Free on-site gate assessment - hinges, posts, and your LiftMaster or Nice gate operator checked before anything is quoted
The assessment is free and the quote is the invoice.
Ghost Controls Gate Parts & Welding in Berkeley: What to Know First
We provide independent Ghost Controls gate parts and welding service in Berkeley, with most hinge replacements and rail repairs completed in a single visit and pricing written out before any work begins. As an independent Ghost Controls service provider, we stock common Ghost Controls hardware and fabricate custom welded solutions on-site when OEM brackets or posts won’t fit the existing setup. Most calls we get are from Berkeley homeowners in the Elmwood, Northside, and Claremont neighborhoods who noticed their gate dragging, sagging, or making noise before the motor strained itself into a fault code. If that’s where you are, call us at (510) 879-5471 and we’ll dispatch a technician with Ghost Controls experience and a written quote in hand.
How Ghost Controls Products Fail - and How We Fix Them
- TDS2 series swing-gate arms: The aluminum mounting bracket that secures the TDS2 operator to the gate post develops fatigue cracks where the bolt holes meet the arm body. We’ve replaced fourteen of these in Berkeley since 2022, mostly on gates facing southwest that take afternoon thermal expansion stress. We fabricate a steel reinforcement plate, weld it to the existing post bracket, and re-mount the TDS2 with Grade 8 hardware so the stress distributes across a wider surface.
- AXLV series linear actuator clevis pins: The zinc-plated clevis pin on AXLV heavy-duty arms seizes in its bushing after two to three Berkeley winters, especially on coastal-facing properties where salt air reaches the hills. The pin won’t rotate, the actuator binds, and the motor draws excess amperage until the control board throws an overload. We press out the seized pin, machine a stainless-steel replacement with a grease fitting, and document the new pin’s part number in your job record.
- Gate posts on TSS1 slide-gate systems: The TSS1 rack-and-pinion setup exerts lateral force on the post that wood or thin-wall steel posts weren’t designed to absorb. In Berkeley’s clay-heavy soil, especially in the flatlands near San Pablo Avenue, that post leans within eighteen months and the rack binds. We pull the post, pour a concrete footing with a sonotube to 36 inches, and weld a 4×4 steel post with a diagonal gusset plate.
- Heavy-gate hinge sag on TDS2 and AXLV installations: Ghost Controls operators are rated for gate weight, but the hinge set is often original to a heavier wood gate installed years before the automation. The bottom hinge pin elongates its hole, the gate drops 3/8 inch, and the actuator arm goes out of geometry. We measure the drop, weld a hardened bushing into the hinge plate or replace the entire jamb hinge with a ball-bearing set rated for the actual gate weight.
- DIY installation rail gaps: Homeowners who self-install Ghost Controls kits sometimes leave a 1/4-inch gap between gate sections where water collects and rusts the rail from the inside. By the time the gate won’t close flush, the rail wall is paper-thin for six inches. We cut back to sound steel, sleeve the rail with a slightly larger tube, weld it continuous, and grind the joint so the latch meets its strike without shimming.
Our Ghost Controls Gate Parts & Welding Process

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Call intake: A live person answers, notes your Ghost Controls model if you know it, and schedules a technician who carries TDS2 and AXLV hardware on the truck.
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On-site diagnosis: We cycle the gate manually and under power, measure post plumb with a digital level, and photograph hinge wear, rail condition, and any fault codes on the control board.
- 3
Parts decision: For brackets and pins, we prefer Ghost Controls OEM when the part is available and the timeline works. For post reinforcements, custom strike plates, or discontinued hardware, we fabricate from A36 steel or 304 stainless depending on exposure. We tell you which we’re using and why.
- 4
Written price, then work: Under Haven Standard Clause 1, you get a flat price on paper before we pick up a welder or wrench. No open-ended hourly rate.
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Repair and test: We weld, grind, prime if needed, re-mount the operator, and run the full open-close cycle twenty times, checking limit-switch repeatability and motor amp draw.
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Documentation and cleanup: Before we leave, you get a photo log of every adjustment and a written record of the part number installed. Name what you found, name what it costs, name what you left behind.
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AfterWhat Ghost Controls Gate Parts & Welding Costs in Berkeley
| Service | Typical Range | What Moves the Price |
|---|---|---|
| Single hinge replacement or bushing weld | $180 - $320 | Gate weight, access for welding, whether the post plate is also cracked |
| Gate post replacement with concrete footing | $850 - $1,400 | Soil condition, depth to stable bearing, need for permit in Berkeley’s hillside zones |
| Rail repair or sleeve welding | $340 - $580 | Length of damaged section, whether the gate needs to come off to weld |
| Custom bracket fabrication and weld | $260 - $490 | Material grade, complexity of fit, powder-coat match if visible |
| Ghost Controls operator re-mount after structural repair | $140 - $220 | Whether limit switches need re-calibration, new hardware needed |
These are Berkeley-market ranges for the work described. Your exact price is written and agreed before any work starts. Estimates are free.
Why Berkeley Homeowners Call Vance Gate Repair Berkeley for Ghost Controls Work

We’ve logged more service calls in Berkeley’s Elmwood neighborhood than Adrian can count from memory - swing gates, slide gates, old intercom wiring, you name it. On Ghost Controls jobs, that experience means we recognize the difference between a motor failure and a structural problem the motor is hiding. We’re also fluent in nine automation brands including LiftMaster, Mighty Mule, and DoorKing, so if your Ghost Controls operator has reached end of life, we can quote a replacement that fits your existing gate without steering you toward any single manufacturer.
Every repair carries the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if it’s not right, we make it right, no argument, no fee, no expiration within that year. Under Clause 4, every visit leaves a documented photo record. And a live person answers the phone at (510) 879-5471 whenever you call.
FAQs
Welding on the operator housing itself voids the Ghost Controls warranty, but welding a reinforcement to the post bracket or gate frame does not, provided the operator is removed during welding and reinstalled to factory torque spec. We remove the TDS2 or AXLV arm before any welding current flows, ground the welder to the post, not the gate, and re-mount with fresh hardware. If your operator is still under warranty, we document the bracket modification separately so warranty claims on the motor remain clean. Call (510) 879-5471 if you want us to review your install date and warranty status.
We carry common Ghost Controls wear parts - clevis pins, mounting brackets, limit-switch kits - on our Berkeley service trucks. For less common items like TSS1 rack segments or discontinued hardware, we fabricate equivalent parts on-site or source overnight from our supplier. We tell you during the estimate which path we’re taking and when the gate will be fully operational.
Repair the gate structure if the operator is under ten years old and the motor amp draw is still within spec. Replace the operator if the control board shows recurring fault codes, the motor draws 30% over rated amperage, or Ghost Controls has discontinued parts support for your series. We test both and give you a written price for each path before you decide.
We prioritize security-compromised gates and typically dispatch same day for Berkeley calls received before 2 p.m. After hours, a live person answers, assesses whether the gate can be secured manually, and schedules the earliest available technician. We don’t promise impossible arrival times; we promise accurate ones.
We handle both. After welding a post or rail, we re-mount the Ghost Controls operator, set the limit switches to the new geometry, and test the safety entrapment devices. One company, one written price, one warranty. Call (510) 879-5471 for a free estimate.
Written by Adrian Vance, Owner, Vance Gate Repair Berkeley at Vance Gate Repair Berkeley, serving Berkeley and nearby areas.





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