All these swing gate openers have the same flaw: no protection against snow and ice that sticks on the tubes that then blocks it from sliding. This expert should look around more and find the type that has protection against this common problem in colder climates.
Been in this business a long time, if this guy is local to you hire him! The biggest single problem in this industry is poor quality workmanship and the second is low grade equipment. Avoid both
When Apollo was bought by nice Rob Melenyzer the owner of American armor products stole apollos designs on the 1500 series with 636 board. Rob was at Apollo a long time and was a purchase manger/engineer as a purchase manger he started a company under a different owners nameto make the parts. when a contract was up for renewal Rob signed off on his “new vendors” invoice for parts at a higher rate. Rob was also sued by Nice for theft of intellectual property among other things. They settled in court. Rob changed the 1500 series just enough to gain a patent on it as an American armor, funny he uses Apollo control boxes when his vendor can’t keep up. Needless to say I bought into the American armor is the best. No it isn’t honestly all or our basic installs we use Apollo 1500 with 636, so many less service calls. Bad for our bottom line I guess but I’d rather have happy return customers.
Do not listen to him, i ALWAYS recommend liftmaster to my customers! For lighter gates i install the LA400 and for heavier gates i inatall the LA500 Ive never had any of my customers call me with any issues and never had any complaints about any of the stuff that hes talking about, if you adjust the gate properly you shouldnt have any more than 1"-11/2" play at the closed position
I inatall many different brands but always recommend liftmaster to my customers, depending on how heavy and wide your gate is, i'd go with RSL12 for lighter gates the rsl also comes with a battery so if you ever have a power outage you can still open and close your gate, and for bigger gates you can go with the SL 3000, this model comes with 1/2 hp and also 1hp for heavier gates
I've been servicing and installing automatic gate systems for 21 years. In my experience, 99% of all gate problems are the result of bad installation. Most installers never open the installation manual. Good information in there. Each automation system is designed with a specific set of design criteria in mind. Of course there is the price point, but there is the weight and length too. None of the operators shown in this video should be used with a privacy gate, or solid surface gate. Wind load can be considerable, and a strong wind can destroy any one of those. The Liftmaster LA400 he mentions is a great system, if installed on a gate with the limitations in the installation manual in mind. It seems that whomever installed that LA400 laying there did not read the installation manual. According to the manual, that rear pivot point is supposed to be set 7" back from the gate hinge pivot point, and 7" into the property from the hinge pivot point. I rarely see this done. And it looks like the weld failed, which is not the problem of the LA400 system. It's just bad welding by the installer. Most of these systems are not DIY systems. Even the ones that claim to be DIY. Get yourself an experienced installer who understands the differences of many systems, and can install a system for you that meets your needs. Even a poorly installed gate system can work well for a few years. Then problems begin to become apparent. and your cheap installer is nowhere to be found.
Hello Rentaissanceman, We are experiencing problems with our Centurion Swing Arm Gate Opener. Constantly have to get people out to set the limits, so I paid attention on what they do and did it my self a few times now, it only works for a short time, then the limits goes haywire again. Could the constant load shedding in SA have an effect? We replaced the battery yesterday, set the limits and this morning had to unhook the piston again to work manually. It has been working just fine until recently, then it just began giving problems. Could it be time for retirement, not sure how old the swing arm is. If the "brain" is not working properly it should either work or not work, is there something I can do to see why the limits keeps on losing its memory? Kind regards. Jaco
@@jacovorster8193 Up front, I will admit I have no experience with the Centurion operator you mention. That said, most of the equipment available shares similar properties. However, I do need more information. You must have some idea how old the system is. Manufacturers usually put a label somewhere on their systems, often times inside the control box, and if the date is not explicitly shown, it can be part of the serial number and may be easily recognized. You should certainly not be having the constant resetting of the limits you describe. As I said; most problems are caused by poor installations, AND uneducated service technicians. Most service technicians do not understand how to troubleshoot, and would rather say your system has failed and offer to sell you one they understand better, rather than admit they do not know what they are doing. I am happy to help, but this will get involved. I have not looked into how to direct message from within RU-vid, but if you know how, send me some pictures of your system, and I will try to assist. I need to go to work now, but I will return.
@@jacovorster8193 Tell me the model of the centurion opener you are using. Perhaps I can access the owner's manual on-line and see if I can be of any help.
Thank you for your videos! Do you like any of the solar openers? My driveway doesnt have power and I am not sure which solar unit is a good one. Also the speed - so many seem to open so slowly! Thanks for your help!
So what exactly is wrong with magnetic limit switches. Every Apollo I have ever opened up suffers from extreme moisture damage inside. Never had a limit in one fail. All linear actuators really suck though. Articulating arm operators are preferred if there’s room
I've been selling and installing gate operators for 21 years. I, too, began with US Automatic and migrated to Apollo. Then ditched them when you could burn up their boards by just mentioning lightning. BFT, (not BTF) has never been worth the effort required to toss them off of a bridge. They're the same garbage, essentially, as Nice (who, unfortunately, also purchased HySecurity). Same country, same junk. Some of you guys mentioning Ghost Controls should know they are simply reheated GTO (Mighty Mule). The Liftmaster is the only linear actuator system I've used for about 12 years or more. They are 24 volt instead of 12 (with the exception of their solar version), the batteries are included (the others aren't), they come with radio receiver and UL325 required safeties included (the others don't), they have lockable manual disconnects built into arms (the others don't) and the mounting geometry for the rear bracket is 7.5 x 7.5 inches (not 4 to 5). All my brackets are welded once bolted so they never move and I've seen them swinging 20 foot gates (way outside parameter). I have very little call outs for the LA400 systems I've installed.
You should check out Maximum Controls gate operators. Even their solar lineup is 24 volts with 18amp/h batteries instead of 7 amp/h, it has amazing circuit board and their arm is made out of stainless steel. Started by the same guy that started Elite
I disagree with an arm being "better" just because it has a longer frame and rear bracket. It actually to me points to a weakness because the operator needs more leverage to meet the specs its rated for and moves the gate slower.
That is absolutely not true. The farther away from the hinge you grab a gate, the easier it is to push and pull it. On the longer actuators you CAN short stroke them and it will make the gate faster. If you do that on the shorter ones he showed that are full of plastic gears, you will destroy them. They will not hold up.
You're not supposed to "short stroke" any operator. You're supposed to follow the installation specs. And there are plastic gears in nearly every actuator from GTO to Viking.
I know and understand what you meant by quality going down when Nice takes over . Security is big here where I am and people rely on the motors for their security. We fit locks to the swing gates via relays to prevent criminals driving through them or crow baring them open .
The length of the linear motor depends on the gate leaf so too long may not be of any advantage. Also the quality of the electronic controllers can Vary Considerably the BFT Brand shown in the video has the best features of all the brands shown and the motor has adjustable magnetic limits, so no moving mechanical limits
This guy is awesome a rip off guy wanted $1200 for repair. Jack is a Christian man spoke to me over phone. Guided me and suggested to replace battery. I did his suggestion and it works excellent.. God bless Hack and his family had to find a real business man these days.... please use this guy for all your gate opener needs...
Would the wall thickness of the posts vary between Steel and Aluminum. If I had an aluminum double driveway gate what specifications should I ask for if using aluminum posts please.
You probably installed it already. I installed a 12 ft Al. gate with a 4x4x1/8" steel post a year ago. The gate supplier sells and recommends 3x3x1/8" steel post for their 12 ft and 14 ft gate. Al gates are very light. Hopefully it lasts for many years.
I have a Ghost Control TSS1 that's been running flawlessly for nearly 4 years. I use their "zombie lock" which latches the end of the gate to the opposing post. It's electrically operated so when the gate opens and closes, the lock releases. It bullet proof.
I agree that 4 feet should be the standard depth. Also soil condition matters. If you want to make certain the installation is done correctly you pore a grade beam with outriggers. Most clients won’t tolerate the cost increase. Especially since non of the competitors will offer it. The most important obstacle for openers is when you install the post & gate you must be able to read the level and do the actual work to get it right. Then hinges become a huge issue. Only use bearing type hinges. It’s also critical that the bearing style hinge is installed in line as well as make certain if your using the cheaper block hinge that the grease fittings are on top! Having it in this configuration means it’s more difficult to hang the gate if you ever take it off after the initial installation. If the grease fitting is on the bottom you must grease your hinges more frequently. Water does get into these hinges when mounting them with the fitting on the bottom. Fail to keep grease in them and the shaft & ball will rust quickly and plug the fitting. You won’t be able to grease them once the rust takes over. Mounting them with the fitting on top makes rusting and clogging the fitting almost impossible. Once you have everything properly installed openers like the Liftmaster brand are more than adequate for residential gates. The last two things I’d like to talk about is wire & mounting accessories. Direct burial wire ONLY. No exceptions! Use the proper gauge too! No matter what some companies claim you can’t run 16 gauge wire 1000 feet and have it charge the batteries. Ohms law is something you need to understand. Lastly is if your adding an accessory take the time to mount it and I mean use a screw. Double sided tape isn’t acceptable! Then run and tack down all wiring so it’s not sticking out the bottom of a cabinet or getting into the drive assembly. And please label the wiring once your finished!!! I’m sorry for the long rant but way to many installations are done poorly and cause service calls that aren’t necessary. It’s not always the manufactures fault when your gate doesn’t operate reliably.
