Belt drives are strong enough for average home needs but chain drives can do the truly heavy lifting.
Garage door opener belt versus chain.
It uses a chain running assembly unit attached to tension springs that lift the garage door up and down.
When comparing the chain drive garage door opener and the belt drive system you will notice that the belt drive is much quieter.
Other installation features are similar to that of belts the chain is joined with an adjustable clip and driven by a sprocket on top of the motor.
Garage doors are limited to move at no more than 7 or 8 inches per second.
The noise from the chain drive which is made from the gearing motor and metal to metal contact leaves this type of opener at a disadvantage.
The chains used on residential garage door openers typically have higher tensile strength and greater lifting capacity than belts.
This garage door opener works by moving gears and metal parts together.
Chain drive openers are popular in industrial settings.
Garage door openers with a belt drive system are newer in technology and use a rubber belt along the moving track to open and close the door.
Belt drive garage openers use a rubber belt to open the garage door.
Like a chain drive the belt drive operates by moving the rubber belt.
Large heavy or wood doors often require the installation of a chain drive garage door opener.
Being smoother belt drives tend to run faster than chain type openers.