Mighty Mule Gate Opener Problems ?

[@Elmo_Fuddleputt]

I have been dicking with Mighty Mule gate openers for the last 20 years and I've learned a couple of things. #1. If you can afford better, DO IT!! I couldn't so, Mighty Mule it is. #2: My MM260 started doing the same thing out of the blue. Push the button to either open or close it and it starts "beepbeepbeepbeep" until I turn it off. The first thing I did was to drain all the water out. BIG design flaw. Drill some extra drain holes up and down the unit because the factory pin--holes apparently don't do the trick. The next thing I did after seeing no obvious problem was to use a can of CRC226 which says it "improves electrical properties" and gave the board on the inside of the opener a little squirt and sumbitch, it worked!! We'll see for how long but for now it appears to have done the trick. I hope this helps somebody because I know what a pain in the dick these things can be when they stop working.

[@billw3571]

I live in Puna and my guess is you have water in your opener. Probably needs a new wiper on the front of the ram - that's what happened to ours. I siliconed the back of the opener where the wires go in and also drilled out the two drain holes on the bottom of the covers so that any water that gets in can get out easier. Good luck.

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

+Bill W Thanks for the info I will keep that in mind Thank cuz, I'm Waimea side.

[@charlesblackwell6312]

I agree with Butch Weiss check for a cold solder joint when the temperature drops the solder joints open up when it’s warm they’re closed again

[@fredyearian4968]

Just worked on neighbors 500 model. What had happened was a splice in the cable got wet and the unit ran with enough force to move the outer case enough so counter disk dragged on sensor. After fixing these problems we found that his hinge point had a binding right at the open position. This was triggering the force limit. Using an oscilloscope I determined that the logic is not only verifying that the limit switch and connections are healthy but also the counter led and sensor are working. The take away from this exercise is DO NOT have splices in the cable to the controller. What may seem like a temperature cause may be moisture in splices. Long runs of control wires should be avoided to avoid noise pickup on sensitive control lines.

[@FernbarkFrist]

I have one of these crappy units. I recommend calling Mighty Mule. You will get a person right away, and they are very helpful. You will have to wake up early to call them because I think they are located in Georgia. I live in Washington State. I don't think your problem is temperature related. We have trouble with ours all the time, but it has worked in really cold weather. Best of luck solving this issue.

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

+Fernbark Frist Thank you for your insight.

[@Rachel-gt9lw]

Moisture inside the ram housing is causing the switch inside to close. Then put silicone to seal when you close the case.

[@mosfet303]

Going thru this now in Florida, new board 3 months ago, worked. New battery today, there's a limit switch in the ram part. The white and green wire, ppl saying limit switch is shorted out. I'm 10 mins away from ripping ram apart to locate this limit switch. I'm gonna follow the white and green wires. I'll comment my results if I can find this thread again

[@MeMe-lm9bm]

wow, I have had prob, but it is due to not keeping the unit maintained and cleaned. 30 yrs going and this is the 2nd unit...a fm502 on solar. I have increased the panels and now looking to back up the existing panel with another 20A because of tree shade. I have a 12V car battery replaced a couple of times.

[@stevesforza7956]

I know this old. but replaced my limit switch in the arms fm502.. 3 times in 7 years. Always fixed the problem.. until now. intermittently my slave side would close all the way. I would re program the close .. then good for a while. Just found out the slave button for programing on the green board is malfuctioning. I think it was shorting out.. causing a reprograming at will. i pryed it up a bit, and seems to be working. new boards are expensive. I will resolder later if needed. just a fyi

[@mversaw1]

Ours did the exact same thing. I changed out the receiver antenna and it solved our problem.

[@leo2big2]

You mean the little wire thing Or the whole part?

[@ernestosuarez5871]

Yes I have the same problem what I found that the battery connection are dirty or no making good connect try that.

[@solowtex]

South TX. here. Man mine does the same thing.Our control box has on/off rocker switch.When it doesn't respond to remote usually i can flip on/off switch (1long beep when it repowers up) and get the damn thing to open. Almost always closes if it opens on first try.Hell last year we had a spell where the damn thing would open on its own during the middle of the day.They kindof spoil u when the work but this is not a quality unit thats for sure.

[@D.Clark1987]

Lol this is happening to my unit too. Not sure why it keeps opening by itself...

[@pleasantcountry]

We've had our share of problems too, stinking thing... bought the solar double gate in 2012, replaced the blue board 2 times, MM support was no help, they always blame it on lightning strike; when really the gate opener is a piece of crap... I'm so mad with them... We have a farm and an auto gate is necessary for easy 1 person access when hauling horse trailer, moving hay, etc. we've been in manual mode for about 6 months because my husband is soo frustrated by the dang thing... I did buy a new motor for the arm. My husband hasn't tried to install it yet because, he'd rather thrown the whole thing in the trash.... it's 3-4 hours if not days of work to figure any problem out....We went from 2 gates down to one gate 1 arm.... I wish mighty mule would stand behind their product more and make those stinking blue and green boards about 150.00 cheaper. It's ridiculous to pat 245.00 to replace a board.

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

+Penny Allen - Stalker I agree 100% with you I want to pull my hair out with this company and their crap over priced products.

[@jtrovati]

I totally agree I’ve replaced the counter board in arm for $50 twice now they tell me the blue board needs replaced at $250 for get it and I just bought two new batteries for my solar powered now what?

[@benmassengale6615]

I had the same problem and tried everything until I realized the gate wouldn’t close only on windy days. The unit has a safety auto stop just like your garage door. I believe the wind is causing enough resistance to kick in the auto stop.

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

+ben massengale we replaced the unit with a new one and has been working fine even in high winds we will see how long this one last. But thanks for your insight

[@maxhill63]

The gear box has brass bushing in it that wears out causing gears to bind , and blow the fuse

[@viewtube3310]

Your solar panel is connected incorrectly. It should not be connected directly to the battery

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

Please catch up on vids I'm running 60v Tesla batteries now

[@michaelrobertson7320]

I need to set my limit switch again but other than that been working fine.

[@Dennis-cy4wv]

rev counter/limit switch, moisture kills them. I can't tell you many I have replaced.

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

I have replaced them to. I installed a new unit not long after.

[@rickjackson586]

Try hair dryer to test flex and try also

[@KILLKING110]

looks like the battery is not big enough so the cold temperature drains it so the solar panel has to recharge it its something that happens here on the mainland in the snow covered regions

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

+KILLKING110 I was thinking that but the battery is fully charged I tested it when it was night time and cold and it was good. So something else is going on.

[@KILLKING110]

could the circuit board be getting too cold at night to work since I know if electronics get too cold they wont work.

[@butchweise6056]

Check for cold solder joints on the PCB board on the controller brd.

[@rickjackson586]

Touch each solder joint with low watt 30 watt soldering iron if joint looks dry or resolved in a pinch pAperclip and bud lighter don't burn fingers

[@joseprz88]

I just wanted to read this with my eye. But this is exactly what I'm thinking I have going on. My acts up only in the morning when it's 30* or so.

[@Hriday97]

This gate worked fine for first 4 years but now I have a problem. The 15amp fuse keeps blowing up after few days. Nothing has changed as far as power source is concerned. Battery was replaced 1 years back. I am tempted to replace fuse with 20amp instead of 15amp after checking with tech support.

[@FIREMANJUL1]

Same problem here. Ever figured it out

[@1122truman]

I had the same problem I checked the actuator it worked fine, the factory wanted $175 to replace the board so I purchased a 2500 wireless remote winch from harbor freight for $59 I used it's electronics to activate the actuator my only problem is getting an extra remote for other users, one caution, you have to stop and start movement of the gate with the remote.

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

+truman jensen oh I see good idea thinking out side the box for sure. Maybe you could hookup a momentary switch on a spring on the open side and closed side to stop it. Just some ideas. Thanks for sharing

[@margueritedarby2163]

We bought 1 mm560 and it just wouldn’t work, so they sent me a new mm571w and it ran for about 2 months, then it quit to. Found out the Circuit board isn’t any good, they told me 4 months ago they would send me a new one, still waiting. Going to check into the new Cloud from Ranch and a home.

[@user-mh7gl4sz7u]

Can’t find the manual for the FM143 lock to put the LITTLE logic board INTO THE 2x2”x 8” long lock.

[@user-mh7gl4sz7u]

Tighten ALL UR GROUNDS

[@fredyearian4968]

The limit switch in the unit is very weak. Also the counter board is attached to the case of the ram and the case can move relative to the motor and counter disk until the disk drags on the optical interrupter module. Very small clearance... poor design.

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

Yes you are right the counter disk kept falling. We replaced it a couple of times then finally purchased a different newer model and been working ok

[@JamesJohnson-vq3vl]

How do you fix the controller with a blue light stays on

[@richardjeun]

Your battery might be too old. Try buying regular car battery, not a marine battery. Check battery water levels monthly and clean solar panel.

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

It was a brand new battery

[@richardjeun]

My mighty mule opener EZ solar has two different colored wires (blue and red). I guess the older models don't matter in your case, but the new model warns you that if you hook up the solar polarity in correctly, you can damage the controller. I don't have a separate controller board like yours. My unit has all the electronics in the ram. What I would suggest is rig up a switch that can open it. My mighty mule has a slot for this, Cycle and Common. When the two terminals are shorted or touched, the gate opens or closes. When you have this issue, be ready to try other ways to make it work and try to pin point where you are getting power and where you are not with a voltmeter. You need to investigation it. People don't have skills to use a voltmeter on circuit boards. This is probable something you want to research first.

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

The real problem with our old unit was there was lots of water in the ram that missed up the circuit board in it. bad design

[@richardjeun]

Oh, so you no longer have the product? That sucks. They should reimburse you.

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

we still have the old unit setting in storage thought I might save it for something

[@chuckanderson9707]

My gate close but went it stop it back up about 2ft then it stop

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

Sounds like the setup was done wrong or not installed currently. If its an old unit could be time to replace.

[@alansheedy3956]

It's a Mighty Mule. That's why it stopped working. I'm throwing mine away.

[@momsgarden1156]

700 dlls down the drain 😫

[@pnikolay]

Mine did same thing and in Manuel it said that 1 beep in 10 seconds it is low battery. I changed it and tested from new battery it's working and from old it's just beeps 1 every 10 seconds.

[@andym1594]

Probably not your problem, but I was told by GTO the low battery beep would happen if the voltage goes below 11.5 under load. I've gone through 4 of these things. If it's just beeping, but still working you can take off the "beeper" unit from the circuit board. I'm guessing you have a bad board.

[@shellyboltjes8886]

Stupid question...how do you get the back of the remote open to change the battery?

[@rickjackson586]

Two Phillips screws on one other use key or screwdriver to pop open the three button switch

[@kaizillaboy]

#1: Set your force to max and see if it makes a difference. #2: Move your rig to a WEATHERPROOF container.

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

we ended up replacing the unit and has been working ok for now

[@congtudongvukhanh]

Good

[@Phillipshorses]

My Mighty Mule 600 does not beep at all when powered up???? The green light is on so the board is getting power. Hold times are incredibly long for tech support. Any thoughts, other than throwing it away. It has actually worked for 10 years now. Only changed the counter a couple of times so not too awful bad. And if not mighty mule what brand to self-install? Thanks for any help.

[@blondechineez1545]

Where did you get the box that your control box/panel is in? I live in Puna and am worried about rain also. I'm installing my gate opener today.

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

It's an old mental box we had laying around

[@jimmyowen3977]

Do you have a ground pole. I replaced several because of lightning strikes nearby. I had several issues with them. After adding the ground pole most of the issues went away. My last one said that I needed a ground pole

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

I have 5 ground rods total

[@foy4099]

hi Modern Off Grid DIY, did you solve the gate problem yet?, we started having the same issue with our gate system, (mighty mule 502)and yes, when the weather goes down, the gate stops opening or closing, I am doing some research to find out. please let us know if you found some solution. thanks

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

+Florencio Villa Pablo so I have not had much luck. We are about to install a new model MM360 if this one don't hold up I will never buy thins brand again. We will see.

[@huntspressurecleaningpaint2483]

off grid diy, I have purchased 2 of the mighty mule , dual gate opener systems over the yrs, the first lasted a yr and about a month, and the second system only lasted allmost a yr, ive talked to mighty mule on countless occasions and they allways wanted to sale me the expensive replacement circuit board, ive foundt that there opener arm s collect moisture as well, ive allways followed every little detail on setup as well as everything to the T, the money i have spent on them over the yrs is pretty dissapointing , ive bought many of the accessories for the mighty mule systems as well, my issues where : it would open on its on sometimes and sometimes get stuck open and closed , and i couldnt risk someone coming in to the property when gone so Ive gone back to manual opening and closing ,until I can figure out who sales a reliable long lasting system

[@markeverett8407]

S

[@markeverett8407]

ẞ

[@celticqaidbear]

I would call the company. To start

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

Faulty equipment I replaced it and working fine now.

[@celticqaidbear]

@@ModernOffGridDIYgood news. Hopefully company replace it free

[@mitts82]

I have a dual gate and i got one arm to close and and now it's stuck in that position not able to get to retract not sure what to do?

[@tracyleehindman656]

How did you fix your opener . The ram arm in mine is only moving 3 inches in or out

[@ratso009Andrew]

I'm in Australia. I installed Lock master gates. Anyone know of this brand. They have been working awesome for a year and a bit but now there are only working during the day. I tested the batteries, they seem to be fine. I'm thinking it might be the solar controller perhaps? Any help would be most appreciated. Andrew

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

Hey, I'm using Telegram to chat. Join me! Download it here: telegram.org/dl

[@michaelmckinnes8324]

The problem I'm having the alarm on my phone. Keep going off but the gate open and close work fine what's causing the alarm to go off like every 20 seconds 30 seconds

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

Not sure this system is not conntected to my phone

[@warerlifetexasranger5349]

If someone can help me mine opens when i click it to close and close when I click open

[@Bass.Player]

WHAT? It's a single function button...

[@pnikolay]

Mine does exactly same thing it opens and closes when I push the clicker. Please help me too. Everything seems suspiciously perfect, I dont like that.

[@Nick-vd7vu]

@@pnikolay When you programmed your openers you did it backwards, I did the same thing and realized it later on, just reprogram it and be mindful of which one if for opening the gate and which one is for closing

[@MrJamesPottorff]

Sorry dont know nothing about those gate openers. But with the control panel mounted right above the battery, off-gassing could be causing problems within the circut board. By not using a charge controller on the batter, I am sure the batter is off-gassing really bad during the day. Def put a charge controller between that solar panel and battery. I would use a magnifying glass and inspect that controllercircut board real good (front & back), hope you dont have to change the controller.

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

+James Pottorff the box has lots of vents and air flow. It might not look like it in the vid but it's well vented. Plus the control panel has a waterproof cover. Thanks for your insight. I have no idea why it's acting like this.

[@EpicAdvanture]

How do you program the keypad?

[@Freedom01443]

Directions how to do it comes with opener if you bought new.

[@guillermogutierrez8128]

Is your gate dragging on the floor? From what I see the gate is pretty low. You might need to add a wheel to help the motor push the gate open and close

[@damnskippyify]

might should have spent a little more money if its a multi family use .

[@darrenking6401]

Adjust the stall force

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

we have sence bought a new upgraded model and has been working fine for over a year now we will see how long they last. but I will keep that is mind. Thanks for sharing

[@rosarodriguez7155]

Call you tell me which newer model you bought? We got MM560 about 2 weeks ago and have stopped working 3 times already. Same issue, it just die on us while either opening or closing. Seems like battery is not getting charged at all. Solar panel is in right position and everything seems to be fine... very frustrating. Especially when you pay someone $$ to get that thing installed and has given us nothing but trouble.

[@lesfortenberry4145]

My 660 beeps 3 times ,then beeps continually anybody help ?

[@rickjackson586]

Beep codes in main manual

[@ranchitocarrie]

Your battery is low

[@king161758]

Get a new receiver and remote.

[@monposa]

can anyone refer me to a good name brand gate opener for a single swing gate about 14' x 5

[@designeddie]

roboswing have one for over 25 years working non stop. changed battery twice! at that time 2000.00

[@contentmanager2021]

bs

[@roberthowland4503]

they won't help you but they will sell you parts at your expense that's there guarantee. Do we cheat em and how is the company name

[@Dennis-cy4wv]

MM support helped me every time. I buy my parts through Amazon

[@marlinweekley51]

Mighty mules are crap and their support is non existent. When something not working all you can do is start replacing components. 😜

[@momsgarden1156]

It’s trash I bought the 572

[@4Lights.5Liights]

well, I got the model 571 (single 14ft heavy gate) and it lasted only 4 years. Previously owned several fm350 or fm500's. The 571 is better, more modular, but still not bullet-proof against windy weather hot and cold.

[@TheSharkypaul]

Get a FAAC S 418 don't spend money on crap. I've been in the gate and access business for 20 yrs and I won't deal with Mighty Mule or GTO Pro. Gasoline and matches.

[@ModernOffGridDIY]

Very True

[@johnnyhall6557]

Paul Peterson

[@kevinw821]

the wind noise kills the video. redo it with wind reduction.

[@tonyh1174]

idiot