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
AfterGhost Controls Welding & Fabrication: The Johns Creek Owner’s Guide
We stock and install welding and fabrication parts for Ghost Controls swing-gate operators in Johns Creek, with most repairs completed same day. Typical installed pricing runs $280-$620 depending on whether we’re reinforcing an existing bracket or fabricating a new hinge plate from scratch. Most Johns Creek homeowners discover the problem when their gate arm starts drooping or the mounting plate has pulled away from the post, leaving the operator running but the gate not moving.
Adrian Vance and our crew have been out to the Nesbit Ferry Road corridor more times than we can count for exactly this issue. Georgia humidity gets behind the paint on iron swing gates, the steel thins, and the bracket that looked fine in 2019 is now flexing every time the Ghost Controls arm cycles. Name what you found. Name what it costs. Name what you left behind. That is how we work every job.
Which Ghost Controls Models This Applies To
Ghost Controls welding and fabrication work covers the TSS1, TDS2, and APT series swing-gate operators, plus the older DTP1 dual-gate kits still running in some Johns Creek subdivisions. The mounting brackets differ by series: TSS1 units use a single-arm bracket with two 3/8-inch bolt holes on 2.75-inch centers, while TDS2 dual systems require a wider yoke plate with four mounting points and a center relief for the control box.
To identify your part, check the silver label on the operator housing for the series code, then measure your existing bracket’s bolt pattern before ordering anything. The OEM Ghost Controls bracket is zinc-plated steel and runs about $45-$75 wholesale, but we often fabricate heavier-gauge replacements from 3/16-inch hot-rolled plate when the original has failed twice or the post itself has rotted. Aftermarket equivalents exist, though we’ve found the hole spacing on generic brackets can be off by an eighth-inch, which matters when you’re hanging a 400-pound gate. Vance Gate Repair Johns Creek is an independent service provider, not affiliated with Ghost Controls.
We also stock parts for LiftMaster, Mighty Mule, and DoorKing operators, so if your property has mixed brands across multiple gates, one call covers it.
Signs Your Ghost Controls Welding & Fabrication Is Failing
- The gate arm droops at rest or mid-travel. The bracket has cracked at the weld or the mounting bolts have wallowed out their holes. The operator motor still runs, but the geometry is off and the arm binds against the gate frame.
- You hear metal-on-metal grinding during open or close cycles. The hinge pin has seized or the fabricated catch plate has shifted, causing the gate to ride against the stop instead of landing on it. This wears the Ghost Controls arm bushings prematurely.
- The mounting plate has pulled away from the post by even a quarter-inch. Wood rot in a 4×4 post, or galvanic corrosion between dissimilar metals on an iron installation, lets the bracket rock. Every cycle makes it worse.
- The gate swings free when the operator is disconnected. The fabricated gravity latch or stop has broken away, meaning the gate has no positive hold position. In Johns Creek, we’ve traced this to rust-jacked welds on decade-old iron gates.
- Visible rust streaks below the bracket or hinge. Surface rust is normal. But when you see orange weeping from inside a weld, the bracket is hollow-corroded and will fail without warning. Georgia’s humidity accelerates this once the paint film is breached.
BeforeAfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
| Service | Price Range (Installed) | What’s Included |
|---|---|---|
| Bracket reinforcement / re-weld | $280-$380 | Grind, weld, prime, and painted finish; bolt torque to spec; photo record |
| New fabricated hinge plate (standard) | $340-$480 | 3/16″ steel, cut, drilled, welded, painted; hardware; 365-Day Done Right Promise |
| Heavy-duty post repair + new plate | $480-$620 | Post sleeve or replacement, fabricated bracket, rehang, alignment, documentation |
What drives the range: wood post versus iron post, whether we can reuse the existing Ghost Controls arm or the bushings are shot, and how far the gate has sagged out of plumb. We quote flat, itemized numbers before any work starts under Haven Standard Clause 1. The price we write is the price on the invoice. Every welding job carries our 365-Day Done Right Promise and includes a documented photo record under Clause 4.
DIY or Call Us?
There is a safe middle ground here. You can check your Ghost Controls model number, measure bolt spacing with a tape measure, and look for the rust streaks we described above. That information saves us time and saves you a diagnostic trip charge.
Where DIY goes wrong: welding on a loaded gate bracket is not a homeowner project. The gate is under gravity load even when open, and the Ghost Controls arm stores spring tension in the closed position. Cutting or grinding without supporting the gate risks the arm snapping back or the gate dropping. We’ve also seen brackets welded with flux-core wire and no shielding gas, which holds for six months in Georgia humidity before the porosity opens up. If the repair involves anything hotter than a wrench, call (678) 394-1765. We bring a generator, the welder, and the right steel stock.
FAQs
In our experience, a properly fabricated and painted bracket lasts 8-12 years on an iron gate in Johns Creek, or 5-7 years if the gate is steel and the paint maintenance is spotty. The limiting factor is almost always rust at the weld zone, not the weld itself. We prime every bracket with cold-galvanizing compound before topcoat, which buys two to three extra years over rattle-can paint alone. Call (678) 394-1765 if you’re seeing early rust.
Sometimes. If the crack is clean, the metal around it is full thickness, and the bolt holes aren’t wallowed, we can grind to bare metal, weld, and reinforce with a fishplate. We do this on historic or ornamental iron where the original bracket is part of the gate’s design. But if the bracket has failed once already, or if the rust runs deeper than the surface, replacement is cheaper than doing it twice. We photograph the cross-section and show you before we strike an arc.
Most bracket replacements or fabrications take 90 minutes to two and a half hours on site, including alignment and cycling the Ghost Controls operator through its full travel. Heavy-duty post repairs run longer. We schedule these as half-day appointments, not as same-day dispatches, because the work is measured, fabricated, and fitted to your specific gate. You get a written price before we start and a photo log when we leave.
We carry steel stock, a portable welder, and common Ghost Controls mounting hardware. For OEM replacement brackets, we verify your series and bolt pattern, then pull from our Johns Creek inventory or overnight the exact part. Most fabrication jobs need no waiting, because we’re building to your gate’s measurements, not pulling a box off a shelf. Either way, we confirm parts before dispatch so the technician arrives with what the job needs.
Ready to get your Ghost Controls gate back to solid? Call us at (678) 394-1765 for a free estimate. We’ll name the price in writing before any work starts, document every weld and adjustment, and stand behind it for a full year under our 365-Day Done Right Promise.
Written by Adrian Vance, Owner, Vance Gate Repair Johns Creek at Vance Gate Repair Johns Creek, serving Johns Creek and nearby areas.