Gates are a system, not an accessory
Within our fence installation work, automatic gates are where fencing meets electrical, access control, and safety equipment — and where planning pays off most. A driveway gate that was designed as part of the fence line, with power and conduit run before concrete, costs meaningfully less and works better than one retrofitted a year later.
Whether it's a single swing gate on a ranch drive in Rendon or a slide gate on a Mansfield commercial yard, the questions are the same: how the gate moves, how people get in, and how the system keeps everyone safe.
Swing vs. slide
Swing gates are the classic look — single or double leaf, mechanically simpler, and the natural choice where the driveway has room for the arc. Slide gates (cantilever or track) win on sloped drives, short setbacks, and wide commercial openings where a swinging leaf would block the apron or fight the grade.
Mansfield-area properties run the full spectrum, from suburban lots with tight setbacks to acreage with long frontage, so we spec the movement style off your actual driveway, not a catalog default.
Access control: how you get in
Keypads, remotes, phone apps, vehicle tag readers, intercoms with video — modern gate access runs from simple to building-grade. The practical questions: who needs in (family, deliveries, a lawn crew on Tuesdays), whether you want to answer the gate from your phone, and how guests should work. We'll configure an opener and access package to match, and leave you with controls you actually understand.
Safety is non-negotiable
An automatic gate is a moving machine, and modern installs include entrapment protection — obstruction sensing, photo eyes across the opening, and correct force settings — consistent with UL 325 safety practice. If you have kids, dogs, or regular visitors, this is the part of the quote to care about most. We also set gates up to fail safely in a power outage, with battery backup and manual release so you're never locked in or out.
Power, posts, and the long game
Gate posts carry more load than any other post on the property, and in our expansive clay they get engineered accordingly — bigger footings, deeper set, steel where the gate's weight demands it. Power planning (trenched low-voltage or solar where runs are long) happens at design time. And when an existing gate starts dragging, stalling, or ignoring its remote, our repair team handles gate rehabs too — hardware, hinges, openers, and the posts under them.