I had a local handyman replace my 20+ year old Craftsman garage door opener with a new Craftsman. The project involved a new chain & guide and the motor assemble. Curious as to what other were paying for this job. Ed
Garage opener replacement cost?
- Thread starter Eddie
- Start date
- Status
JHZR2
Staff member
How much are the machines? $75-100 maybe? How much time does it take, especially if the interfaces remain identical? An hour or two? What does a handyman charge? $50/hr?
Estimates are easy. Id DIY personally, that one is a simple job.
Estimates are easy. Id DIY personally, that one is a simple job.
I paid $175. Needed two new hangers for the motor assembly and new wood to mount the end of the guide rail. It appears he charges about $30/hour. I could have done it 10 years ago but, at 76 years old and with a replaced shoulder, I can't handle overhead jobs that require some muscle. Ed
Last edited:
Garage door hangers are well understood and surprisingly simple. Punched steel hung from the rafters.
The hangers carry barely any load. The lifting force is transferred through the chain/cable/belt guide to the header above the garage door.
A 20 year old Craftsman GDO is almost certainly a Chamberlin chain drive model. A replacement is likely a belt drive. They have a slightly different mounting scheme, so you can't just replace the drive unit and loop around the existing chain. But it is pretty easy to substitute the new unit.
First take out the pin that connects the door bar to the carriage. Move to the motor unit, disconnect the wires, unbolt the motor unit from the hanger, and lower it to the floor. It will pivot on the pin at the garage door. Take out that pin. Assemble the new unit, and reverse the process.
The hangers carry barely any load. The lifting force is transferred through the chain/cable/belt guide to the header above the garage door.
A 20 year old Craftsman GDO is almost certainly a Chamberlin chain drive model. A replacement is likely a belt drive. They have a slightly different mounting scheme, so you can't just replace the drive unit and loop around the existing chain. But it is pretty easy to substitute the new unit.
First take out the pin that connects the door bar to the carriage. Move to the motor unit, disconnect the wires, unbolt the motor unit from the hanger, and lower it to the floor. It will pivot on the pin at the garage door. Take out that pin. Assemble the new unit, and reverse the process.
If you go to the Home Depot website, you can get a reasonable quote including the opener of your choice.
The big advantage of paying for it to be done is that they should install a contractor opener. The contractor opener is one piece, the diy opener is two piece to enable home owners to fit it into their vehicle to take home.
Also, a belt drive is definitely preferred to a chain drive for quietness. And the wall mount versions might be an option worth considering.
The big advantage of paying for it to be done is that they should install a contractor opener. The contractor opener is one piece, the diy opener is two piece to enable home owners to fit it into their vehicle to take home.
Also, a belt drive is definitely preferred to a chain drive for quietness. And the wall mount versions might be an option worth considering.
I changed the motor and chain once about 10-12 years ago for less than $100, I bought the full replacement from Sears and it was on sale for less than motor alone. DIY took me about 1-1.5 hour.
Gee. Where were you guys who will do it for $75 to $100? The new unit, 1/2 HP chain drive was orig $199 and I ended up paying $149 with tax. I should have asked what they charged to install it.
JTK
$100 Site Donor 2025
I've got a heavy, old 16ft wooden door that broke a torsion spring a year or two ago. I had a local outfit do a complete lift hardware rebuild. Both springs replaced, new 16ft tube, new pulleys and cables and adjust existing Sears door opener. All in was a hefty $370. Some weeks later the E-lift pooped out. The nylon gears were totally worn out. We've been lifting it with two fingers ever since. LOL.
If you have a competent handyman working for 30 bucks an hour keep a hold of his number and treat him well.
Black Friday a new opener is 100 bucks, so if you got anything decent for double that I'd be pretty happy.
Black Friday a new opener is 100 bucks, so if you got anything decent for double that I'd be pretty happy.
My Sears Craftsman died after 24 yrs. Bought a Lowes opener. Took 2+ hours to change, nothing fit the same. This one had the light beams you had to hook up also or wouldn't work. New unit does have easier adjustments.
I spent $324 for a new craftsman chain drive unit installed so I am happy based on what I am reading here. Yes, a new safety light beam system had to be installed also or the door wouldn't work. Ed
- Status