Electric Gate Openers

Electric gate openers are an ideal solution for opening your driveway gates from your car. When it’s raining or cold out, you don’t have to leave your car to open your gates; you can do it by remote control inside your car. It is especially handy for wheel-chair bound people.


With automatic opening your gates can either work from a remote control fixed to your dashboard or sun-screen, by infra-red photocell or by vehicle detection loops. You can choose single or double swing gates or sliding gates.

Electric sliding gates

If you are choosing sliding gates, you must be aware that if the gate is a solid block, high winds can affect the correct function of the gate opener. Gates that open by a slide method are better if they are barred or have an open pattern. Single or double swing gates are less affected by wind factors.

Electric gate openers can be fitted to either wooden gates or iron gates, but if the gates are wooden, you should make sure that they are in good condition and not affected by rot or insect infestation; the gate posts should also be suitable for mounting the openers and accessories.

Gate opening operators

The most important thing to consider when looking for gate openers is the types of operators on offer. These can be linear ram arms, underground kits or articulated arms for swing gates. Linear ram arms are the cheapest option; they are fitted onto the back of each gate leaf and are very popular on wooden gates.(See iron garden gates and centurion gate motors too)

Articulated arms are also very economical and are easily adaptable for large gate posts. The articulated arms are flexible and you can position the motor unit away from the gate hinges without any trouble.

If you have wrought-iron gates you might want to consider getting an underground electric opener kit. This kit is fitted below the gate hinge and works with a hydraulic operator, and often has a built-in pump, which means you won’t have an ugly pump unit above the ground.

Underground kits are more or less water-proof, but you should make sure that you have a good drainage system to extend the life of the motor. A professional will be able to advise you on the most suitable operator, which will depend on the space that’s available and your type of gate.

Electric gate opening accessories

One accessory that is important is the remote control to operate the opening of the gates from your car. Usually you get two standard units with each electric gate opener kit, but you can add to them if you have several cars in the family. Other accessories also include magnetic locking systems and loop detectors.

One of the top electric gate opener kits is the USAutomatic Sentry 300 S Commercial Grade Automatic Gate Opener (above) which gets excellent reviews from users on Amazon. Check out what they say here.