Our gated community has DoorKing at the main entrance. We've had some problems with it (DH is on the Board) - lightning hits, cameras don't work well at night due to low lighting, call box screen goes out now and then, cameras go out now and then.. They also started charging for their service so our POA pays twice (once for management company access and once for Board member access, which I do). That said, the (online) program is easy to use, but thinking you won't be doing for your home. The system is about 8 years old and the Board will be replacing next year.

We also have driveway gates. I'll have to find ticket for brand/model info. We've had them for almost 5 years now without any problems, other than a loose wire recently. No lighting problems, etc. We're on a hill, so the gates open out and I wanted openers inside/behind columns. We have a code box for entrance (guest, UPS) and remotes. We can also open with remote from front door (clear shot down hill to gate). Did not put in an automatic closing thingamajig, but considering adding one. DH ran the electrical to the gate. It has a trickle charger, so if power goes out the gate will still work for several days (not on our generator).

DH said our gate openers are by Apollo.

We have two kinds of remotes (large and pocket-size). Both are Multi-Code by Linear.

If you want more info, I can pull the invoice.

we have heard that liftmaster and viking are good..

I will look into the apollo and viking as we havent heard much about them. we are looking at some of the doorkings right now - but mainly only the gate openers - not so much all the accessories that go with it....we just need an automatic gate

slowdowntohurryup, you should also decide which type of gate opener you want. there is the more expensive kind that needs a concrete pad for where the motor sits then a thin arm attaches to the gate. Another kind is a motorized arm, where the motor attaches directly to the gate. Which type of operator will affect the gate design since you will probably want to cover where the opener attaches to the gate.

durn - guess we are looking more towards the "expensive" kind. operator on a pole (pad same thing) and the arm opening the gate - yet the arm does not have the motor on it - the arm is connected to the motor...

it gets really expensive when you do a double gate-- since you then need 2 motors-- yikes!!

if you are planning to put in an iron gate it is going to be very expensive not just for the opener, but the surtucture to support it and the gate itself.

I installed a 16' wide double gate made out of tubular steel (it looks like an iron gate from a distance). These gates were very light (130 pounds per leaf), easy to install, and the gate drive system was not too expensive. I used a GTO PRO arm motor on each leaf.

There are many places on line that sell the tubular gates. the one I used is called amazinggates.com out of Arizona. I followed the directions to the T and the thing has worked like a champ for 4 years - keeps the snoops off of my property.

was thinking about square tubing as far as gate material -- luckily already have the 6" posts needed so that will save us about $1k. mainly wanting only the gate motor -- dont really need the whole intercom system. have seen a system that acutally had an old school bell installed in the house that was operated off a "call button" at the gate.

will have to figure that side of it out --- after narrowing down which motor to choose.
thx

We put in a 16ft single gate (custom made from square tubular metal with an arched top). Because our gate is 0.3 mile from the house, we had to have one that could run on solar power. DH researched it and went a Mighty Mule (which was available at the local farm store). The motor is attached to the inside rock column with the single arm attached to the gate (the arm is not visible from the front as it is attached where a thicker piece of the gate is). It is remote controlled, but we did put in a key pad on the side of a column so we would not have to go down there to let everyone in. It is customizable to codes you create. I would love to be able to have control from the house, but that is not feasible in our situation. We've had zero problems with the Mighty Mule and it has run smoothly on solar power. I do wish it opened quicker, probably takes 20-30 seconds to open; that's our only complaint about it. DH called the company to see if there was a way to speed it up and there isn't. He has set it to automatically close after 30 seconds which is nice. If you would like to see a picture, let me know and I'll post some.

stayn2busy, I'd like to see some pics if you get a chance. If we put in a gate, it'll be a half-mile from the house, so we'll need solar, too.

I have a large chain link gate that opens on the side of my house and I use a Mighty Mule fm500. I've had it for about 3 years now and so far it still works. I got the idea from my neighbor who has one as well. Seems like it's a good brand. I'll put a link to the one I got.

As far as you gate being a half mile from the house I know they offer a solar solution as well. I'm sure it's a lot more expensive and the installation would be a lot harder.

Here is a link that might be useful: mighty mule gate opener fm500

This post was edited by pigsandflowers on Sun, Jan 11, 15 at 17:10

Hi pigsandflowers:

How is your Mighty Mule gate opener holding up? I am shopping for one and initially I was considering the fm200 model by Mighty Mule, but don't mind fm500 too.

Is your gate considered lightweight, medium or heavy weight?

Thanks