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Linear Gate Motor Replacement: The Wylie Owner’s Guide
A Linear gate motor replacement in Wylie typically runs $850 to $1,600 installed, depending on the series and whether the arm, control board, or the entire operator needs swapping. We stock Linear-compatible arms, boards, and full operator kits on our trucks and can usually complete the job in one visit. Most homeowners discover the failure the same way: the gate groans, stutters, or simply stops responding to the remote, and the keypad override works but the motor itself won’t turn.
If you’re standing in the driveway right now holding a dead remote and staring at a gate that won’t budge, we’ll walk you through what’s actually wrong and what it costs to make it right. Victor Salinas has spent the better part of three decades working on these exact systems across Collin County, and he’ll tell you straight: a Linear motor that’s failed once is rarely worth patching twice.
Which Linear Models This Applies To
Linear gate operators fall into a few distinct families, and the replacement part depends entirely on which one is bolted to your post. The most common in Wylie are the LRA and LRU series residential swing gate operators, the SL and SW slide gate lines, and the older APeX and MegaCode-era units that are still running on original circuit boards from the early 2000s. Each series uses its own arm geometry, capacitor spec, and control board pinout, so a board from an LRA will not drop into an LRU without modification.
To identify your exact motor, look at the side of the operator housing for a metal or embossed label. You’re looking for the model number, which usually starts with LRA, LRU, SL, or SW, followed by a series of digits. The voltage matters too: most residential Linear operators in Collin County are 115V with a 12V DC motor, but some older estate gates run 230V or solar-charged 12V systems. If the label is faded or painted over, measure the arm length and take a photo of the control board before you order anything. We can identify most Linear units from a clear photo sent over the phone.
When it comes to parts, we install genuine Linear OEM components where they’re available, because the board-to-motor communication on these units is finicky and aftermarket boards sometimes skip the obstruction-sensing handshake. For motors themselves, a quality aftermarket gear motor with matching RPM and torque specs will serve well if the original is discontinued. The point is this: don’t buy a “universal” replacement. Linear operators are not universal. We match the motor to the arm, the arm to the mount, and the board to the motor, and we do it before we bolt anything down.
Ironworks Gate Co. is an independent service provider, not affiliated with Linear or Nortek. We service Linear equipment alongside eight other major opener brands: LiftMaster, FAAC, BFT, Viking, Ghost Controls, DoorKing, Elite, and Mighty Mule.
Signs Your Linear Gate Motor Replacement Is Failing
- Humming without movement. The motor receives power and the capacitor charges, but the arm stays still. This is almost always a seized gearbox or a stripped drive gear inside the operator housing. The motor itself may be fine, but without the gear train it’s not moving your gate.
- Slow, labored travel. A Linear motor that struggles to swing or slide the gate, especially in cold weather, is telling you the brushes are worn or the bearing is dragging. In Wylie, we see this most often on north-facing gates where thermal cycling has taken a toll on the motor seals.
- Gate reverses mid-travel. This is typically the obstruction sensor or a failing current-sense circuit on the board, but repeated reversing is also a symptom of a motor drawing too many amps. The operator thinks it’s hitting an obstruction when it’s actually binding internally.
- Remote and keypad work, but the gate only moves an inch. The arm is slipping or the motor shaft is stripped. On Linear swing operators, the crank arm bushing wears out and the motor spins without transferring motion to the gate leaf.
- Burnt smell or a tripped breaker. A motor that’s cooking its windings will trip the breaker or throw the GFCI. This is past the point of diagnosis, the motor is done. Unplug it and call us, don’t reset and try again.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
You’ll pay for two things: the part and the labor to make it run right. In Wylie, a Linear replacement motor arm runs $350 to $650 for the part alone, depending on series and whether it’s swing or slide. A full operator replacement, which is what we recommend when the board and motor have both failed on a unit older than ten years, runs $1,200 to $1,600 installed. The labor covers removal of the old motor or operator, mounting and leveling the replacement, wiring, travel limit setup, force adjustment, and a full test cycle with your existing remotes and keypad.
Here’s the part most companies won’t say out loud: the price is quoted and agreed before any work starts. You will never get a bill that’s bigger than the number we gave you. That’s a square deal, and it’s how we’ve done business in Wylie for over 42 years, founded back in 1984.
Key Takeaways
- Installed Linear motor replacement in Wylie: $850 to $1,600, parts and labor.
- Motor-only replacement: $350 to $650 for the part, plus labor.
- Free estimate and written price before any work begins.
- 90-Day Done Right Promise on every job, in writing, no paperwork, no arguing.
- Live person answers the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
DIY or Call Us?
There’s an honest split here, and we’ll give it to you straight. A homeowner can safely check three things: whether the breaker is tripped, whether the operator has power at the outlet, and whether anything is visibly binding the gate leaf itself. That’s where DIY should stop.
A Linear motor replacement involves line voltage, a high-torque gear train, and limit switches that have to be set correctly or the gate will slam, twist, or shear the mounting bolts. This is not a part you want to learn on. We’ve pulled too many half-finished operator swaps out of Wylie driveways where the owner saved $200 on labor and then paid $600 to fix the follow-up damage. The honest answer: check the breaker, check for debris in the track, then call (432) 249-5492. We’ll be there when we say.
FAQs
A correctly installed Linear motor in the Wylie climate lasts 8 to 12 years on average, with the lower end reserved for gates that face south and take full afternoon sun year-round. The heat accelerates capacitor aging and dries out the motor’s internal lubricant, which is why we see more mid-summer failures than any other season. Regular maintenance, including our $89 Seasonal Tune-Up, can extend that lifespan meaningfully. If your motor is past the ten-year mark and acting up, replacement is usually the better money than repair. Call (432) 249-5492 for an honest read on yours.
Sometimes, and we’ll tell you when. Brush replacement, gear train service, and capacitor swaps are all legitimate repairs that can buy another two or three years on a motor that’s still sound. But when the windings are burned, the arm is stripped, or the housing has taken on water, repair is throwing good money after bad. We never recommend a repair we wouldn’t make on our own mother’s gate. The estimate is free, so you’ll know before you spend anything.
A straightforward Linear motor or operator swap on a residential gate in Wylie takes two to three hours from arrival to test cycle, including mounting, wiring, limit setup, and remote programming. Slide gate motor replacements run about an hour longer due to the additional work on the chain or rack alignment. Most jobs are completed in a single visit.
We stock Linear-compatible motors, arms, capacitors, and control boards for the LRA, LRU, SL, and SW series on our service trucks, along with parts for LiftMaster, Mighty Mule, and Ghost Controls. If your unit is a discontinued model, we can usually source OEM or equivalent parts within a few business days. Call (432) 249-5492 and tell us your model number, we’ll tell you what we’ve got before we schedule anything.
Need a Linear gate motor replacement in Wylie? Call (432) 249-5492. A live person answers, every time, 24 hours a day. We’ll quote your price before any work starts, and we’ll put it in writing. Done right, and backed in writing. That’s the Keystone Standard.
Written by Victor Salinas, Owner, Ironworks Gate Co. at Ironworks Gate Co., serving Wylie and nearby areas.





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