Posted: 8/8/2025 2:32:06 PM EDT
| Finally getting to fencing in the yard area of the property that includes the entrance. To appease the wife because she doesn’t want to open and close a gate every day. Agreed to install an electric gate opener when I get to that part of the fence. As usual I’m trying to do my homework on brands and models. Curious if anyone has had any good or bad experiences with certain brands. Will be having to use a double opener as I’m going to use two 14 foot gates at the entrance for when I have to bring equipment from work home. Any advice on brands or what to keep in mind when installing would be greatly appreciated. |
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Old data points, but I installed probably 20 mighty mule actuators when I was doing oilfield electrical. Most off grid, 100w of solar and a deep cycle battery. They all worked as advertised, till the damn truckers wrecked the gates. Make sure the actuator is rated for the gate weight, and I started drilling/tapping zerks in the hinge point. The exit actuation was typically the buried sensor and worked fine, unless you want security. I could trigger an open command dragging a shovel over the sensor. You want a battery either way for power outages. |
If life was easy nobody would quit.
| Thanks guys I’m going to have to look into the lift master ,linear, and data point brands. Only looked into the mule and ghost. DVCER I know how you feel about those drivers tearing them up. I’ve only messed up one manual gate with a truck when I was running vacuum and winch trucks. It swung back into the trailer and hung while I was going through. Didn’t have a way to hold it open. Got out of a truck and was a field supervisor/dispatcher for a few years. Never understood how they tore up so and why they were so lazy. You probably have all kinds of stories like I do about some drivers. |
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My mighty mule has been great for... I'm not sure, like 8 years I think? Only real issues its had have been related to the el shitto hinges on the gate itself. |
Never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be. - Adm James Stockdale
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Originally Posted By runs_with_scissors: Thanks guys I’m going to have to look into the lift master ,linear, and data point brands. Only looked into the mule and ghost. DVCER I know how you feel about those drivers tearing them up. I’ve only messed up one manual gate with a truck when I was running vacuum and winch trucks. It swung back into the trailer and hung while I was going through. Didn’t have a way to hold it open. Got out of a truck and was a field supervisor/dispatcher for a few years. Never understood how they tore up so and why they were so lazy. You probably have all kinds of stories like I do about some drivers. Just one of those oilfield things lol. I had set the close command for max time cause big truck/trailers need time. I did not think they would try and get 2 trucks in on one open command. I was able to add a photocell, like on our garage doors, to keep the gate open if it was blocked. Worked well till the snow was flying. No matter, an hourly electrician out there. It was a good job. |
If life was easy nobody would quit.
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Nice (formerly Apollo) is a very good brand, but very pricey. I want to say they are up over $2,000 for their best actuator and board. I like how the actuator has a ramp up and ramp down feature rather than jolting like their earlier model. The remote range is really far too...like 250' or more. Nice/Apollo |
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Originally Posted By runs_with_scissors: Thanks guys I’m going to have to look into the lift master ,linear, and data point brands. Only looked into the mule and ghost. DVCER I know how you feel about those drivers tearing them up. I’ve only messed up one manual gate with a truck when I was running vacuum and winch trucks. It swung back into the trailer and hung while I was going through. Didn’t have a way to hold it open. Got out of a truck and was a field supervisor/dispatcher for a few years. Never understood how they tore up so and why they were so lazy. You probably have all kinds of stories like I do about some drivers. I've had mighty mules before. They last about 4 maybe 5 years then replace it. Three or four of them on the same gate over about 15 years. Cousin has had the same and has replaced at least 4 times in 20 years. Now I have a ghost and although a lot faster than the MM it still has its problems. Mostly the issue is the gate will close you drive away and 20 seconds later it will open up about a 1/4 of the way. It has let the dogs out a couple of times. And its not a safety sensor as it has none. Ghost said its closing too hard or too tight. OK. Now it closes and I left some slack in it, maybe 1/4" from full closed. Still randomly opens. May go for months and be fine then out of nowhere it just pops open about 3 or 4 ft. I'll never buy another ghost. |