FAAC Welding & Fabrication Nationwide

FAAC Welding & Fabrication: The Fort Lauderdale Owner’s Guide

FAAC welding and fabrication in Fort Lauderdale typically runs $220 to $480 for a cracked hinge, torn gate leaf seam, or broken bracket repair, and we stock compatible steel and aluminum stock on the truck for same-week scheduling. Most owners discover the problem after a storm, when the gate starts dragging on one corner or a hinge tears loose from the post. We’re an independent gate repair company serving Fort Lauderdale since 2014, not affiliated with FAAC, but we weld and fabricate for their swing-arm, underground, and slide operator lines every month.

Call (754) 399-1474

Here’s what usually happens: the gate worked fine for years, then a hinge weld failed, or the steel frame rusted through where water pooled at the bottom rail. The FAAC operator still runs, so the board and motor are fine. The problem is the metal the operator is pushing against. That’s where fabrication gets cheaper and smarter than replacing the whole gate.

Key takeaways:

• Most FAAC welding repairs in Fort Lauderdale cost $220 to $480 installed, written before work starts.
• We fabricate replacement hinge plates, gate frame sections, operator mounting brackets, and slide-track supports.
• Aluminum gates near salt air fail at the welds first. Steel gates fail at the bottom rail. Both are repairable.
• Every job includes a photo log of the before, during, and finished weld.

Which FAAC Models This Applies To

Welding and fabrication isn’t tied to one FAAC operator model. It’s tied to the gate itself and the mounting hardware. We weld for FAAC 391, 400, 412, 415, and 770 swing operators, FAAC 844 and 884 slide operators, and the FAAC underground line, including the S418 and S450. The operator matters less than the load it’s pushing. A 16-foot ornamental steel gate on a FAAC 412 needs different reinforcement than an 8-foot aluminum driveway gate on a FAAC 391.

Identifying the right part for fabrication is where it gets specific. FAAC mounting brackets use metric bolt spacing, typically 8mm or 10mm hardware, and the swing-arm bracket needs a flat, square surface to bolt against. If the gate frame is twisted even 3 degrees, the operator’s thrust loads land unevenly, and the new weld will fail the same way the old one did. That’s the compatibility gotcha most people miss. On the aftermarket side, we use American-made steel plate, typically 3/16-inch or 1/4-inch, cut and drilled to match the FAAC bracket footprint. Nobody needs an OEM FAAC weldment because FAAC sells brackets, not gate frames. The aftermarket the customer actually wants is thicker plate than the original post, because in Fort Lauderdale’s salt air, that’s where corrosion starts first.

Signs Your FAAC Welding & Fabrication Is Failing

• Gate drags on one corner or scrapes the ground. A broken hinge weld lets the gate drop a half inch or more, so the leaf leans and the operator strains to push it. The weld may still look attached but be cracked through the throat, which only shows under load.
• Operator mounting bracket is loose or shifting. The FAAC piston or swing arm pulls the bracket in alternating cycles, and over years the bolt holes wallow out and the bracket rocks. That rocking is what cracks the surrounding post weld.
• Visible crack in a weld joint, usually at a hinge or a bottom rail seam. Hairline rust stains running down from a weld tell you the crack has been there long enough for water to get in. In Fort Lauderdale, that’s a wet season of growth, not a slow decay.
• Gate vibrates or rattles while the FAAC operator cycles. That’s usually a broken internal brace or a separated frame corner that nobody can see from street level. The gate flexes, and the operator’s force goes into flexing metal instead of moving the leaf.
• Bent or bowed bottom rail, especially on aluminum gates. Aluminum fatigues at the weld heat-affected zone, and a bottom rail that’s bent an inch or more means the frame has already yielded. The FAAC operator is still doing its job; the gate has just lost its structural spine.

Before

After

Replacement Cost & What’s Included

In Fort Lauderdale, FAAC welding and fabrication work runs from $220 for a single hinge repair to $480 for a full bottom-rail replacement on a steel gate, including material, labor, and a written photo log before, during, and after the work. Aluminum gate work trends to the higher end of that range because welding aluminum requires AC TIG setup and more prep to avoid burn-through on the thin wall sections common in residential gates. The range mostly comes down to how much cutting and grinding it takes to get to clean metal, and whether we’re reinforcing an existing frame or replacing a section of it.

Under Haven Standard Clause 1, the price is written and handed over before any work starts. You’ll know exactly what the fabrication includes: the material grade and thickness, the weld type, the number of hinges to be reworked, and the finish. If we find additional damage once the gate is open, we document it, show you, and get agreement before touching anything further. Every weld and fabrication job includes the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the repair doesn’t hold for a full year, we make it right at no additional charge.

DIY or Call Us?

What an owner can safely check: look at the hinges for rust streaks, line up a straight edge against the bottom rail, and watch the gate while the operator cycles to see if it flexes or shudders. What an owner shouldn’t do is fire up a flux-core welder from a big-box store and burn a bead over a cracked Gate hinge. A weld that looks okay on the surface but never reached penetration will fail again, and on a gate that an FAAC operator opens automatically, the failure can come without warning.

There’s a safety layer here too. Gates are heavy. A hinge that’s cracked through will hold a 400-pound leaf right up until it doesn’t, and when it lets go, someone standing at the latch is in the wrong place. We level the leaf, brace it before cutting anything loose, and photograph every pass. Call (754) 399-1474 if you see any of the signs above. The estimate is free, and you’ll have a written price in your hand before anything gets cut.

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