Having a gate at the entrance of your property, whether it’s a residential property or a commercial building, can provide you with security and aesthetics, but if you have to get out of your car to push them open, are you really getting the best out of your gates? Or maybe you leave them open constantly in order to avoid the hassle, which defeats the purpose of having the gates in the first place?

Manual gates are a thing of the past – the world is embracing the convenience and allure of automatic electric gates that open easily at the touch of a button. All you need to do is wait in your car while they open, drive through, and then watch while they close behind you without your intervention.

Switching to an automatic gate raises the question: what kind of openers are available? In this blog, we’ll explore what types of gate openers are available and what the recommended options are.

Types of Gate Openers for Swing Gates

Swing gates are the most common variety of automatic gates. The openers for swings work by pushing or pulling the gates so that they pivot on their hinges, facilitating the opening or closing of the gate. The gate’s hinges are attached to the pillars, posts, or walls that are on either side of the driveway (or on one side if you only have a single gate). The different types of gate openers will have their motor affixed in a way that it can deliver the necessary force to open the gate without moving, either to the pillars, walls, posts or even the ground.

There are a few different types of openers for swing gate systems. These are:

Ram Gate Openers

Ram gate openers are a common type of automatic gate opener. They work via a long thin motor body that’s attached to a fixed point, such as the pillar or post. The motor’s body consists of a long thin motor arm and a reservoir of hydraulic fluid. The motor pressurizes the fluid, which in turn pushes the arm out of the motor and closes the gate. Reducing the pressure on the hydraulic fluid has the opposite effect, retracting the arm back into the body of the motor, and opening the gate.

Linear Screw Openers

Linear screw motor gate openers look similar to ram types with a long thin motor body and one end fixed to the wall or gate post. However, instead of pushing or pulling a hydraulic arm to open and close a gate, a linear screw gate opener uses a threaded shaft that spins inside the casing.

The shaft has a gate mounting bracket with an internal thread screwed onto it. The threaded shaft is not completely enclosed by the motor housing, which means the mounting bracket can extend out from the housing and still move up or down the shaft freely.

Attaching the bracket to the gate means the threaded shaft spins with the gate motor to screw the bracket up and down the shaft, which moves the gate as it moves up and down the shaft.

Articulated Arm Motors

There are many different varieties of automatic gate openers, but the articulated arm motor is the easiest one to see in action. It has fewer hidden components than ram or linear screw openers.

In articulated arm motors, the motor is housed in a casing that is mounted either to the gate post or some other solid object near the gate’s hinges. The motor shaft protrudes from the casing on the underside where a two-part jointed arm is located. The other end of the arm is attached to the gate so it can open or close the gate when operated.

Underground Gate Openers

Underground gate openers require the most work to install and require the most power, but they are also the most discrete type of motor. They are mounted under the gate hinges in specially dug pits, with the only visible parts of the motor being the foundation box lid and the motor output shaft sticking up through a hole in the box lid.

The gate motor arm attaches to the underside of the gate, with the arm and motor output shaft acting as the gate’s bottom hinge. The motor causes the arm to slowly rotate, which opens or closes the gate as needed.

What About Sliding Gates?

Given how many different types of openers are available for swing gates, you might expect that sliding gates have the same amount of variety. Unfortunately, sliding gates only have one type of motor. A sliding gate moves on wheels across the driveway with a motor that uses an output shaft and a toothed cog to push and pull the gate.

What to Know Before Making the Choice

There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to gate openers. An expert, such as Creative Door Services™, will recommend the best option based on your specific needs.

The first consideration is your budget. Knowing what your financial restraints are can change what type of gate opener you should get. Other factors include size, how frequently you plan on using the gate, and what kind of climate you are located in.

Creative Door Services™ is Your Guide to Gate Openers

Creative Door Services™ offers comprehensive service for gate openers of all types. Whether you need installation, repair, or maintenance, you can count on us to be there for you. We carry a range of gate opener brands, including Genie, FAAC, and LiftMaster. We will work closely with you to determine which gate opener works best for your unique needs.

We also offer planned maintenance plans to keep your gate opener in good working condition for years and prevent costly repair jobs due to avoidable wear and tear.

To learn more about our garage door products or request a quote, contact us today. We’re happy to serve you from one of our eight locations. You can find us in Kelowna, British Columbia; Vancouver, British Columbia; Calgary, Alberta; Edmonton, Alberta; Fort McMurray, Alberta; Regina, Saskatchewan; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; and Winnipeg, Manitoba.