Patent ID: 7107722

Claim:
A gate operator for selectively opening and closing a gate, the gate operator comprising: an arm having a first end pivotably connectable to the gate and a second end having a thread thereon; a threaded screw for engaging the thread of the arm; a motor having an output for rotating the threaded screw to extend or retract the arm relative to the motor, the motor output having a worm gear; and a transmission having one or more interchangeable gear sets, the transmission being positioned between the threaded screw and the motor for rotating the threaded screw via the motor output, each gear set having a different predetermined gear ratio to allow the same motor to be used with different gate sizes, the gear set having first and second shafts having longitudinal axes generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the motor worm gear, the first shaft having a worm gear for engaging the motor output worm gear and an idler gear, the second shaft having an idler gear for engaging the first shaft idler gear and a worm gear for driving a gear attached to the threaded screw, the first shaft idler gear and the second shaft idler gear interchangeable effective to provide the predetermined gear ratio.