I can't speak to life expectancy but we've had ours up for a couple of years and absolutely LOVE it. Dh recently installed a lock on it that also opens with the same remote control. I recommend that - did you know there are really stupid politicians who will squeeze through a closed gate WITH a "beware of dog" sign right on it to come in and ask for your vote? We told him we prefer our office holders being able to READ (not to mention having some respect for privacy).

Ours is the GT350 model (solar powered), we have a back-up battery on it but no electrical connection. The gate is tubular metal, 14 feet wide. We've never had any problems with the opener. It is a joy not having to hop out of the car in all kinds of weather to open and then shut the gate...WELL worth the cost in my opinion.

As for the "soft open and close"...ours doesn't go very fast and it doesn't slam. I can't really imagine $200 worth of additional softness. If your gate is much wider or heavier than ours you might want the bigger one but we are very pleased with ours.

Whoops...I forgot. There is a switch on the unit that will allow you to simply turn it off so that it will stay open during your snowy weather. The thing is totally weather proofed but if you prefer you might consider taking the motor off and storing it inside during the winter if you are really not going to be using it. Once you have it in place and leveled, etc., it is simple to remove from the bracket (a couple of pins and disconnect the wires) so that you could avoid the exposure and extreme temperatures. That might be a question for the manufacturer - would it be worthwhile in order to avoid weathering while it is not in use.

Excellent - thank you! Yes, I can believe that bit about the stupid politician. Isn't that an oxymoron; "stupid" and "politician" being nearly one and the same...?
Anyway, thank you very much for your feedback. Just the thing I was hoping to hear. And my set up sounds just like yours - 14' tube gate and will likely be solar powered. Do you know what the range is on your transmitter? Can you be plenty far away and hit the button so the gate is open before you get there, or do you have to be pretty close?

Thanks again.

You know, the range on those things depends on several things - how fresh are your batteries, what's your elevation (dh can make it work from much further down the road when he is driving his pick up than I can in my teensy Geo). You do have to kinda point the remote at the receiver and trees in the way will interfere.

We can use the opener from our back steps, though, and that's about 80 feet from the gate. I haven't really tried going further in a straight line but it's possible.

I truly feel this opener is one of the best improvements I have ever made on a property!! Getting in and out in and out during all weather is for the birds; after six years I finally put one of these in and it is great.

The remote that came with the unit does not have much range, for me. But I purchased a few additional openers online and they have an approx. 300' range, for me; yet I am still often waiting for the gate as it takes 18 seconds to open/close fully.

I have the solar panel, no lock, and am making a simple inductive coil to open the gate on the way out automatically (in a vehicle).

In spite of my signage, fence, gate and telephone poles across various of my frontage entrances, last evening I walked out onto my deck in my skivies to see a truck parked in my meadow with two middle-aged folks looking up at me. They drove OVER my telephone poles, two of them laying across the road, and looked stunned when I told them they were trespassing.

With one of these gates have you also installed a "man gate" for people to use? We're doing our fencing design and so far are thinking about having the powered driveway gate only. Also, how do you know when someone's at the gate who wants to come in? Is there an intercom/bell? Tom

They sell an add-on wireless keypad opener with intercom; you can "buzz" someone in when they ring you on the intercom or if they posses the pass code can let themselves in. Relatives who come frequently have all purchased an opener at my direction and so the gate is in no way an inconvenience; except for solicitors, missionaries, and other unwelcome parties.

I have a motion sensor with a bell in the house that rings as people approach the gate and I am putting up a wireless color/infared camera to see who. My opener will open the gate if I walk into the front yard 50 or so feet and from there I can see if I recognize the vehicle.

The motion sensor assembly can be wired to switch most anything that runs on 110v, for instance you could have it turn on your driveway lights, turn on a recording device of some sort; whatever.

As for the "man gate" I have a row of large boulders from tree line to gate-post on both sides of the drive and I have provided sufficient space between them for a pedestrian or mountain bike. Had I not had an abundance of nice, large, weathered rocks to use I would have strung fence of some sort and installed a proper "man gate".

How about packages when you are away? Will you have a box outside the gate for them? When my brother's gate, Pro 1000 isn't working properly, UPS throws them on the ground.

Eric