Power Drill Opens Heavy Shop Door

Power Drill Opens Heavy Shop Door FARM SHOP Miscellaneous 32-3-37 Instead of spending $1,000 to install a door opener for his old shop door, Fred Davison bought a $50 reversible drill and rigged up a pulley system. He simply uses the drill to open and close the 16 by 12-ft. wooden door. The Highwood, Montana, semi-retired rancher welded a 2-in. pulley on a steel shaft that fits into the drill. The drill turns a belt on the pulley, which is connected to an 11-in. pulley with a 2-in. sprocket on the end. That sprocket connects No. 40 chain to 2-in. sprockets at the bottom and top of the door. Small bolts connect the chain to an iron strap bolted on the bottom of the door to move it up or down when the drill is turned on. The drill and pulleys are secured and aligned to the shop wall with scrap iron brackets. A rod is also attached to the drill and held in place to maintain the right belt tension. "You have to make everything in line," Davison notes, adding he wasn't sure if pulling the heavy door up on the side would work. But it has worked well for three years. "It's just fun to operate. My wife, Kathleen likes it too," Davison says. Before his drill door opener, the couple pulled the door up by hand with a rope. With materials and labor costs to install it, Davison estimates the opener cost about $250. He can make plans or kit assemblies available for sale to anyone interested. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Fred Davison, Many Hills Ranch, 1979 Upper Highwood Creek Road, Highwood, Montana 59450 (ph 406 733-5031; davisonfred@ yahoo.com).

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