Mighty Mule MM371W Automatic Gate Opener, Smart and Solar Ready, Includes Gate Opener Remote and More-Up to 16ft Long or 550lb, Black, 1 Gate Opener Kit

Why did you pick this product vs others?:Another brand's opener failed after just two years. Installing was easy. I used ferrels (sp?) And needed to re-crimp to get it to work (my fault). Since the previous was 24v and this is 12v, I have the batteries hooked up in parallel with solar chargers on each. The beep when opening is hard to hear at a distance with the windows up so I may try adding a light. Programming the remotes was easy.

Mutt have. Worke good. Used this brand for years.

If you have other options, use them instead... wish I would have paid for a commercial unit right off the bat, instead of replacing these every 6/12/18 months. We have 4 of these on our property and they get used about 10 times a day. At this rate, I'm replacing 1 unit every 6 months or so. In the past 4 years, I've bought 8 units to keep gates running; we've had roughly 8 boards fail and 2 arms fail. I've tried tech support, pretty useless, just tell us to return the unit or send the board in for warranty which isn't covered if it's outside 12 months; pointless. The last unit we got has ZERO range, come to find out the antenna mount IS NOT soldered to the board... just barely hanging on by the conformal coating. for that matter, WHY are they even conformal coated. I've had 3 boards fail due to insect poop; what's the point of the coating? I've had two other units, right out of the box, act odd, one needing replaced w/in 3 months due to antenna range dropping to zero and the other w/in 6 months as it needed reset multiple times a day (on/off cycle,) it would click click click but not open the gate... Half of the units don't show a charge light right out of the box, I've just been using a multimeter to confirm charge. We're just throwing money at Mighty Mule at this point; would have been cheaper to install commercial units right off the bat instead of the constant break down and board replacement. royal pain in the ass. I will 100% not be using or installing mighty mule ever again if I have the choice.

So much beefier than my first generation model. Quieter, faster. The first one lasted close to 15 years after a ton of initial problems and a couple of replacements.This one certainly wasn't a bolt in replacement and brought back memories of some of those problems with the first iteration. First, tools. You'll need a 7/16ths bit to go through your gate post and your gate. You probably don't have one. Just about no smaller drill bit kit has them. Certainly not 8 inch models to go through your 6X6 gate post. You got the augur bit? How about the metal bit to go through your gate? Check. I have a garage full of tools, I had neither. 3/8ths and 1/2s? Many, just no 7/16ths.You'll need 16 gauge low voltage wire, I had it, you might not. Certainly you can use alternatives but if you are reading this and don't have a bin full of wire, I just saved you a trip to the store for a $2 item. Why not stick a small roll in?Installation isn't bad, although I didn't start from scratch and had done one years ago, it presented a few challenges. The two inch clearance between the body and the gate isn't necessary (pull configuration). Yeah, you do need clearance though. Know you need a car battery and a water.proof box, they say it, just not very prominently. Also a power outlet or solar. The way this is set up, hooking up a car battery charger to the battery with it hooked up to the gate opener will fry the board. Has to be very low amp charging, which they supply.Great news is, the old remotes work. I have mounted combination model and about 8 single button remotes. Programmed correctly (just once for all, not each), they work, someone else said they didn't. I almost bought another brand because of that comment. Range seems to be suspect though.Last comment, a 1 year warranty for an expensive item seems very lame.

This is the 4th Mighty mule Gate opener I have purchased and installed - since 201FYI the gate gets cycled 5 to 10 times a day (so a estimated 2500+ cycles / year)1st one just wasn't powerful enough for the 300 lb gate - it was still good and I sold it2nd was a refurbished mighty mule ranch hand 360 - lasted 4 years3rd was a new ranch hand 360 - lasted 7 yearsthe 360 was an all in one gate opener & controller box (no longer available)I just bought/installed (3 hrs) the Mighty Mule MM371W - it's back to the old style setup: Gate Controller and Opener are separate. The all-in-one unit was much easier to to install/replace but separating the controller from the gate opener does increase the clarence between the gate and opener allowing for movement of the gate with less adjustment.I am quite happy with speed and noise level of the unit. I like the fact that unit supports additional wired accessories - I added a "door bell" switch to "manually" open/close for the kids and the Vehicle Exit Sensor ( with a Range adjustment board). I moded the wiring and added a toggle switch for the exit wand so I could disconnect the power to it - to turn off the "exit wand" when needed. I did have to drill a hole into the controller box to wire in the the door bell switch & exit wand. I previously ran conduit under the driveway for the exit sensor wiring when I first installed a gate opener.I did add a second BOX to house the outlet and AC Adaptor for the trickle charger for marine battery backup - 1st battery lasted 9 yearsI give them 1 star for tech support this time since they were acquired by "Nice"1. I never got a hold of them when I needed them2. Pre sales Technical support was hard to understand - English is not my 1st language but I make a very concerted effort to speak clearly with enunciation to be understood.I hope this helps