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Get your free estimateGhost Controls Gate Repair in North Tustin, CA | Riverside Gate Company
We provide independent Ghost Controls gate repair across North Tustin, and the work here is rarely a simple board swap. This is unincorporated estate-and-ranch country, so we’re usually diagnosing oversized custom gates on decomposed granite footings, not a light tube gate on a flat tract lot. That changes which failures show up and how we fix them. If your Ghost Controls opener is stalling, faulting, or eating batteries, call (855) 942-4867 and we’ll find out why.
We work on Ghost Controls solar and AC-powered swing and slide operators every week, from the AXO1 single-swing kits to the heavier ARES slide units. That means we know their control boards, battery behavior, and accessory wiring cold. We’re an independent gate company. We don’t sell Ghost Controls and we’re not affiliated with them, which matters because we diagnose the actual failure instead of defaulting to a parts-swap. And we do it here in North Tustin, not from a call center in another county.
Riverside Gate Company is a dedicated gate specialist covering the full Ghost Controls sales & service spectrum, from repair to replacement. If your operator can’t be saved, we’ll tell you straight and quote a properly sized unit instead of patching a losing setup.
Why North Tustin Residents Choose Us for Ghost Controls Service
Most gate companies in Orange County cut their teeth on tract-home pedestrian gates and light driveway swings. North Tustin is a different animal. Here we’re working on long, heavy custom-iron and redwood drive gates on half-acre to multi-acre estate parcels, plus horse paddock gates that get cycled a dozen times a day. The gate loads are higher, the posts are often marginal, and the failures compound faster.
Neil Dravecky grew up off Magnolia Avenue in Riverside and has spent the better part of three decades working on gates and automated entry systems across the Inland Empire and Orange County. He picked up his metalworking and electrical foundation at Riverside City College, then learned the gate trade from the ground up, troubleshooting operators, rebuilding hinges, and figuring out why a perfectly good motor quits in the middle of August. He’s known specifically for diagnosing intermittent faults that other shops gave up on. If a gate’s giving you trouble, there’s a reason, we just have to find it.
We carry Ghost Controls OEM control boards, arms, and accessories where they’re the right call, plus quality aftermarket photo eyes, batteries, and brackets where OEM isn’t necessary or is backordered. For North Tustin that matters because waiting three weeks on a backordered OEM part for a gate that secures a horse property simply isn’t workable.
Styles & brands we work with





Common Ghost Controls Gate Repair Problems We Solve in North Tustin
- Solar and battery runtime collapse on estate gates. North Tustin’s long, heavy custom-iron and redwood drive gates far exceed the load a lighter single-swing kit was sized for. The operator stalls mid-travel and drains the battery by mid-summer. We diagnose whether the panel, the battery, or the gate load itself is the real problem, then fix the actual cause rather than selling you a bigger battery that’ll die the same way.
- Post heave from clay soils knocking the arm geometry out. North Tustin’s clay soils shift with seasonal moisture. When a post heaves even half an inch, the Ghost Controls arm geometry goes out of alignment. The opener pushes until the control board faults or the arm bends. We reset posts with proper concrete footings and realign the arms so the operator isn’t fighting the gate every cycle.
- Swing-arm and bracket wear after Santa Ana wind seasons. Santa Ana winds torque long estate gates against the operator. That chews through bushings, loosens brackets, and creates false obstruction faults. If your Ghost Controls system starts stopping mid-travel for no visible reason in the fall, wind damage to the arm assembly is usually the culprit.
- Rusted hinges and dry-warped redwood gates dragging on the travel path. North Tustin summers bake redwood gates; winter rains swell them. A gate that drags trips the Ghost Controls obstruction sensor and reads as an opener failure when the gate itself is binding. We repair or rebuild the gate and hinges, then retest the operator so the sensor sees clean travel.
- Dead keypads, photo eyes, and solar panels. Accessory failures are common, especially on ranch properties where dust and direct sun take a toll. We test each component individually rather than assuming the board is bad, which saves you money and keeps good hardware in service.
Ghost Controls Service in North Tustin: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
In the equestrian pockets off Newport Avenue and Cowan Heights, it’s common to find gate posts set directly into decomposed granite without concrete footings. That’s a shortcut that works until the first heavy winter rain, then the post shifts, the gate drags, and the Ghost Controls opener faults or burns out trying to push a gate that’s suddenly pinned against the ground. We see this failure pattern concentrated in those ranch parcels, not in the tract neighborhoods of neighboring Orange County cities. If your gate is on a hillside parcel with an older post, the problem is usually not the opener; it’s what the opener is bolted to. We fix the footing, not just the fault code.
Add North Tustin’s hot, dry summers and Santa Ana wind seasons on top of that, and Ghost Controls owners here are dealing with a combination of gate weight, post movement, and wind torque that no generic service page ever mentions. That’s why our techs carry welding gear and post-setting materials on every North Tustin call, not just a multimeter and a parts bin.
Ghost Controls Models & Products We Service in North Tustin
We service the full Ghost Controls lineup you’re likely to have on a North Tustin property:
- AXO1 and AXO2 single-swing opener kits – the most common units on lighter residential gates.
- ARES slide gate opener series – found on equestrian entries and wider driveway spans.
- Heavy-duty dual swing (TDS2-style) kits – the workhorses on estate drive gates, and the ones most often undersized for the actual gate weight.
- Tube-gate and accessory line – keypads, photo eyes, solar panels, and vehicle exit probes.
On parts, we’re practical. OEM Ghost Controls control boards and arms go in where they’re the right fit. Aftermarket photo eyes, batteries, and brackets go in where OEM isn’t necessary or is backordered. And if the opener is simply undersized for a heavy North Tustin gate, we’ll say so and quote a properly sized operator instead of replacing parts on a losing setup until you’re out thousands.
See the difference
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AfterGhost Controls Service Pricing in North Tustin
Here’s what Ghost Controls repair work typically runs in the North Tustin area:
- Service call and on-site diagnosis: $85 – $125
- Photo eye replacement (parts and labor): $150 – $250
- Control board replacement (OEM, installed): $350 – $650
- Battery replacement (solar systems): $200 – $400
- Swing arm or bracket replacement: $250 – $450
- Post reset with concrete footing: $400 – $900 depending on gate size
- Full operator replacement (unit and labor): $1,200 – $2,800 depending on gate weight and kit size
Every estimate is free and the price is quoted and agreed before any work starts. No invoice surprises. Call (855) 942-4867 and we’ll get you an exact number for your specific gate.
Serving North Tustin, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the North Tustin area and know this community well, including nearby Villa Park. Use the map below to see our service coverage — if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs – Ghost Controls Gate Repair in North Tustin
It’s almost always gate load, not the motor. Long, heavy custom-iron or redwood gates on North Tustin estate lots exceed what a lighter Ghost Controls kit was sized to push, so the operator stalls mid-travel and the board faults. We’ll weigh the gate, check the arm geometry, and tell you whether the fix is a realignment or a properly sized operator. Call (855) 942-4867 for a free on-site assessment.
Usually yes, if you catch it before the board or arm is destroyed. We reset the post in a proper concrete footing, realign the swing arm, and replace any parts that were damaged by the drag. The opener itself often survives. The longer you run it while it’s dragging, the more likely you’re replacing the arm, board, or both. Call (855) 942-4867 and we’ll look at it before another rain cycle does more damage.
Yes. Sustained wind torque against a long gate twists the arm assembly and chews through bushings and bracket hardware. You’ll see false obstruction faults or a gate that stops midway with no visible obstacle. We replace the worn components and torque everything to spec, then test through a full wind season’s worth of cycles.
Yes. Most Ghost Controls control boards accept accessory keypads, photo eyes, and vehicle exit probes. We handle the wiring, programming, and weatherproofing so the add-on survives North Tustin’s sun, dust, and Santa Ana winds. If your board doesn’t support the accessory you want, we’ll tell you before quoting anything.
No, we’re an independent gate company. We’re not affiliated with or authorized by Ghost Controls, and that’s a feature, not a flaw. It means we diagnose the actual failure instead of defaulting to a board swap, and we’re free to recommend a properly sized operator if your current one was wrong for the gate from day one. Call (855) 942-4867 for an honest assessment.
Service Areas Near North Tustin
We cover North Tustin and the surrounding foothill communities, including the full North Tustin service area, Trabuco Canyon, Portola Hills, Foothill Ranch, and the ranch parcels along Cowan Heights. We also run Ghost Controls calls in Coto De Caza and Lake Forest, where the estate-gate work is just as heavy. If your gate is giving you trouble, we’ll come out and find the reason.
Book Your Ghost Controls Service in North Tustin Today
Ghost Controls gates on North Tustin estates and ranches fail for specific, locatable reasons. We find them fast and fix them right. Call (855) 942-4867 for a free estimate and a straight answer. Same-day service is available for gate-down emergencies.
Written by Neil Dravecky, Owner at Riverside Gate Company, serving North Tustin and the surrounding Orange County foothills since 1997.