Differences Between A Single And A Dual Gate Opener
There are a few differences between single and dual gate openers. One of the major differences is that the dual opener comes with a secondary actuator arm. Since two gate leaves need opening, installing one for each leaf is necessary. The one further from the control board will have a longer cable. Each cable will have a different port to plug into on the control board. The actuator arms are the same length as the dual linear gate opener.
Single linear gate operators are powered by either AC power and a battery or a solar panel connected to a battery. It is the same thing with dual gate operators. Only one power source is needed. The only difference with the power is that the duty cycle is shorter on solar-powered dual gate openers. The duty cycle is continuous for single and dual gate openers if running off AC power. The duty cycle is defined as the number of times a gate can open and close without overheating. This is usually expressed as a percentage. For example, if a gate operator has a 50% duty cycle and it takes 30 seconds to open the gate, the operator should "rest" for another 30 seconds before it opens again. Without a "rest" period, the motor can be overheated and eventually stop working.
Single gate openers use less electricity than dual gate openers. This means if using a solar-powered battery to operate the gate opener, the dual gate opener will draw more power from the battery. This usually is not a concern, but depending on how often the solar-powered gate is being used, there may be a chance of waiting for the battery to recharge before being used again. All dual swing or slide gate openers will include all the necessary hardware and mounting brackets needed for installation.