FAAC Welding & Fabrication Nationwide

FAAC Welding & Fabrication: The Orlando Owner’s Guide

We stock and install FAAC-compatible welded and fabricated gate components across Orlando, with most hinge, bracket, and frame repair work priced between $285 and $650 installed. Same-day service is available for most weld failures, and we carry common FAAC mounting plates, hinge brackets, and gate frame repair sections on the truck. Most owners discover a weld has failed when the gate starts to sag at the hinge side, the opener strains audibly, or a crack you can see at the weld point starts rusting through the paint.

Call (321) 465-7089

Florida humidity is rough on welded steel. We regularly see FAAC gates in Thornton Park, College Park, and Baldwin Park where the weld itself held fine but the surrounding metal fatigued from years of rain, sprinkler overspray, and daily open-close cycles. The good news: almost all of it is repairable without replacing the entire gate.

Here’s what to know before you spend a dollar.

Which FAAC Models This Applies To

FAAC builds the operator, not the gate itself, but the welded and fabricated components that mount the operator to the gate are matched to specific FAAC model lines. We fabricate and install parts for FAAC 400, 412, 415, 422, 770, S800, and C720 series operators, along with the 390 and 391 swing gate kits that show up on a lot of Orlando residential installs.

The compatibility gotcha most owners run into: FAAC’s mounting brackets are sized differently between their residential and heavy-duty commercial lines. A bracket from a 400 series will not line up correctly on a 770. If you try to force it, you get a slight misalignment that eats the operator’s internal gears within a season. We match brackets by measuring the operator’s base-plate hole spacing and the gate’s post-to-leaf clearance, then confirm against the FAAC model plate. That plate is usually riveted to the operator body and lists the model and serial – bring a photo of it when you call.

On the decision between OEM FAAC parts and quality aftermarket equivalents: for mounting brackets and hinge assembly components, we use OEM whenever the operator is still under warranty or the gate is commercial. For ornamental gate frame repair and fabricated steel sections, a well-made aftermarket piece welded by a fabricator who understands gate geometry is often stronger than the original, especially on older Orlando installs where the original metal was undersized from day one. We’ll tell you which path makes sense for your specific gate and why – that’s part of the written quote.

Signs Your FAAC Welding & Fabrication Is Failing

• The gate sags visibly on the latch side. This almost always means the lower hinge weld or the hinge post bracket has begun to separate. The geometry shifts slowly, and the opener fights that extra resistance on every cycle, which shortens its life.
• The operator makes a grinding or straining sound mid-travel. A failed or cracked mounting plate lets the operator flex under load. That flex changes the gear mesh inside the unit, and the grinding you hear is the gear wear following the misalignment.
• Rust blooming through paint at any weld seam. Water gets under the paint at a micro-crack in the weld and starts oxidizing from the inside. By the time you see the orange streak, the weld is typically compromised more than halfway through at that point.
• The gate bounces or shudders when it opens or closes. A cracked frame member or loose fabricated brace lets the gate flex as it travels. The bounce overloads the operator’s limit switches and can throw off the travel settings over time.
• The gate stops mid-cycle and the operator faults out. When a hinge or frame weld fails badly enough, the gate binds, and the FAAC board reads that as an obstruction. If you have to reset the breaker or clear a fault more than once, the problem is mechanical, not electrical.

Replacement Cost & What’s Included

In Orlando, expect to pay $285 to $650 for most FAAC welding and fabrication repairs, with full gate frame rebuilds on large ornamental gates running higher when the damage is extensive. Here’s how that breaks down:

• Hinge bracket weld repair or replacement: $285-$420 installed
• Operator mounting plate fabrication and install: $340-$520 installed
• Gate frame crack repair and reinforcement: $390-$650 installed
• Full hinge assembly replacement with fabrication: $450-$800 installed, depending on gate weight and access

The range is driven by gate weight, access to both sides of the weld point, and whether the surrounding metal is sound enough to weld or needs a fabricated reinforcement plate. Every quote includes the part, the fabrication labor, the welding, cleanup, and a test run of the operator under load. You get a written price before any work starts, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise backs the repair in writing. If the weld fails or the gate sags again within a year, the return visit is free. That’s the deal on every job we do.

DIY or Call Us?

Welding a gate frame or operator bracket is not a weekend project. A bad weld on a gate that weighs several hundred pounds can shear without warning and drop the gate on a car, a pet, or a person. Gate springs and loaded hinges store enough energy to cause serious injury when a compromised weld lets go during disassembly. Even the grinding and prep work before welding requires the right equipment and an understanding of how the gate’s load path works.

What you can safely check yourself: take photos of the crack or separation, note the FAAC model plate, and watch where the gate flexes during a full open-close cycle. That information saves us time and saves you money. But the actual repair should be done by someone with fabrication experience. Cole Rafferty has been welding and repairing gates for more than two decades, and he’ll tell you the same thing he tells every customer: “You’ll know the price before I touch anything.” Call (321) 465-7089 and we’ll get eyes on it.

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