The 5 Best Automatic Gate & Fence Openers

You hate it. It's the dead of winter and you've got to step out of the cozy interior of your vehicle to wrestle some freezing fence gate open. Drive through. Lumber back out. Close the gate. And get back in your car. What a hassle.

In a world of drone delivery services and virtual reality headsets you'd think there'd be an easier way to open these gates. Well, there is.

We're going to take a look at some of the best-selling automatic gate openers below and see how they compare. In our research, we found that the MIGHTY MULE 560 was the best option.  

It's designed to be installed on gates up to 20 feet in length, as well as ornamental iron gates that are up to 12 feet in length and chain link fences that are up to 14 feet in length.

These gate openers do take a little bit of elbow grease and ingenuity to install sometimes, but the Sentry is a US-made product with a 10 year warranty and quality support- all reasons we think it's best-in-class.

Let's take a look at how the automatic gate openers compare- be sure to check out the video reviews below the comparison table. 

Tired of schlepping out of your vehicle to open the gate and getting back into it again to drive through? Obviously a do-it-all automatic gate could be a great help.  

The Mighty Mule Solar Kit may be a smart choice for you if you are looking for a sturdy fence opener designed to lift gates weighing up to 550lbs. The automatic opener can fit in any type of gate such as vinyl, wood, panel, tube, chain link or ornamental varieties.

Powered by 12 volts automotive or marine battery, the gate opener comes with 2 remotes and a solar panel of 15-watt capacity. Check out the video tutorial below for more in-depth installation instructions. 

Pros

• Easy to install with the included written and video instructions
• Solar power ensures energy efficiency
• 30 percent property tax credit available on accessories, installation and operator system
• Affordable pricing

Cons

• Some users say that the mounting brackets do not work well with wooden gates
• The gate closing and opening is not smooth for every installation
• Some users claim that the design needs improvement