FAAC Welding & Fabrication Nationwide

FAAC Welding & Fabrication: The San Antonio Owner’s Guide

We stock and install FAAC-compatible welding and fabrication components across San Antonio, with most installed jobs running $275 – $650 depending on the part and access. When a FAAC gate hinge tears off its welded mount or a slide-gate track bracket shears, we can usually get it repaired same-day or next-day. Most owners discover the problem the hard way: the gate starts dragging, binds at one end of travel, or slams to a stop because a welded bracket let go. Here’s what happens next.

Call (940) 531-3336

Key takeaways:

• FAAC gate systems use specific weld-on hinge and track brackets sized for each series – a generic weld bead won’t hold long on San Antonio’s limestone-heavy gate posts.
• We carry OEM FAAC weld plates and quality aftermarket equivalents on the truck, so most repairs don’t wait on a parts order.
• Every weld repair gets the written price before we strike an arc, and it’s covered by our 365-Day Done Right Promise.

Which FAAC Models This Applies To

FAAC’s slide-gate operators (models like the 740, 844, and 400 series) and swing-gate arms (the S418, 412, and C720 lines) depend on welded brackets that anchor the operator to the gate frame and the post. In San Antonio, we regularly see stress cracks in the weld-on hinge plates on FAAC swing systems, especially on solid-steel gates that catch the north wind off the Hill Country. The compatibility gotcha most owners don’t know: the weld plate for a 400-series operator is drilled differently than the 844-series plate, and bolting the wrong one on means the operator runs out of travel and the gate jerks mid-cycle.

Here’s the honest part: most of what we call “FAAC welding and fabrication” is actually re-welding the factory brackets that have cracked or torn, plus fabricating adapter plates when a replacement operator doesn’t line up with an existing gate frame. On the OEM-vs-aftermarket call, our position is this: for FAAC-specific weld plates with the stud pattern and limit-switch notch, we use OEM every time because the tolerances matter. For simple gussets, angle braces, and track shims, a quality aftermarket piece fabricated by our shop does the job and saves you money. Warden Gate Repair San Antonio is an independent service provider and not affiliated with FAAC, but our techs have rebuilt enough of their systems to know which corners you can cut and which you can’t.

Signs Your FAAC Welding & Fabrication Is Failing

• Gate drags or scrapes near the closed position. A cracked weld on the track bracket lets the slide gate’s guide wheels lose alignment, so the gate dips and drags on the rear third of its travel. You’ll hear grinding and see fresh metal shavings on the track.
• Gate shudders or lurches when the operator engages. A sheared bolt or torn weld on the operator’s drive bracket means the motor pushes against a sloppy connection, and the gate jumps forward in fits. The bracket’s usually cracked at the toe of the weld, where the stress concentrates.
• Hinge side of a swing gate sags or dips. When the welded hinge plate starts to peel off the post, the gate leans a half-inch or more at the latch end. Tap the plate with a hammer handle: a dull, flat thud means the weld’s already separated. A good weld rings sharp.
• Operator runs but gate barely moves. The rack gear or drive chain may have pulled loose from its welded mounting rail. The motor spins, the chain or gear slips, and the gate creeps instead of traveling. Left alone, the slipping chews the gear teeth and turns a $300 bracket repair into a $900 operator replacement.
• Fresh rust weeping from under a bracket. San Antonio’s humidity and the occasional hard freeze-driven salt from area roadways get under cracked welds and push them apart. If you see a brown, weeping stain at the base of any welded bracket on your FAAC gate, the crack is active and will keep growing until the weld fails completely.

Replacement Cost & What’s Included

For a welded bracket repair or replacement on a FAAC gate in San Antonio, you’re looking at $275 – $450 installed for most single-bracket jobs, and $450 – $650 when we have to re-weld both hinge plates, fabricate an adapter, and realign the gate. Here’s the breakdown of what moves that number:

• Parts: $40 – $180 depending on whether we use a factory FAAC weld plate or fabricate a custom bracket in our shop.
• Labor: $185 – $350 including grinding out the old weld, prepping both surfaces, welding, and re-hanging or re-aligning the gate.
• Realignment and travel testing: included in every job, because a repaired bracket on a gate that isn’t re-squared will fail again inside a year.

Every quote is given in writing before the first weld is struck. No hidden line items, no “we found something else” surprise at the end. If the weld or fabrication work fails within 12 months, we come back and fix it free under the 365-Day Done Right Promise, a free second visit included in every job. Cole Rafferty built Warden Gate Repair San Antonio so you’d know the written price, the tech’s name, and exactly what’s getting fixed before you open the gate for us.

DIY or Call Us?

What you can safely check on your own: wipe the bracket area clean and look for hairline cracks, missing paint, or fresh rust. Note whether the gate dips, drags, or jerks, and send a photo to us if you can. What you shouldn’t do: weld a cracked bracket while it’s still on the gate. The heat pulls the post, warps the hinge alignment, and can damage the operator’s limit switches. Welding on an energized gate with the operator still connected is how people hurt themselves and how gates end up in a fence. Also, any FAAC operator that moves a gate under its own power has stored tension and pinch points – a gate that drops or slams during a weld repair can seriously injure you. Tell me what it’s doing wrong – I’ll tell you what it costs to fix it, in writing, before we start. Call (940) 531-3336 and we’ll diagnose it over the phone, free.

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