The Six Most Common Sliding Gate Problems

Jerking almost always points to a rack-and-pinion mesh problem. Either the rack has come loose from its mounting, the teeth are worn, or the pinion has shifted out of alignment.

A gate that opens halfway and then stops is usually the board's over-current protection tripping. Something is making the motor work harder than it should — often a worn wheel or a bind on the track. On a swing gate, the hinges, posts and arms come under swing gate repairs.

Grinding is a bearing on its way out, or a wheel that has seized. Replace the wheel and bearing assembly and the gate will roll silently again.

This is almost always a safety beam issue — dirty photocells, a spider in the beam path, or misalignment causing the beam to trip mid-close. Where the fault turns out to be the motor itself, that is ordinary gate motor repair work rather than anything exotic.

Sheared pinion or seized gearbox. See our sliding gate repairs page.

Receiver drift, a worn transmitter, or moisture in the coding pins. A technician can diagnose and fix all three in one visit.