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Get your free estimateGhost Controls Gate Motor Replacement: The Orlando Owner’s Guide
Ghost Controls gate motor replacement in Orlando typically runs $450 – $850 installed, depending on whether you need the arm-and-motor assembly, the control board, or the full operator. We stock Ghost Controls-compatible motors and control boards on the truck, so most Orlando service calls are done same day. The way most people find out they need this repair is simple: the gate starts moving slower than it used to, stops halfway, or makes a grinding noise that wasn’t there last month. Then one morning it doesn’t move at all, and the keypad beeps but nothing happens.
We’re an independent gate repair company, not affiliated with Ghost Controls. That means we can give you honest options: OEM Ghost Controls parts when the model calls for it, or a quality aftermarket equivalent when it saves you real money without cutting corners. Cole Rafferty, our owner, has been repairing Ghost Controls openers across Central Florida long enough to know which boards fail in the humidity and which ones hold up. Call (321) 465-7089 and you’ll get a real person, a straight answer, and a written price before any work starts.
Which Ghost Controls Models This Applies To
Ghost Controls gate motors fall into two main families: the AXDP series (dual swing gate openers) and the ATS/ATD series (single and dual slide gate operators). Within those, the specific replacement part matters more than the model name. The gate motor, also called the gate operator arm or the actuator, is the sealed box or arm that physically moves the gate. The control board is the circuit board inside the operator housing that tells the motor what to do. People call both “the motor” all the time, but they fail differently and cost differently to replace. That distinction is the first thing we sort out on the phone.
Before you call, open the operator cover and look for two things: a white Ghost Controls sticker showing the model number (usually starting with AXDP, ATS, or ATD), and the color of the control board inside. The older boards are green with a black plug block. The newer TSS1 and TSS2 boards use a phone-style connection and a different transformer. You cannot swap a TSS2 board into an older arm without an adapter and a matched remote receiver, a compatibility gotcha that catches a lot of Orlando owners who buy a “universal” board online. If you’re unsure, snap a photo of the sticker and text it to us when you call. We’ll match it before a tech ever rolls to your street.
For OEM versus aftermarket: Ghost Controls arms are well built, and when the arm itself has failed we usually recommend OEM. The control boards are a different story. A quality aftermarket replacement from a supplier we’ve vetted can do the same job for 30 – 40% less, and we stand behind it the same way: written price before we start, 365-Day Done Right Promise when we finish.
Styles & brands we work with





Signs Your Ghost Controls Gate Motor Replacement Is Failing
- Gate moves at half speed, then stops. This is almost always a failing motor capacitor or worn internal gearing in the operator arm. In Orlando’s heat, capacitor breakdown happens faster than in cooler climates. The motor still runs, but it can’t build torque.
- You hear a hum but the gate doesn’t move. The classic symptom. The motor is getting power, the capacitor may be trying, but the gear train is bound or stripped. Continuing to press the remote makes it worse, so stop and call.
- Gate opens on its own, or beeps and reverses for no reason. That’s the control board misreading the safety sensor inputs, or a relay on the board sticking closed. It’s a board problem, not a gate alignment problem, though inexperienced techs often chase the alignment first.
- Intermittent operation; works fine at noon, dead at night. In Florida, thermal expansion plus moisture ingress does this. The board develops a hairline crack or a corroded solder joint that connects when it’s cool and separates in the humidity. It’s the most common Ghost Controls failure we see in Orlando neighborhoods like Thornton Park and College Park, where gates sit close to sprinkler lines.
- Remote and keypad both stop working while the manual release still functions. That narrows the failure to the receiver module or the board’s logic circuit, not the motor itself. If the manual release moves freely, the arm is likely fine; the motor’s brain isn’t.
See the difference
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
In Orlando, a Ghost Controls gate motor replacement is one of two jobs, and the price depends on which one you’re in. A control board replacement runs $350 – $550 installed. A full arm-and-motor assembly replacement runs $550 – $850 installed. If both the arm and the board are shot, which happens when a lightning strike or a power surge hits the opener, you’re looking at $750 – $990 for a complete operator refresh. We quote the whole number up front, parts and labor together, so there’s no line-item surprise at the end.
The price includes the part itself, the labor to install it, programming and pairing with your existing remotes and keypad, limit-setting for your specific gate travel, and a full system test. It also includes the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the replacement fails for any workmanship reason within a year, the return visit is free. No dispatch fee. No parts markup games. You’ll know the price before we touch anything, and the tech who arrives will have already sent you their name and photo, an ID badge check at the door is the Threshold Standard on every call we run.
DIY or Call Us?
This is an electrical part wired into your home’s power and your gate’s safety sensors. Ghost Controls operators run on 12V or 24V DC, which is lower voltage, but the arm itself moves with enough force to seriously injure someone if the travel limits are set wrong or the safety sensors are bypassed. We don’t sugarcoat that. If your gate is on the larger side, a miswired board can also fry itself the second you restore power. For those reasons, we don’t publish step-by-step replacement instructions for this job.
What you can safely check yourself: confirm the breaker hasn’t tripped, check the operator’s fuse (usually a blade-style automotive fuse under the cover), and make sure the manual release lever isn’t half-engaged. If those three are fine, and the symptoms above sound familiar, call us at (321) 465-7089. We’ll match the right part to your Ghost Controls model before the tech leaves our shop, which means most Orlando replacement jobs finish in a single visit.
FAQs
A Ghost Controls gate motor in Orlando typically lasts 5 to 8 years, with the control board frequently failing first due to humidity, heat, and power surges. Motors in shaded enclosures on well-maintained gates can go 10 years or more. A motor that’s been rebuilt once rarely justifies a second rebuild; full replacement is usually the better call at that point. Call (321) 465-7089 for a straight answer on your specific model.
Sometimes, yes. A failed capacitor, a seized gear drive, or a corroded terminal block can often be repaired for less than a full replacement. The control board is the exception: once it starts showing intermittent logic failures, repair is unreliable, and replacement is the honest recommendation. We’ll tell you which side you’re on after a diagnostic, with the repair price and the replacement price both in writing.
Most Ghost Controls gate motor replacements in Orlando take 60 to 90 minutes once the tech is on site. That includes the physical swap, programming your remotes and keypad, and setting travel limits. If we’re also running new wiring or replacing a power supply transformer, plan for up to two hours. We usually complete the job in one trip, and the written price is agreed before we start.
We stock Ghost Controls-compatible control boards, arm-and-motor assemblies, and common capacitors on our Orlando service vehicles, along with parts for LiftMaster, Mighty Mule, and DoorKing operators. That means we don’t have to quote you, order a part, and make you wait a week. Call us at (321) 465-7089 and we’ll confirm the part before the tech leaves the shop.
Written by Cole Rafferty, Owner, Warden Gate Repair Orlando at Warden Gate Repair Orlando, serving Orlando and nearby areas.