Round Rock Metal Gates is the Capital Area's trusted expert in gate opener repair decided by a force reading, specializing in worn gearboxes, tripping motors, and operators the maker no longer supports. We offer motor and gearbox testing, brushless operator swaps, battery backup service, limit and force settings, and an operator retrofit on an existing gate.
Get a free gate estimate
Our team provides residential and commercial repairs that settle the repair-or-replace question with a bench test, from a ground-track sliding gate with operator to a dual swing estate gate with operators, so you pay for the motor the gate needs. Backed by 12 years in business and a 2-year workmanship warranty on our welds, hinges, footings and operator installation, we have completed over 1,187 projects, from a custom pedestrian entry gate to a trackless cantilever gate.
From the first force reading to the final reversal test, our team handles the checks that tell a tired motor from a gate that fights it. Serving Cedar Park, Leander, Round Rock and Georgetown, we test the monitored photo eyes and edge sensors for a clean reverse, and leave you an opener that runs.
Call today for a free estimate, and we will test the motor, the gearbox and the gate before we say repair or replace.
The short version
Mona, home near Leander Station, Leander
The 14-year-old openers kept tripping mid-swing, and their maker no longer sold the gearbox.
Investment and duration figures are estimates. Your written quote sets the final price and schedule.
Mona's home near Leander Station had two operators on a 14 ft pair, and the 14-year-old openers kept tripping mid-swing while the maker no longer sold the gearbox. We quoted new brushless operators on the existing mounts and kept the sound gate and wiring, which cost an estimated $2,100 to $3,000 over an estimated 4 to 8 hours. The new operators run on the old gate, and the owner paid for operators rather than a whole system.
Gate opener repair covers the operator itself: 24V DC brushless motors with battery backup, sized to leaf weight, length and duty cycle, the gearbox, the arm or chain and the limit and force settings. A tripping opener on a single swing driveway gate with operator may have a worn gearbox or a gate that drags, and a dead keypad or board is a job for electric gate repair, while a sagging leaf is a job for automatic gate repair.
We swing the leaf by hand before we touch the motor, because a dragging gate trips an opener that is still sound. We then run the operator on the bench with a force reading, which shows a worn gearbox, a failing brushless motor or a limit setting that is simply wrong. If the gearbox is the fault and the maker still sells it, we repair it, and if the parts are gone we fit an operator retrofit on an existing gate on the old mounts. The last step on a job like Mona's sets the force and runs the reversal tests on each monitored photo eye and edge sensor.
An operator retrofit on an existing gate typically costs an estimated $1,800 to $3,800, and a ground-track sliding gate with operator typically costs an estimated $1,500 to $5,000 where the whole system is past saving.
One leaf, one operator, photo eyes and remotes, best on a driveway with room for the leaf to clear.
Two matched leaves on heavy posts or columns, two operators, safety devices and a stop.
A leaf on a poured track, for a short drive or a level opening with no room to swing.
A counterbalanced leaf on carriages with nothing in the opening, for slopes and busy commercial lanes.
New motor, photo eyes and remotes on a manual or worn automatic gate that is still sound.
An entry device and its wiring added to a working gate, from one keypad to a full video setup.
Tubular steel panels 4 to 6 ft tall, galvanized and powder coated, set on poured posts.
Solid bar and forged parts built to a drawing, for a front line that has to carry the house.
Aluminum panels with tight pickets, plus a self-closing, self-latching gate quoted on top.
A manual walk gate matched to the fence or the driveway leaves, with a latch set at your hand height.
Ornamental steel or wrought iron fitted to the stair or slab, with balusters spaced to our 3.5 to 3.875 in spec.
Steel or iron treads on a center column, from a stock kit to a site-measured build.
A steel or iron door with glass and thermal breaks, hung on hinges or a pivot once the frame is set.
Scheduled visits for commercial and association gates: lube, force test, sensors and a written log.
Investment and duration figures are estimates. Your written quote sets the final price and schedule.
| Job type | Est. investment | Est. duration on site |
|---|---|---|
| Operator retrofit on an existing gate | Est. $1,800 to $3,800 per operator system | Est. 4 to 8 hours |
| Single swing driveway gate with operator | Est. $2,500 to $5,000 per gate | Est. 1 to 2 days |
| Ground-track sliding gate with operator | Est. $1,500 to $5,000 per complete system | Est. 2 to 3 days |
| Dual swing estate gate with operators | Est. $4,000 to $8,000 per entry | Est. 2 to 3 days |
| Preventive maintenance agreement | Est. $88 to $113 per gate per month | Est. 1 to 3 hours per visit |
These estimates can change when a bench test finds a sound motor behind a dragging gate. We test both first, then your written quote gives the price and the schedule.
A gearbox or limit fault is repaired when the maker still sells the part, and the operator is replaced when the motor has failed or the parts are gone. A video intercom, keypad or phone entry stays on the gate through either choice, so nobody has to relearn how visitors get buzzed through after the repair.
| Option | What it fixes | Est. investment | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gearbox or limit repair | A tripping or stalling opener | Est. $600 to $1,500 for a typical walk gate | The maker still sells the part |
| New brushless operators on existing mounts | A failed motor or gearbox no longer sold | Est. $2,100 to $3,000 on a 14 ft pair | The gate and wiring are sound |
| Full operator retrofit on an existing gate | A worn system past its life | Est. $1,800 to $3,800 per operator system | Operators last 10 to 15 years and this one is past that |
If the gate itself is past saving, gate replacement covers the rebuild.
A new operator on a gate that drags will trip the same way, so the leaf is checked first, and the force is set low enough that monitored photo eyes and edge sensors stop the gate on contact. Operators typically last 10 to 15 years, backup batteries are typically replaced every 3 to 4 years, and a preventive maintenance agreement puts the battery and sensor checks on a schedule. A swing gate also needs 12 to 18 ft of clearance, and a Knox key switch, Opticom receiver or siren sensor, set to whatever the local fire authority calls for, is tested after the swap.
A leaf of 14-gauge tube for standard leaves, 11-gauge to 3/16 in where a long or tall leaf has to hold its line, asks less of the motor than a heavy forged leaf on ball-bearing pairs rated from 500 to more than 1,500 lbs, matched to the weight of the finished leaf. Owners comparing metals can read about steel gates and wrought iron gates.
Every operator repair, from a gearbox to an operator retrofit on an existing gate, carries our 2-year workmanship warranty on our welds, hinges, footings and operator installation, plus the operator maker's coverage, typically 1 to 5 years on motors and electronics. The swap near Leander Station shows why: testing first meant the owner kept a sound gate and bought only new operators.
Most of our opener calls come from Cedar Park, Georgetown and Leander, inside a 35-mile radius of the shop that also takes in Lakeway, Steiner Ranch, West Lake Hills, Barton Creek, The Hills and Shady Hollow on our service area page.
Owners who want a new motor on a new gate can start with gate operator installation, and owners with no power at the gate can look at solar gate operators. Owners who want the operator watched on a schedule can set up a service agreement at an estimated $88 to $113 per gate per month, and the Round Rock Metal Gates home page lists every service.
A single swing driveway gate with operator trips when the gearbox wears or the leaf drags, and we swing the leaf by hand before we blame the motor.
Operators typically last 10 to 15 years, and a 14-year-old pair of openers near Leander Station was replaced with new brushless operators once the gearbox was no longer sold.
An operator retrofit on an existing gate typically costs an estimated $1,800 to $3,800, and the Leander job came to an estimated $2,100 to $3,000.
Most operator swaps take an estimated 4 to 8 hours on site, and a heavy dual swing estate gate with operators can run longer.
Yes, 24V DC brushless motors with battery backup, sized to leaf weight, length and duty cycle, fit most sound gates on the old mounts, and we test the leaf and wiring before we promise it.
Yes, a battery backup typically gives 20 to 100 cycles in an outage, and the batteries are typically replaced every 3 to 4 years.
The maker covers the motor itself, and a repaired gearbox or a swapped operator carries our 2-year workmanship warranty on our welds, hinges, footings and operator installation.
Request a free estimate, and we will test the motor, the gearbox and the gate and write an itemized quote for the repair.
How a job runs
We read the grade, the soil and the swing or slide path before a line is drawn.
You sign off on a scaled drawing, the metal, the finish and the operator before any steel is cut.
Our welders fabricate the gate, then it goes out for its coating before it comes to your property.
We set the posts, hang the leaf, wire the operator and run every photo eye and safety edge in front of you.
Where we work
Phone the shop or use the form to set a time for a site measure and a written estimate.
Calls only, we do not receive text messages.
