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 Sylmar
Gate repair in Sylmar comes down to one thing the rest of the Valley doesn’t deal with: wind. Real wind. The kind that comes screaming through the San Fernando Pass at 60-plus miles an hour and treats a gate like a sail. A gate repair here usually costs between $180 and $340 for common hinge, post, and operator fixes, and it’s almost always the wind and the gate’s weight working together that caused the problem in the first place. We’ve been fixing gates in Sylmar long enough to know which streets get hit hardest and what gives out first. Call (350) 247-4763 and Hal will answer, any hour, day or night.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Sylmar’s Preferred Gate Repair Company
Hal Gatewood started this shop in 2001, and his name has been on the door ever since. That matters in Sylmar, where a handshake still carries weight and half the neighborhood knows the other half by name. When we tell you the price, that’s the price. Before any work starts. No “the manager says it’s going to be more” at your front door.
We answer the phone with a live person. Not a recording, not a call center. You call at 2 a.m. because a Santa Ana gust blew your gate off its track and you can’t get the horse trailer out, you’ll get Hal or someone on his crew. We keep parts for the brands Sylvmar homeowners actually run, and we weld on site in your driveway. We don’t haul gates off to some shop across town unless there’s no other way to do it right.
Every job on this page carries our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it’s not fixed, we come back. That’s the whole sentence. No fine print, no “up to,” no “in most cases.” We serve Sylmar from our Los Angeles-area operation, with crews who know the difference between a track home in the flats and an equestrian property up by the burn footprint.
Our Gate Repair Services in Sylmar
Electric Gate Repair
Electric gate repair in Sylmar often means rebuilding an operator that overheated or a circuit board that fried during a wind event. The San Fernando Pass funnels Santa Ana winds straight into Sylmar, and gusts over 60 mph push gates hard against their stops, overworking motors and toasting capacitors. We service and repair LiftMaster, Viking, DoorKing, Ghost Controls, and any other operator you have. If the motor runs but the gate won’t move, or the gate moves but the motor won’t stop, we find the actual fault and fix that. We don’t sell you a new operator because testing one is easier.
Automatic Gate Repair
Automatic gate repair in Sylmar covers everything from the operator and the control board to the safety photocells, the keypad, the loop detector under the driveway, and the power run. On horse properties and ranches, automatic gates get longer cycles and heavier loads than anything in Granada Hills. A gate that cycles forty times a day for a horse trailer needs a different standard of repair than a gate that opens twice a week. We check the entrapment protection every time, because a gate that can’t reverse on obstruction is dangerous for kids, dogs, and livestock.
Hinge & Post Repair
Hinge and post repair is the work we do most in Sylmar. The wind leans on a gate for years, and the post is what takes the abuse. A gate sags in the hinge post, not in the middle, and that’s where we start. We cut out the rotted or snapped section, weld in new steel, set the post deeper than the original, and realign the gate so it clears the ground and latches square. On a horse-property street in Sylmar’s Sayre Fire burn footprint, our techs rebuilt a shattered hinge post on a bowed 18-foot tubular-steel swing gate after a Santa Ana gust snapped the post footing clean at grade. We reset the post with deeper embedment, realigned the gate to clear the ground, and replaced the burnt-out LiftMaster operator, then checked the loop detector and safety photocell so the daily horse trailer access kept working during the repair.
Gate Realignment
Gate realignment in Sylmar is often the difference between a gate that works and one that drags, binds, and eats itself alive. Wind shifts posts. Earthquake retrofits shift posts. A 1971 Sylmar earthquake-era footing that got knocked slightly out of plumb will fight a gate for decades. We measure the reveal, adjust hinges, shim or reset posts, and get the gate swinging or sliding true again. A realigned gate lasts, and it puts less stress on the operator, which means the motor doesn’t work itself to death.
For the full scope of what we fix, see our Gate Repair service page.
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 Sylmar
Most of the gates we work on in Sylmar are built around equipment from Viking, Ghost Controls, and DoorKing, with LiftMaster and FAAC showing up constantly on the rebuilt Sayre Fire properties. We service all nine major brands, and we keep a rolling stock of boards, remotes, arms, and wheels for the operators Sylmar runs. That means we’re not waiting a week for a part to ship. The goal is one trip, maybe two for a big structural job, and your gate stays down for as little time as possible.
Common Gate Repair Problems We See in Sylmar Homes
- Santa Ana wind shear on swing gates. A 60 mph gust hitting an 18-foot equestrian gate applies lateral force that can snap a post footing or rack the frame. We see this on the wind-exposed streets near the mouth of the pass more than anywhere else in the Valley.
- Sayre Fire rebuild hardware hitting end-of-life all at once. Hundreds of gates went in between 2009 and 2012 after the 2008 fire cleared whole corridors. Those operators, hinges, and weld points are now 12 to 15 years old, and they’re failing on the same schedule. We see entire blocks where three houses in a row have dead gates within the same year.
- Slide-gate jams on shared driveways and rights of way. Tight lots and equestrian corridors force slide gates into narrow, wind-blown spaces, where the rack and pinion strip collects dust and heat until it jams. Keypad entry panels also fail from the heat; summer days over 105°F bake wiring and rubber seals.
- Sagging gates on wide ranch-style lots. Sylmar’s housing stock is dominated by wide-lot, single-story ranch homes from the 1960s through the 1980s, many with long driveways and heavy custom gates. The longer the leaf, the more leverage on the post, and the sooner it sags.
Pricing for Gate Repair in Sylmar, CA
Here’s what to expect on a gate repair bill in Sylmar. A standard hinge and post repair runs $180 to $320, depending on how much steel we’re cutting out. Gate realignment typically lands between $150 and $250. Electric operator repair, including a new board or capacitor and a full test, runs $220 to $450, and a full operator replacement on a heavy equestrian gate can go from $800 to $1,800 with the motor, arms, and safety checks included. The price is quoted and agreed before any work starts, in writing. You get a free estimate, a free second opinion on any written quote from another company, and $40 off any repair over $200. Seniors and veterans always get 10% off. Call (350) 247-4763 and we’ll give you the number up front.
We Also Serve Cities Near Sylmar
If you’re just outside Sylmar, we work throughout the neighboring communities too. Find our full Gate Repair in Sylmar coverage or ask about service in San Fernando, Granada Hills, Panorama City, and Northridge when you call. The same crew, the same promise, the same upfront pricing.
Serving Sylmar, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Sylmar 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 Sylmar
The mouth of the San Fernando Pass funnels Santa Ana winds straight into Sylmar, and a 60-to-70 mph gust against a wide gate produces massive lateral load on the hinge post. Over a few seasons, that post works loose in its footing or snaps at the base. Add the extra weight of steel equestrian gates, and post failure rates here run far ahead of Granada Hills or Northridge. Call (350) 247-4763 and we’ll tell you whether your post can be repaired or needs a full reset.
Yes, it’s common. The concentrated rebuild after the 2008 Sayre Fire put a wave of new gates in across Sylmar’s equestrian corridors between 2009 and 2012, and that whole cohort is now hitting the same end-of-life window for operators, hinges, and weld points. If your operator died at the 12-year mark, the gate frame likely has stress fatigue too. We check the whole assembly before quoting so you don’t fix the motor today and the post next month.
Yes. Shared driveways and rights of way in Sylmar force slide gates into tight corridors where dust, heat, and wind conspire against the rack and pinion strip. We clean and realign the track, replace stripped rack sections, service the rollers, and adjust the limits so the gate rides smooth without binding. We do this without blocking your neighbor’s access any longer than necessary. Estimates are free; call (350) 247-4763.
We stage the work. The post gets cut loose, the gate gets temporarily supported and secured, and access stays open enough for a trailer to pass between steps. On horse properties we plan the repair around your feeding and turnout schedule, and we never leave the gate hanging unsupported overnight. The fix includes a deeper post embedment and full realignment, so the next Santa Ana event doesn’t do the same damage. Book your Syclar repair at (350) 247-4763.
Yes. UL 325 entrapment protection requirements apply to automatic gates in Sylmar, and any repair we do on an operator or control system includes a check of the reverse function, safety photocells, and contact edges. A gate that can’t reverse on obstruction is dangerous for children, animals, and anyone walking through. We won’t sign off on a gate that doesn’t meet the current safety standard. Call (350) 247-4763 for an inspection or repair.
If you’re in Sylmar and the gate won’t open, the post is leaning, or the operator just hums and gives up, call (350) 247-4763. Hal answers. We’ll give you a straight price before any work starts, and you’ll see a face you’ll recognize at the hardware store next month.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, fixing gates across Sylmar since 2001.