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 Installation Across Arlington
Gate installation in Arlington, TX typically runs $1,400 to $4,800 for a standard driveway swing gate with opener, and $2,200 to $7,500 for a sliding gate with automation. Most installations take one to two days once materials are on site. We’re Hal Gatewood’s crew at Gatewood Fence & Gate, and we’ve been setting gates in Arlington’s clay since 2001. Call (817) 241-4067 and a live person answers, day or night. No voicemail, no call center. Just us.
Arlington has a specific problem most gate companies never mention. The soil here isn’t dirt. It’s Vertisol clay that swells in spring rains and contracts hard in August. That movement is what throws gates out of plumb, makes latches miss, and burns out opener motors. Our Gate Installation methods account for that from the first hole we dig, not after the gate has already failed once.
We serve every part of Arlington, from the 1970s subdivisions off Green Oaks to the newer communities around Viridian and the open lots near Lake Arlington. When you call, the person on the phone knows what the soil does on Matlock Road because we’ve cored footings there. That’s the difference between a gate that works for two years and one that works for twenty.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Arlington’s Preferred Gate Installation Company
Our name is on the shop and Hal’s name is on every invoice. That matters to Arlington homeowners who have been quoted one price on the phone and handed a different number at the door by some outfit that flies in a crew from three counties away. We’ve been locally owned and owner-operated since 2001, with a published address and license number you can look up. Hal will tell you exactly what the job costs before we start, in writing. That price doesn’t move.
We hear it from Arlington customers all the time: they called another company, got a quote, and then got ghosted. Or the crew showed up in an unmarked truck and couldn’t do Gate Parts & Welding in Arlington on site. We carry welding rigs in our trucks and do the work in your driveway. If the hinge post is out of plumb because the clay heaved, we fix the post, not just the latch. A gate sags in the hinge post, not in the middle, and that’s where we start.
Response time to Arlington depends on where you are, but we schedule inside a two-hour window and show up. For gate emergencies, especially after a spring storm knocks out power or a hail-throw rips a panel loose, call (817) 241-4067. A live person answers 24/7, not a dispatch queue. Every Gate Installation in Arlington job carries our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it isn’t done right, one call brings us back. No runaround.
We’re background-checked, uniformed, and certified to work on nine major gate brands: LiftMaster, FAAC, BFT, Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, DoorKing, Elite, and Mighty Mule. For Arlington homeowners near the entertainment corridor, that means we understand commercial-grade slide gates too. The same crews that service residential swing gates in Dalworthington Gardens also run maintenance on high-cycle operators near AT&T Stadium.
Our Gate Installation Services in Arlington
Every gate we install in Arlington is spec’d for the soil and wind it will actually face, not whatever the catalog default is. That matters here more than most places. Here’s what we install most often.
Driveway Gate Installation
A driveway gate in Arlington does more than mark your property line. It keeps the wrong cars out of your front yard and gives you a barrier that says this home is occupied and watched. We install both single and double driveway gates, framed in steel or aluminum with your choice of cedar, composite, or metal infill. On a standard single driveway gate with an automated opener, Arlington homeowners typically spend $1,800 to $4,200 depending on width, material, and opener brand. We quote it all before we dig, and we never swap in a cheaper opener than what’s on the line item.
Pedestrian Gate Installation
Pedestrian gates take a beating because they get used ten times more than the driveway gate. They’re also the gate most likely to be hung on a shallow post because it’s easier. In Arlington, shallow posts in clay fail. A pedestrian gate in this city needs the same 42-inch bell-bottom footing as a driveway gate if you want it to latch in both March and August. We install pedestrian gates from $650 to $1,500, including the post set below the active clay zone. Most go in same day.
Sliding Gate Installation
Sliding gates are the right call for Arlington homes with short driveways or steep approaches where a swing gate would clip the car. They also hold up better to north winds because the gate rides on a track instead of catching wind like a sail. Sliding gate installation in Arlington runs $2,200 to $7,500 with automation. The track and carrier system matters more than the gate panel itself in this climate, because clay movement will cock a poorly set track within a season. We use galvanized steel track and set the base on compacted aggregate below the frost line, which in Arlington means below the swell line.
Swing Gate Installation
Swing gates are the most common gate style in Arlington’s 1970s through 1990s neighborhoods, and they fail here in predictable ways. The hinge posts heave, the latch misses, the gate drags. We install swing gates with posts set below the shrink-swell zone and with sag-correction cables on wide spans so the free end doesn’t droop into the driveway. A typical swing gate install with opener runs $1,800 to $4,600. Double swing gates run higher because both sides need independent operator coordination. On 100°F days, limit switches need headroom for thermal expansion, and we set them with that in mind from day one.
Double Gate and Security Gate Installation
Double gates and security gates share a problem in Arlington: wind load. A solid infill panel across a 16-foot opening is a 16-foot sail. North Texas wind doesn’t just push the gate, it works the hinge screws loose over months until the whole assembly sags. We frame double gates in steel, use through-bolted hinges instead of lag screws, and set both posts with bell-bottom footings. Security gates, especially for Arlington commercial properties and homes near high-traffic corridors like Cooper Street, get heavier frames and mag-lock or keypad access control. Pricing for double and security gates starts around $3,000 and goes up with width, infill density, and access control hardware.
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 Arlington
We’re certified on nine major gate brands, but the ones Arlington homeowners ask about most are Viking, Ghost Controls, and DoorKing. We stock common Viking and Ghost Controls parts locally, which means if your opener fails after a spring storm, we don’t wait a week for a part to ship. For commercial slide gates near AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field, DoorKing and LiftMaster are the operators we see most, and we keep their limit switch and control board parts on the truck. If your opener brand isn’t on our list, call anyway. If we can’t service it, we’ll tell you straight and point you to someone who can. A gate sags in the hinge post, not in the middle, and an opener fails in the limit switch, not the motor. We start there.
Common Gate Installation Problems We See in Arlington Homes
We’ve seen the same failures repeat across Arlington for two decades. Here’s what happens when a gate is installed without accounting for this city’s soil and wind.
- Posts heave out of level during spring rains. Shallow concrete or dry-set gravel posts lift and tilt when Vertisol clay swells. The gate goes out of plumb, the latch misses the strike, and the homeowner calls us in April wondering what happened. The fix is a new post set below the active clay zone, not a shim.
- Solid infill gates catch wind and drag. Arlington’s prevailing north winds hit solid cedar or composite panels and loosen hinge screws over time. The gate sags until it scrapes the driveway. We install through-bolted hinges and sag-correction cables on any solid panel wider than six feet.
- Automated swing gates burn out motors in summer. When posts move even a half inch, the operator’s limit switches are no longer right. On a 100°F August day, that extra resistance kills motors. We re-adjust limit switches after post work and leave headroom for thermal expansion.
- Older tract home posts rot at ground line. Arlington’s 1960s to 1990s subdivisions were built with pressure-treated posts that are now past their serviceable life. A gate that looks fine may be standing on a post that’s rotted through below grade. We core them out and set galvanized steel in a bell-bottom footing. Fix the panel without the post and you’ll fix it twice.
We reset a sagging double swing gate in a 1980s subdivision off Matlock Road after the hinge posts tilted out of plumb from spring soil expansion. Our crew cored new 42-inch footings with bell-bottom bases below the shrink-swell zone, installed galvanized steel hinge posts, and remounted the pickets with sag-correction cables. The gate now latches through summer drought contraction and next spring’s swell cycle. That’s the difference between a gate that fails in 18 months and one that just works, and it’s why we start every Arlington installation at the footing.
Pricing for Gate Installation in Arlington, TX
Here’s what you’ll actually pay in Arlington, without the phone-game markup.
| Gate Type | Typical Arlington Price Range |
|---|---|
| Pedestrian gate (wood or metal, no automation) | $650 - $1,500 |
| Single driveway swing gate with opener | $1,800 - $4,200 |
| Double driveway swing gate with dual openers | $3,200 - $6,800 |
| Sliding driveway gate with automation | $2,200 - $7,500 |
| Security gate with access control (keypad, mag-lock) | $3,000 - $8,500+ |
What moves the price: gate width and weight, infill material, opener brand, access control hardware, and whether we’re coring through existing concrete. A pedestrian gate in Pantego costs less than a 16-foot double security gate in north Arlington. You’ll always get the number in writing before work starts. We also offer $40 off any repair over $200, a free second opinion on any written estimate, no trip charge inside the county, and a permanent 10% discount for seniors and veterans. Call (817) 241-4067 for a free estimate. Hal will quote it straight.
We Also Serve Cities Near Arlington
If you’re just outside the Arlington city line, we likely cover you too. We install and repair gates in Arlington and the surrounding communities, including Kennedale, Fort Worth, Hurst, Haltom City, and the smaller pockets in between. If your address is on the fringe, call and ask. If we’re not the right fit for your area, we’ll point you to someone who is.
Serving Arlington, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Arlington 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 Installation in Arlington
Gate posts in Arlington should be set 36 to 42 inches deep into undisturbed soil with a bell-bottom footing that anchors below the active shrink-swell zone. Anything shallower than 36 inches in Vertisol clay will heave within one to two years, and we’ve cored enough posts to prove it. The bell-bottom shape is what locks the post against vertical lift when the clay swells. Call (817) 241-4067 and we’ll tell you what your existing posts look like before you spend money on a new gate.
Your gate stopped latching because Arlington’s clay soil swelled with spring rain and moved the hinge post, throwing the gate out of plumb and signaling you may need Gate Repair in Arlington. The gate didn’t change; the ground under it did. The real fix is a post reset below the active clay zone, not a bigger latch or a shim on the strike. A gate sags in the hinge post, not in the middle. If yours stopped latching this spring, call (817) 241-4067 for a free look.
Yes, but only if the gate is framed in steel, hung on through-bolted hinges, and built with sag-correction cables on any span wider than six feet. Solid cedar catches Arlington’s north winds like a sail, and lag screws into wood will work loose within a year. We frame every solid infill gate the same way regardless of what the customer asks for, because we’re the ones who get called back when it drags. Call (817) 241-4067 for a quote.
The procedure depends on your opener brand, but most residential operators (Viking, Ghost Controls, DoorKing) have a manual release handle or key located on the operator itself, usually a red handle you pull or a key you turn to disengage the motor. After a storm knocks out power, disengage the operator so the gate can swing freely, then secure the gate by hand with a chain or a pin if you need it closed. Never try to force an automated gate by hand while the operator is engaged; you’ll strip the gearbox. Call (817) 241-4067 and we’ll walk you through your specific opener over the phone, free.
Yes. Slide gates near AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Field, and Six Flags run hundreds of cycles per event day, not a dozen per week like a home gate. The operator, track, and limit switches all need to be spec’d for high-cycle duty, and the track base must be compacted and set below the active clay zone just like a residential post. We install and maintain commercial slide gates in the entertainment corridor, and we stock DoorKing and LiftMaster commercial parts locally so event-day failures don’t sit idle. Call (817) 241-4067 for a walk-through and written quote.
Get Your Gate Installed Right the First Time
Gate installation in Arlington isn’t a catalog order. It’s a set of decisions about soil, wind, post depth, and opener brands that determine whether your gate works for twenty years or fails in eighteen months. We’re the ones who get called after the other guy didn’t. Call (817) 241-4067 and Hal Gatewood will quote your job in writing, show up in the window he promised, and stand behind the work with a 90-Day Done Right Promise. The name is on the shop, and the shop is down the road. That’s the oldest accountability there is.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Arlington since 2001.