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.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterBFT Gate Installation in Kennedale: What to Know First
BFT gate installation in Kennedale typically runs $350 to $1,800 for the opener and control work, with full gate-and-automation packages starting around $3,500 and most jobs completed in one or two visits. As an independent BFT service provider, we work on the full range of BFT residential lines including the Deimos, Phobos, and Rigel series, and we quote every job before a single bolt is turned. If you own a BFT gate that needs installing, retrofitting, or replacing, this page tells you what to expect, what it costs, and how we approach the work. Call (817) 286-7391 for a free estimate, any day of the week.
This page is written for Kennedale homeowners who bought a BFT system, inherited one with the house, or are weighing BFT against other brands and want the straight facts from a company that actually installs and services them every week.
How BFT Products Fail, and How We Fix Them
BFT is solid Italian engineering, but every brand has habits. Here are the five we see most often on Kennedale driveways, and what we do about them at installation or repair.
- Rigel 5 and Rigel 7 capacitor failure after power flickers. Kennedale sees real thunderstorms in spring, and the Rigel series is sensitive to voltage dips. The symptom is a gate that hums but won’t move, or moves halfway and stops. The cause is usually a weakened start capacitor, not the motor itself. We test the capacitor before condemning the board, and we install a surge protector on the circuit when we do the job. That’s a $40 part that saves a $400 board.
- Deimos BT limit switch drift on hot afternoons. The Deimos BT uses magnetic limit switches that can drift when the Texas sun beats on the operator housing for ten hours. The gate overshoots, then reverses, then faults out. We re-baseline the limits, check the magnet gap, and shield the housing if it’s getting direct afternoon sun. In Kennedale, that shielding matters more than the manual suggests.
- Phobos N and Phobos NL overheating in full sun on west-facing gates. These are compact operators, and a west-facing metal pillar in August gets hot enough to cook eggs. The thermal cutout trips and the gate won’t operate until it cools. At installation we can relocate the operator to the shaded side, add ventilation, or move to a larger series if your gate is at the top of the Phobos weight range.
- OEM vs. aftermarket control boards: the one place we won’t cut corners. BFT boards are proprietary. The online aftermarket replacements are often clones that don’t survive a Texas lightning season and don’t talk to BFT’s E-Link accessories properly. On a board, we install BFT OEM every time. On mechanical parts like hinges, wheels, and capacitors, a quality aftermarket equivalent is fine and often gets you the same life for less money. We’ll tell you the difference on the quote and let you decide.
- Gate weight creep on older sliding gates. BFT slide operators are rated for a specific gate weight, and in Kennedale that gate is often heavier than the plated rating. Twenty years of added pickets, a sturdier frame welded on after a car clipped it, or a wood infill done later all add load. A Deimos that worked fine for a decade starts tripping the torque limiter. Before we install a bigger operator, we weigh the gate, check the track and rollers, and get real numbers. Sometimes the fix is a new roller set and a lighter infill, not a new motor at all.
Our BFT Gate Installation Process
Here’s how a BFT job goes from first call to a gate that closes like it’s supposed to.
- 1
You call (817) 286-7391. A live person answers, any hour. We ask what the gate is doing, what brand and approximate age it is, and we schedule a visit that fits your week, not just ours.
- 2
We come out and look. We test the operator, the limits, the photocells, the keypad, the power supply, and the physical gate itself. A BFT install fails most often because someone skipped checking the gate hardware first. We don’t skip it.
- 3
You get a written price before we touch anything. The price covers parts, labor, and any needed mounting fabrication. No open-ended estimates. You approve it, then we work.
- 4
The work. We install or replace the operator, set limits, program remotes, wire the safety devices, and run the gate through its full travel range. On a slide gate, we set the rack mesh and check end stops. On a swing gate, we verify the arm stroke and the closing force.
- 5
We test it with you there. We show you how the manual release works, how to reprogram a remote, and what the operator is set to do in a power outage. You should understand your gate before we leave.
- 6
Cleanup and the 90-Day Done Right Promise. The old parts are removed, the site is swept, and your written guarantee is handed over before we pull out of the driveway. If the gate’s not working right, it’s not done.
What BFT Gate Installation Costs in Kennedale
Honest numbers, based on what we bill in Kennedale and nearby parts of Tarrant County.
- BFT operator installation only (you have a gate, we install the opener): $350 to $900 depending on model and whether we’re replacing an existing operator or starting fresh with new mounting.
- BFT slide gate operator retrofit (Deimos or Rigel on an existing sliding gate): $850 to $1,800 including rack, brackets, programming, and safety device wiring.
- Full BFT swing gate installation (new gate, new Phobos or Rigel operator, posts, keypad, photocells): $3,500 to $7,500 depending on gate size, material, and whether we pour new footings.
- BFT control board replacement (OEM): $280 to $600 installed, depending on series and board revision.
- BFT remote and receiver programming: $50 to $120 if done on its own, often folded into a larger job.
What moves the price: gate weight, gate condition, whether new power needs to be run to the operator location, and whether your existing mounting is true. A gate that sags or a post that’s out of plumb adds labor. We will always tell you the number before we start, and it will not change. Call (817) 286-7391 for an exact quote. Estimates are free.
Why Kennedale Homeowners Call Ironworks Gate Co. for BFT Work
We’ve been doing gate work in and around Kennedale for over 42 years, since 1984, and we plan to be here for another forty. Victor Salinas grew up not far from the old Kennedale Stockyards grounds, trained in welding and industrial mechanics at Tarrant County College’s Southeast Campus, and has spent his career working on residential and commercial gate systems across Tarrant County. When a BFT gate won’t close on a Sunday afternoon, we’re the ones neighbors call. Every job, from a simple remote pairing to a full BFT double swing gate installation, carries our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. No paperwork, no arguing. We service nine gate-automation brands including LiftMaster, Mighty Mule, Ghost Controls, and DoorKing, so if your BFT ever needs work and you’re weighing options, you’re talking to people who know the full landscape. A live person answers our phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call (817) 286-7391.
FAQs
No. As an independent BFT service provider, we install BFT equipment using BFT-specified mounting, wiring, and programming practices. Using non-BFT parts on critical electronics like control boards can void manufacturer coverage, which is why we use OEM boards and don’t gamble with clone parts on a warranty-eligible component.
Most common BFT parts, including Deimos and Rigel control boards, capacitors, remotes, and limit switch assemblies, are available within a few business days through our established supply channels. We stock the most common wear items on our trucks. If a part is not in stock, we’ll give you a straight answer on the timeline before you commit to the job.
If the operator is under ten years old, the motor is sound, and the failure is a board, capacitor, or limit switch, repair is usually the smarter spend. If the gate itself is worn, heavier than the operator’s rating, or the operator has failed multiple times in two years, replacement with a correctly-sized BFT unit is the better long-term call. We’ll give you both numbers and let you decide without pressure. Call (817) 286-7391 for a free estimate.
Yes, we can install owner-supplied BFT equipment, with one honest caveat: we cannot extend our 90-Day Done Right Promise to cover defects in equipment we didn’t source. The labor and installation are still guaranteed at full strength. We’ll inspect what you bought before we install it and tell you if we see a problem.
Yes. We run the low-voltage and line-voltage wiring to code, wire the photocells, install the safety edges, and test every safety device before we call the job done. We recommend you call a licensed electrician for any new circuit breaker or panel work, and we coordinate with them directly if that’s required on your property.
Get Your BFT Gate Installed Right in Kennedale
If you have a BFT gate that needs installing, replacing, or just hasn’t worked right since the day it was hung, we can help. Call Ironworks Gate Co. at (817) 286-7391 for a free estimate. A live person answers, any hour, any day. We serve Kennedale and nearby communities across Tarrant County, and every job is quoted before we start and backed in writing after we finish.
Written by Victor Salinas, Owner & Gate Repair Specialist, Ironworks Gate Co. at Ironworks Gate Co., serving Kennedale and nearby areas.