. Shadow Hills has a lot of older Viking and Linear slide operators on ranch properties, and we keep a deep stock of boards, limit switches, and arms for those units on our trucks. If your gate is from a brand not listed, call anyway. Hal has been fixing gates since 2001, and he has seen just about everything bolted to a post.
Common Gate Repair Problems We See in Shadow Hills Homes
- Slide-gate rack and pinion skips when the post shifts. The decomposed granite under Shadow Hills driveways moves seasonally. When the hinge post leans, the rack teeth jump and the gate jams off-track, usually at the worst possible moment.
- Santa Ana wind fatigue cracks hinge welds. Gusts over 50 mph at the foothill fringe work heavy pipe gates back and forth until the weld at the hinge plate fractures. The panel then sags and drags the driveway.
- Operators burn out from repeated stall loads. Wooden ranch gates swell when the air carries seasonal moisture, binding against the latch post. The operator pushes against a stuck load and the motor or gears fail.
- Fire-code fail-safe systems get bypassed. We find operators wired without a working manual release or battery backup. In Shadow Hills that is not a convenience issue. It is a fire-access issue, and we fix it on every automatic gate we touch.
Pricing for Gate Repair in Shadow Hills, CA
Here are honest price ranges for the work we do in Shadow Hills. A hinge and post repair on a standard ranch gate runs $220 to $410, depending on how much concrete work the post reset requires. Gate realignment runs $180 to $340. Electric gate repair, including operator board replacement or arm replacement, runs $285 to $650. Slide gate rack and pinion repair runs $300 to $520. Full operator replacement with a new unit runs $900 to $2,200 installed, depending on weight rating and brand.
Every quote is fixed before we start. You will know the number, and it will not change when the crew is standing in your driveway. We offer a free second opinion on any written estimate you have from another company, $40 off any repair over $200, no trip charge inside the county, and a permanent 10% discount for seniors and veterans. Call (877) 610-2993 and we will give you a number on the phone.
We Also Serve Cities Near Shadow Hills
Beyond Shadow Hills, we handle Gate Repair for homeowners in Sunland, Tujunga, La Crescenta-Montrose, and Burbank. If you live along the 210 corridor or up against the Verdugo Mountains, there is a good chance we already know your road.
Serving Shadow Hills, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Shadow 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 Repair in Shadow Hills
Your gate drags because the post it hangs from is sitting in decomposed granite soil that swells in the wet season and contracts in the dry season. In Shadow Hills, that seasonal movement shifts gate posts far more than it does in Burbank or Tujunga. The panel drops, the latch side drags, and the gate needs realignment or a post reset. Call (877) 610-2993 and we will come reset it properly, not just shim it.
Yes. We repair the slide gate in place, and we do not touch the paddock gate unless you ask us to. We work around the existing fencing, the animals, and the daily coming and going. The paddock gate stays functional during the whole job, because we know your horses still need to get in and out. No hauling gates away, no leaving a gap in your fence line.
Santa Ana winds that funnel down the Verdugo Mountains hit Shadow Hills hard, with gusts over 50 mph that twist heavy pipe gates against their hinge welds. Over time the welds fatigue, the panel sags, and the operator works against a bind until it fails. We weld the stress cracks, reinforce the hinge plates, and rebalance the gate so it no longer fights the operator in high wind.
Yes. Shadow Hills is in a designated High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and LA city fire code requires automated gates to fail open on power loss and to provide emergency access via Knox box or key switch. We verify fail-safe operation on every automatic gate repair we do here, and we will tell you plainly if your current setup would not pass an inspection.
Yes, and for most long unpaved driveways in Shadow Hills it is the most practical option. We use solar kits designed for the heavier pipe and rough-sawn wood gates common here, with enough battery reserve to keep the gate working through cloudy winter weeks. The panel mounts on the gate post or a short stand, and the whole system runs without trenching a power line down your drive. Call (877) 610-2993 and we will tell you what size panel and battery your gate needs.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Shadow Hills since 2001.