Automatic gate openers - who has them?

[kaichu dento]

Most everyone that parks in a garage can open it from the car and I'd like to be able to do that with the double gate on the driveway too. For some reason this flashoholic forum seems to have some of the most varied groups and widest range of experiences, so like all good CPF'ers, I come here first for information.

I just started shopping and immediately noticed that there are many very affordable kits available for a double gate system, but I don't want to save money only to regret it later. How much should I be spending on an AC powered kit for a double chain link that has also has battery backup and a locking function when closed?

 

[raggie33]

i hate haveing one to my community loved it at first. but so many times i go for walk and forget clicker and cant get out lol.and on my bikes it has issues detecting them

 

[BillBond]

Never have seen an automatic gate opener that didn't require frequent repair.
Which is why my 24' gate is manual.

 

[bykfixer]

I drew up some plans to build a "Bat gate" one year but never built it.

I had a corner lot where the rear backed up to a parking lot. The 6' privacy fence was covered with English ivey. The idea was to build a metal gate, mount the vine covered wood fence to the metal gate and have the roots of the ivey transplanted to planters, also attached to the metal gate.

Using a garage door opener bicycle chain and gears fastened to a garage door motor the gate would open/close and allow me to enter a garage next to the gate. A clutch was to be installed to allow the gate to open/close manually.

In the front an existing 3' high cedar gate was to be built the same way. Trouble was one day the ex-wife and I went our separate ways and we sold the place before those and the garage were built. The garage was going to be a big ole multi room building with a second floor apartment like game room. One room being a tool shed/work shop, another to store a classic car and a 3rd for my bicycle shop (at the time).

 

[Monocrom]

I'd honestly recommend keeping a manual gate/garage door-opener in your vehicle's center console, instead. For the very reason mentioned above. The Automatic ones are too complex, and the cheaper ones break down far too frequently. Making the higher-end and extremely expensive ones the only reliable option. Unless you get a manual one with a key-fob style opener.

 

[kaichu dento]

I'd honestly recommend keeping a manual gate/garage door-opener in your vehicle's center console, instead. Unless you get a manual one with a key-fob style opener.

That's exactly the type I'm going to get and I was hoping that there'd be a handful of members here who'd found better luck with one brand or another. I always park the truck inside the fence, but like to keep the gates shut, which makes me manually open them twice and close twice for each trip I make out of here! Just want to have an opener in the house, keypad outside, and a visor clip remote in each vehicle so that I can start the gate opening as I'm pulling up, then close it again as I'm getting out of the car.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

A double gate system will require trenching or boring under the driveway to get power to the actuator on the far side.

 

[kaichu dento]

Looks like no one knows anything about them so they come and post all of the obvious stuff.

By the way, power to the far gate has at least three more options that I can think of immediately, with one of them my planned method.