Gate Repair in Bloomington

Most gates that need repair here have been through a few Minnesota winters. Frost moves posts, salt works on hinges and rollers, and snow piled against a leaf bends it a little at a time. We repair swing, slide and pedestrian gates for homes, associations and small commercial sites: the hinges and latches, the posts and footings, the rollers and tracks, and the frames themselves.

Common Gate Repairs

Common gate problems, their usual causes and the repair

Problem	Typical cause	What is repaired or replaced	Gate types
Swing gate sags or drags	Hinge post leaning, worn hinges, frame racked out of square	Post reset or replaced, new hinges, frame squared or braced	Swing, pedestrian
Latch will not catch	Gate dropped or post moved with frost	Gate rehung level, latch or keeper realigned	Swing, pedestrian
Slide gate binds on the track	Bent or lifted track, debris, flat-spotted rollers	Track straightened or replaced, rollers replaced	Slide
Gate wobbles or clunks	Loose post, worn guide rollers or hinge pins	Post tightened or reset, rollers and pins replaced	All types
Bent frame or rail	Vehicle or plow strike, a gate blown open	Frame straightened where it can be, bent parts replaced	All types
Opener runs but the gate barely moves	Gate too stiff for the operator: dry hinges, bad rollers	Hardware freed first, then the operator checked	Automated gates

If you are not sure what the gate needs, the troubleshooting guide goes through the symptoms, what is safe to check and when to call.

Signs a Repair Will Do

A gate can look tired and still have plenty of life in it. These usually point to a repair rather than a new gate:

• The frame is straight and solid; only the hinges, latch or rollers are worn.
• The gate sags but the hinge post is sound or can be reset.
• Rust is on the surface, not eating through rails or welds.
• The slide gate track is bent in one spot rather than along its length.
• The gate still fits the opening and does what you need.

Repair or Replace

Repair is the first choice when the frame and posts are sound. Replacement starts to make sense when several of these are true at once:

• Rust has gone through the frame or the welds have cracked.
• Both posts have moved and the footings were set too shallow.
• The gate has been bent more than once and no longer hangs square.
• You want to automate a gate too heavy or too flimsy for an operator.
• Parts for an old gate or its hardware are no longer made.

Where only one of these is true, a repair plus new hardware usually buys many more years.

Damage From Cars, Plows and Frost Heave

Vehicle impact is the sudden kind: a car backing into a leaf, a delivery truck clipping a post. The frame may be straightened where the metal allows, with the bent rail or section replaced to match the rest. A post that took the hit is checked below ground too, because the footing can crack while the post still looks fine.

Snow plows do slower damage. Plowed snow pushed against a closed gate bends the bottom rail and loads the hinges, and a blade can catch the end of a slide gate track. Marking the track and leaving clearance at the curb helps.

Frost heave lifts posts on clay soil, then lets them settle crooked in spring. The gate that latched in October can rub the driveway in April. The fix is a post reset to proper depth, not just a hinge adjustment.

Our chain link gate got bent when a car backed into it. They straightened the frame where they could and replaced the bent top rail and fabric to match the rest of the fence. You honestly can't tell anything happened. Got it done within the week too, which mattered since the dog kept getting out through the gap.

Repair Questions

Can the gate be repaired without replacing the opener?

Often, yes. Many “opener problems” are gate problems: a sagging leaf, a dry hinge or a worn roller makes the operator work too hard until it stalls or trips. Once the gate moves freely by hand, the operator is tested and adjusted, and it is replaced only if it is worn out or too small for the gate.

Should we wait until spring to fix a sagging gate?

A gate that still latches can usually wait. One that drags, will not close or has a post moving in the ground gets worse through freeze and thaw, and a heavy leaf hanging on a bad hinge can come down.

Do you fix wood and chain link gates as well as metal ones?

Yes. Hinges, latches, posts, frames and anti-sag bracing are the same work whatever the gate is made of.