Ghost Controls Gate Motor Replacement Nationwide

Ghost Controls Gate Motor Replacement: The San Jose Owner’s Guide

Most Ghost Controls gate motor replacements in San Jose run $380 to $720 installed, depending on your model and whether you need the full arm assembly or just the motor head. We stock Ghost Controls-compatible replacement parts on our trucks and can usually complete the swap in about an hour to 90 minutes once we’re on site. The typical way owners discover this is ugly: the gate sits half-open at 7 a.m. with the motor humming like a dying refrigerator, or it won’t budge at all even though the remote still clicks.

Call (669) 666-6859

Which Ghost Controls Models This Applies To

Ghost Controls builds three main lines you’re likely to own in San Jose: the TDS series (solar-friendly single-swing arms), the TSS series (dual-swing for wider double gates), and the AXDP (heavy-duty actuator for long, solid gates on apartment buildings or larger properties). The model sticker sits on the side of the motor arm itself, near the hinge point, and it matters because the shaft length and mounting bracket are not interchangeable between series. A TDS arm will not fit a TSS column without an adapter plate that Ghost Controls doesn’t design for. For OEM versus aftermarket, Ghost Controls uses a specific clutch engagement pattern and gear pitch on their lead screw. We’ve seen aftermarket arms on Amazon that bolt up clean but chew through the clutch within six months. For most San Jose homeowners, we recommend OEM Ghost Controls arms when we can get them, but we also stock Drop-Off and Topens equivalents for older discontinued models where Ghost Controls no longer ships. The key spec to check is the stroke length, either 14 inches or 17 inches on standard residential arms, because mounting a 17-inch stroke arm on a gate that only swings 14 inches will over-travel and destroy the limit mechanism in under a year.

Signs Your Ghost Controls Gate Motor Replacement Is Failing

• Motor hums but the gate doesn’t move. This usually points to a stripped gear inside the actuator housing. Ghost Controls’ nylon worm gear is sacrificial by design, but sustained San Jose heat accelerates the softening and eventually the teeth shear off.
• Gate travels slower and slower over a few weeks. The capacitor is degrading. It’s a $25 part, but the labor to get at it inside the arm is the same as a motor swap, so most owners make the full replacement at that point.
• One gate leaf stops before the other. On dual-swing systems, the slave motor is failing. Runaway single-leaf operation from the TSS series is the most common failure we see in Santa Clara County.
• Burning smell after a power outage. Ghost Controls’ SPDT relay board on older versions doesn’t always reset clean after a surge. If the motor cooked while stuck in cycle, replacement is faster and cheaper than rebuilding.
• Remote works, sensor works, but the arm jerks and jumps. The hall sensor inside the motor head has shifted. Under Bay Area humidity swings, the potting compound Ghost Controls uses can expand and push the sensor out of alignment, which reads as erratic motion.

Replacement Cost & What’s Included

For a single Ghost Controls motor arm replacement in San Jose, most jobs land between $380 and $720 installed. The range breaks down like this:

• Single-arm TDS replacement: $380 – $520 installed
• Dual-arm TSS replacement (both arms): $650 – $720 installed
• AXDP heavy-duty actuator: $600 – $800 installed depending on stroke length

The spread comes from the part cost on the specific series, whether the mounting brackets can be reused, and whether the control board needs recalibration after the swap. Every single quote includes the part, the labor, the mounting hardware, a full travel and limit calibration, and a cycle test under load. You’ll get the written price before anything is unbolted, and that number does not move. We back every Ghost Controls motor replacement with the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the motor fails within a year, we return and replace it at no charge.

DIY or Call Us?

There are things you can check safely: the breaker, the inline fuse, the low-voltage battery on solar models, and whether the arms are physically obstructed by a fallen branch or garbage bin. That’s where a San Jose owner should stop. Ghost Controls arms are under spring tension even when detached from the gate, and the internal torsion spring stores enough energy to snap bone if it releases in your hand. The arm carries mains voltage in most wired installs, not just low voltage from the control board. We’ve been called out to more than one house near Willow Glen where a well-meaning neighbor had the arm half-bolted off and a face full of grease, and the job cost more than if they’d just let us swap it in the first place. If you’re outside the safe checklist and the gate is still dead, call us at (669) 666-6859 and we’ll give you a straight answer over the phone.

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