Doug White wrote:
I know there are a couple of experienced garage door opener experts in
the group. I have one ancient Sears one that ate its gears, and a twin
in the second garage that it headed for the same fate. They are about
25 years old, and replacment gears are no longer available, from Sears,
or Chamberlain, who made them.

I bought the the new style gear and machined the center out and made a
steel bolt in hub. Working great for the past 5 years.


There's quite a bit of perfectly useable hardware all set to go. What I
was wondering is if I have a good chance of being able to replace just
the main drive box, while keeping the rail & such in place. I looked at
some new ones at Sears, and the rail/carrier design doesn't appear to
have changed significantly. I could go cheap & just get another chain
system. The alternative (assuming they use compatible rails) would be to
go for a belt drive system to get something a bit quieter.

Is this a possibility, or am I pretty much stuck with replacing the whole
shebang? Any other suggestions or comments welcome.

Thanks!

Doug White