Mighty Mule GTO repairs?

[Bud in FLA]

Anyone here have any experience repairing the drive shaft of a Mighty Mule gate opener?

I've replaced the rev counter in ours several time but yesterday the plastic nut that drives the shaft stripped out. Got a new one on order - $50+ for a small plastic part!!!! I have another similar operator I'm going to try to steal the shaft out of but there's a positive stop at the end of the thread. My current plan is to drill the punch marks out to release the stripped nut from the hollow shaft and see what's holding it.

The operator I'm stealing parts from is similar but not the same but the shaft measures the same length. I can't find a schematic to see what's holding it but that probably goes hand in hand with a $50 plastic nut!

I'll try the stripped one first so hopefully I don't kill the good one but if anyone has any ideas they'd be appreciated! Thanks Guys!

 

[Dean]

I have a double swinging gate with US Automatic Patriot II DC electric gate openers, one actuator on each gate.

US Automatic is USA made, Lewisville, TX, IIRC. I believe that they make the actuators for Mighty Mule.

They have a technical support department that has been helpful when I have called them. The phone number that I have is 800-204-0174. Their website is www.usautomatic.com.

I would call for advise. Have your model number and SN handy.

Dean

 

[Bud in FLA]

Thanks for the info! I think I won this round! Here's what I learned if anyone else needs it -

If your operator starts to move and stops or doesn't open/close all the way it's probably the "Rev Counter". It costs about $20 on eBay. I stole the nylon nut out of another *similar* operator I had (yard sale find) and got mine working again.

It's pretty simple once you've been there. The nylon nut is screwed in to the hollow drive shaft and staked.

Drill the stakes out, unscrew the nylon nut ($50 part!) and then pull the entire Acme threaded shaft out. There's a nylon retaining collar screwed onto the end of the shaft to keep the nut from completely unscrewing. I guess, just for fun they put a roll pin/spring pin into a *blind* hole to keep the retainer in place. A cutoff wheel on a grinder will take the end off that pin so the retainer can be unscrewed with Channel-Locks. Wire brush the threaded rod, screw the nylon nut on and reinstall the retaining collar. I used some "Hi-Vac grease" on the threads - silicon lube. I'm winging it anyway so it can't hurt.....

I used a 3/32" roll pin to secure the retainer with a #42 drill all the way through this time & trimmed the end flush with the outside surface of the retainer.