The entry is the first thing people see and the part of the fence you use every day. We build custom pipe ranch gates and entries, hang them on posts we set, and install solar or hardwired gate openers. Priced on site. Call or text 254-716-5760.
Gates, entries, and openers
A ranch gate is a welded pipe gate hung on heavy posts. An entry is the whole front of the place: gate, posts, any wing fence, and sometimes an overhead arch across the drive. A gate opener is the motor and arm that swings the gate from a remote, keypad, or sensor, running on solar or a power line to the gate.
All three live or die on the posts. A gate pulls hard on its hinge post, and an opener adds force every time it runs. Once the post leans, the gate sags, drags, and quits latching. We set and brace gate posts at least as heavy as the fence they're in.
Where gates go on a place
Gates belong where people, trucks, and stock actually move: the main entry, the pasture gates on the way to the back, the gates into the pens, and the walk gate to the house yard.
We build gates from Fort Worth west to Abilene and south to Waco, and hang them in new fence or old.
- Main entry: a pipe drive gate, often with an opener, wing fence, or an overhead.
- Pasture gates: in pipe fence, barbed wire, pipe top rail over wire, and high fence.
- Pen and alley gates: sorting and crowding gates in pipe corrals and pens.
- House yard and drive: iron or pipe walk and drive gates. See ornamental iron.
Gate size, entries, and openers
Size the gate before you style it. University of Georgia Extension's horse fencing guide puts main gates at 12 to 16 feet and handler gates at 4 to 5 feet. A drive gate should clear the widest thing coming through: a gooseneck making the turn, a hay truck, or a tractor pulling a shredder. A wide opening can be one gate or a double gate meeting in the middle.
Entries and overheads
An entry can be as simple as a pipe gate between two heavy posts, or a full entry with pipe wing fence on both sides. Want an overhead arch across the drive with a name on it? Ask us and we'll say whether it fits. We lay out the entry with the fence line and the drive so the gate swings clear and trailers can pull off the road before they stop.
Solar or hardwired openers
Solar openers run off a panel and battery at the gate. They make sense where power is a long way off, which describes most entries on acreage. The panel needs sun, so placement matters. Hardwired openers run on a power line to the gate and suit entries close to power or with heavy daily use.
Access can be a remote in the truck, a keypad at the drive, or a sensor that opens the gate on your way out. We'll go over the options when we walk the entry.
UL 325 and gate opener safety
UL 325 is the safety standard for gate operators. A gate vendor's summary says it calls for two independent means of entrapment protection in each direction the gate moves, such as photo eyes or contact edges, and the operator has to monitor those devices. It also calls for a manual release and warning signs.
When you compare openers, ask whether the model is listed to UL 325 and which safety devices it needs. An automatic gate swings with real force, and kids, stock, and vehicles all end up near it.
Pipe, posts, and hardware
Gates are welded pipe, sized and braced so they don't sag. Hinge and latch posts are heavy pipe, set deep and braced into the fence. The NRCS Texas fence standard (2021) calls for posts buried at least 3 feet. Gate posts often go deeper and heavier because of the leverage a long gate puts on them.
Hinges, latches, and chains get picked for the gate's weight and how it's used. An opener brings its own mount, arm, and control box. A solar unit adds a panel and battery.
How a gate goes in
We walk the entry or fence line with you, work out size, swing direction, and opener needs, and price it on site. Posts get set and braced. Then the gate gets built and hung level so it clears the ground through its whole swing.
If there's an opener, it gets mounted and set up. Its safety devices, like photo eyes or contact edges, should be installed and checked the way the manufacturer's instructions call for, and you should ask whether the model is listed to UL 325. The gate, the entry, and the weather set the timeline, and we'll give you a schedule with the quote.
What moves the price
Priced on site. Here's what drives it:
- Gate width and style, single or double.
- Post size and depth, plus any wing fence or overhead.
- Opener: solar or hardwired, and access options.
- Ground, rock, and how far the entry sits from power.
Tying gates into the fence
A gate is part of the fence, not something bolted on later. On a new fence, the gate posts go in with the line and get braced into it. When we add a gate to an existing fence, we brace the new posts into whatever's there.
Gates near a creek get planned with the water gap so stock can reach water. On a game place, gates match the high fence in height. In a set of pens, the gates are the layout.
Sagging gates and repairs
Gate trouble usually starts at the hinge post. Once it leans, the gate sags, drags, and won't latch. Re-hanging the gate on a leaning post only buys time. The post needs resetting or bracing.
We reset and brace gate posts, re-hang and re-weld gates, and replace hinges and latches. See fence repair and rebuilds.
Questions about ranch gates & openers
How wide should my entry gate be?
Wide enough for the biggest thing coming through as it makes the turn off the road. UGA Extension puts main gates at 12 to 16 feet. Plenty of entries go wider for goosenecks and equipment.
Solar or hardwired opener?
Solar where power is far from the gate, which covers most acreage entries. Hardwired where power is close or the gate runs many times a day. We'll look at the entry with you.
What is UL 325?
The safety standard for gate operators. A gate vendor's summary says it calls for two independent, monitored means of entrapment protection per direction, plus a manual release and warning signs. Ask whether any opener you're looking at is listed to it.
Why does my gate sag?
Almost always the hinge post. It's leaning, loose, or too light for the gate. Reset or brace the post, then re-hang the gate.
Can you build an entry with an overhead?
Ask us. Tell us what you have in mind and we'll say whether it fits. Any entry we build gets laid out with the drive so trailers clear it.
How much does a ranch gate or opener cost?
Priced on site. Gate width and style, posts, wing fence or overhead, and the opener and its power all move the number.
Do I need a permit?
Depends where the place sits. Inside Weatherford or Aledo city limits, the city requires a fence permit. Unincorporated Parker County doesn't issue building permits, though the county does regulate septic and floodplain work.
Anywhere else, check with the city or county before we start. We'll ask where the place sits when we walk the line, so it's settled before the first post goes in.
How long does it take?
That comes down to the gate, the entry, and any opener. You'll get a schedule with the quote.
Where we build it
Ranch gates & openers is on the list for these towns. Not on the list? Ask us.
Sources
- University of Georgia Extension, Elevated Equine: Fencing for Horses (2022)
- Elite Gates, UL 325 gate operator safety requirements (vendor summary)
- USDA NRCS Texas, Conservation Practice Standard 382: Fence (2021)
- City of Weatherford, Residential permits
- City of Aledo, Permit forms
- Parker County, Permitting
