Garage door opener?

[demillo]

Picked up a garage door opener tonight. Going to take it apart. I'm wondering if anyone has done one of these and what I might expect to find inside? I'm expecting a motor...beyond that, not really sure

[greytruck]

Yes you will get a motor, Some wires, The back plate is cast aluminum, Small transformer and the heavy duty aluminum rail with a metal rod with grease on it. I think there is a small circut board in there too

[Russell]

Yes, I do several a week. The track is sometimes aluminum but usually steel. Motor, wire, small lowgrade board, cast alum around the motor. You're not going to get rich off of them.

[iScrap]

All rails I've come across in which the trolley rides along have been steel. As for getting "rich" he might not get rich off the one item but he'll be able to add to his pile.

[happyscraper]

He will also add to his knowlage as to what it is like to break it down

[Gnraxlrose88]

Look under Scrap Metal Videos. I posted a video of one I scrapped.

[demillo]

Took apart this evening--very easy, and as already states, more knowledge!

[injunjoe]

Don't over look the many very useful ways to use these openers!

Need soup stock? Just use the remote, the pantry comes out of the wall stocked!

[Andyboy]

I have an outbuilding with electricity but no switched circuit from my house. I removed the motor and rail from an old garage door opener and used the remains to have a remote triggered light at the outbuilding. I added another light fixture outside the building connected to the opener's light inside. These lights in and outside the outbuilding stay on for only 3 minutes. That gives me enough time at night to see my way to the outbuilding and turn on a light. The wall mounted door opener button in the outbuilding gives me 3 minutes of light to find my way back to the house when I'm done.

The rails usually have a "T" cross-section which gives them a decent amount of strength and stability compared to angle iron. Some brands like Liftmaster have rails in one piece.

I like to weld and fabricate odds and ends from scrap and now that I have a steady supply of door openers, most things I make have some door opener somewhere in them vs. before when they had some bed frame in them.

[newattitude]

Thats some pretty good thinking Andyboy!

demillo, I love garage door openers, they are a bit of a challenge to get apart sometimes but the rails I have come across have been aluminum. And lots of grease on the rails and rod inside!