FAAC Welding & Fabrication Nationwide | Gatewood Fence & Gate

FAAC Welding & Fabrication: The Granada Hills Owner’s Guide

We stock and install FAAC-compatible welding and fabrication parts for gate systems throughout Granada Hills, with most bracket, hinge, and mounting repairs running between $180 and $420 installed. Hal keeps the common FAAC mounting plates, hinge assemblies, and reinforcement brackets on the truck, so we can usually weld and repair the same day we look at it. Most Granada Hills owners discover a failed FAAC weld the hard way: the gate starts dragging on one side, the operator groans louder than it used to, or a hinge tears loose from the post and the whole gate lists like a tired mule.

Call (760) 361-6706

What you’re holding onto there is a gate that’s telling you something. The weld didn’t fail because it felt like it. It failed because something upstream changed: the post shifted in the Granada Hills clay, the hinge carried more weight than it was ever meant to, or somebody before us welded it cold and called it good. We fix the cause, not just the crack.

Which FAAC Models This Applies To

FAAC builds swing gate operators, slide gate operators, and barrier arms, and the welding and fabrication points differ by series. The FAAC 400, 412, 415, and 422 swing operators mount to steel or aluminum posts with bolt-through brackets; the weak points on those are almost always the post-side welds and the hinge barrel itself. The FAAC 740, 750, and 844 slide gate setups rely on fabricated steel track supports and roller plates, and those welds crack at the base plate where the operator vibration works them loose over time. The FAAC S418 and C721 barrier arms have their own cast aluminum housings that crack at the mounting ears when somebody drove into the arm and just bent it back.

To identify the right part, look at the metal tag on the operator housing. FAAC stamps the model number there, along with a serial. If the tag is gone, measure the hinge post diameter and the gate leaf weight: a 400-series hinge handles a 12-foot leaf up to about 600 pounds, while a 415 is rated for 16 feet. We’ll match the OEM part when the gate is still under warranty or when the original lasted 15 years and earned the right to be replaced with the same. But for gates older than a decade, a quality aftermarket weldment we fabricate in the shop often outlasts what FAAC originally shipped, because we over-build the gussets and use heavier plate than the original spec. We’re an independent service company, by the way, not affiliated with FAAC. We fix their stuff because Granada Hills is full of it.

Signs Your FAAC Welding & Fabrication Is Failing

• The gate sags at the latch end and scrapes the driveway. The hinge post has moved, or the hinge barrel weld is stretching. That sag means the geometry changed; the operator now pulls against a gate that doesn’t sit square anymore.
• The operator makes a low grinding noise and the gate hesitates mid-travel. A cracked operator mounting plate lets the whole unit flex under load, which chews up the drive gear inside the FAAC unit.
• You can see a hairline crack running through paint at the hinge weld. That crack is the gate telling you it’s about to let go. Paint hides rust until the rust becomes the structure, and then it fails all at once.
• The gate post leans a couple degrees off plumb when the gate is open. Post base welds or embedded anchors have broken loose. In Granada Hills, the soil expands and contracts with the seasons, and a welded steel post in a concrete pier moves more than people think.
• Someone welded a patch plate over another patch plate. This one’s my favorite. Big national outfits love to stack a patch over a failed weld and charge for a new hinge. Two patches means two guesses. Call us and we’ll tell you what the first guy missed.

Replacement Cost & What’s Included

In Granada Hills, expect to pay between $180 and $420 for most FAAC welding and fabrication repairs, installed. A simple crack repair on a hinge bracket runs $180 to $260. A full hinge replacement with new fabricated steel brackets runs $300 to $420 depending on gate weight and post condition. If the post itself has failed, that’s a post job, and we’ll quote it separately after we see the footer.

Every quote includes the part, the weld time, grinding and cleanup, and a fresh coat of primer and paint over the repair. The price we quote is the price you pay, agreed before we strike an arc. We do not show up and “discover” extra charges. What we do show up with is a truck stocked with FAAC mounting plates, hinge barrels, and steel plate, because hauling your gate to a shop in North Hollywood to weld it just adds days to a problem that started in your driveway. The work carries our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it’s not done right, we make it right. That’s not a slogan; that’s Hal’s phone number on the invoice.

DIY or Call Us?

You can safely check a few things yourself. Look at the hinge welds with a flashlight. Look at the operator mounting bolts. Watch the gate as it opens and see where the wobble starts. That’s all good. What you should not do is weld a gate hinge yourself unless you’re a certified welder with a 220V machine and a real understanding of how much force a 600-pound swing leaf puts on a 2-inch weld. A cold weld on a gate hinge fails fast, and when it fails, the gate doesn’t fall gracefully. It drops, or it swings into a car, or it takes a kid by surprise. We see homeowner weld jobs in Granada Hills every year, and they always cost more to fix than the original repair would have. If you want to watch and ask questions while we do it, that’s fine by us. Call (760) 361-6706 and we’ll set a time.

FAQs

How long do FAAC gate welds last in Granada Hills? A properly fabricated and welded hinge or bracket on a FAAC gate typically lasts 15 to 20 years in this climate, provided the post stays stable and the operator limits are set correctly. The weld itself rarely fails without a reason: post movement, a gate strike from a car, or an operator that was set too aggressive on the close cycle.

Can a cracked FAAC bracket be repaired, or does it need replacing? It depends on the crack. Hairline cracks at the edge of a plate can usually be ground out, welded, and gusseted for strength. Cracks that run through a bolt hole or across more than half the plate mean the bracket has shifted under load, and we’ll replace it with a fabricated steel part. We’ll show you the crack and explain which route we’re taking before any work starts.

How long does the repair take? Most FAAC welding and fabrication repairs at a Granada Hills home take 1 to 2 hours on site, including teardown, welding, cleanup, and paint. The whole job, from the moment we park the truck to the moment you test the gate, is usually done inside a single afternoon.

Do you stock FAAC welding parts, or do you have to order them? We stock FAAC mounting plates, hinge assemblies, and common bracket hardware on the truck, along with steel plate and gusset material for custom fabrication. If your gate needs something unusual, we can fabricate it in our shop and have it installed within a few days. For exact availability on your model, call (760) 361-6706 and describe what’s failed, and we’ll tell you what we’ve got before you even book the appointment.

If the weld is cracked, the gate is telling you something. Tell me what it’s doing and I’ll tell you what it needs, no runaround. Hal Gatewood has been fixing gate welds in Granada Hills since 2001, and most of his customers can tell you he still shows up when he says he will. Call (760) 361-6706 for a free estimate. The phone rings in Hal’s pocket, and a live person answers it, 24 hours a day.

Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner, Gatewood Fence & Gate at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Granada Hills and nearby areas.