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Shop Door
- Thread starter B0B
- Start date
Ct Farmer
Senior Member
Is this is one of the ones with the springs on a rod directly above the door? If so they are not that bad to change you just need to be careful when putting tension on or off them. Usually there are 2 springs one on each side of the center bearing support. Wound in opposite directions. The collar on the end should have holes for you to put a bar in to adjust tension.
You need 2 bars. Hold the tension with a bar before letting off the locking set screws! Use the 2 bars to walk the the tension up or down. Once both springs are totally loose you can remove the end support and change the spring. Replace support and adjust tension evenly on springs.
Obviously you do this with the door down. Staging helps and it really goes better if you have 2 people when doing tension. You must loosen both springs. There is a lot of force on the springs have good bars that fit well in the sockets.
You need 2 bars. Hold the tension with a bar before letting off the locking set screws! Use the 2 bars to walk the the tension up or down. Once both springs are totally loose you can remove the end support and change the spring. Replace support and adjust tension evenly on springs.
Obviously you do this with the door down. Staging helps and it really goes better if you have 2 people when doing tension. You must loosen both springs. There is a lot of force on the springs have good bars that fit well in the sockets.
My door is quite large. The spring is internal in the drum roller. I understand how to adjust it ive just never done one this big before. I will need to pin the door up and remove the whole roller assembly.
Tinkerer
Senior Member
I have done many of them. It is not a job for an amateur. I know a man that had one of the rods cut his forearm open so bad it required surgery.
Have a professional replace your spring.
I just read your post about pinning the door up. Could you post a photo of the spring and shaft ?
I have never seen a door that had to be up to be serviced.
Seems to be a very bad idea.
Have a professional replace your spring.
I just read your post about pinning the door up. Could you post a photo of the spring and shaft ?
I have never seen a door that had to be up to be serviced.
Seems to be a very bad idea.
Steve Bowman
Well-Known Member
Plenty of good advice already. Certainly applies with a Conventional Spring.
The drum type roll up doors at our plant have the internal springs. The dealer says they are not replaceable. Must replace the whole door. We have one like that now.
I would think the whole door would need to be rolled off of the drum before you could tell for sure.
The drum type roll up doors at our plant have the internal springs. The dealer says they are not replaceable. Must replace the whole door. We have one like that now.
I would think the whole door would need to be rolled off of the drum before you could tell for sure.
92U 3406
Senior Member
Same advice you got on the other site. Seek professional help.
Steve Bowman
Well-Known Member
I might disagree. With a conventional sectional door(or any door for that matter), most of the tension is off of the springs already, when the door is up. Makes for a much easier adjustment - provided the supporting track is horizontal, and carrying the weight.
Frequently that also makes it hard to reach the springs.
Most springs have a line painted on them when they are relaxed. As you turn tension on it, you can then count the total turns. Your door should have a recommendation for the number of turns as a starting point.
Last edited:
Sorry I didnt mean rolled up just pinned up to help hold the weight of the door from damaging itself. I spoke to a local service company and they told me that the drum will need to be cut apart to replace the spring.
hosspuller
Senior Member
Just had my garage door totally replaced. 12 years ago I replaced the springs. springs broke for the second time. Used two 1/2 diameter steel bars to walk the torsion springs.
Point of post: I learned from the installer, balance springs come in different life ratings for a given door size/weight Every spring gets fatigue and breaks. Larger coil, wire diameter and length cost more but last for more cycles. Ask the question of your door installer.
Point of post: I learned from the installer, balance springs come in different life ratings for a given door size/weight Every spring gets fatigue and breaks. Larger coil, wire diameter and length cost more but last for more cycles. Ask the question of your door installer.
Tinkerer
Senior Member
I have adjusted drums not springs with the door up several times. The exact same tension can be obtained on both cables by doing that.
I agree that you can adjust the springs with the door up. It is just too difficult and dangerous to raise a door without some tension on the springs. Even with the door up how do you determine how much tension is needed with it up ? Tooo little and the door could drop like a rock.
A rule of thumb for most doors is one full rotation on the springs for each foot of door height. That should enable the door to be opened and determine how much more or less tension is needed on the springs.
In an emergency a broken spring can be put back in service temporarily by slightly overlapping the broken section and clamping it with a quarter inch cable clamp.
hosspuller; good information from your installer.
I agree that you can adjust the springs with the door up. It is just too difficult and dangerous to raise a door without some tension on the springs. Even with the door up how do you determine how much tension is needed with it up ? Tooo little and the door could drop like a rock.
A rule of thumb for most doors is one full rotation on the springs for each foot of door height. That should enable the door to be opened and determine how much more or less tension is needed on the springs.
In an emergency a broken spring can be put back in service temporarily by slightly overlapping the broken section and clamping it with a quarter inch cable clamp.
hosspuller; good information from your installer.
Tugger2
Senior Member
I considered rollup doors when i built my shop and went with sliding instead. 8'x 12' doors on the heaviest barn door track i could buy. It opens almost the whole front of the shop up . They have worked well for 5 years now.
DMiller
Senior Member
Only bad part of side sliders is air leakage in winter and small critter entry, if you can manage the cold not a issue, critters well that's up to each and all.
Tugger2
Senior Member
Worst of it is ,the shop is pretty small for what im up to so the doors are open all the time anyhow.Sliders or rollup out goes the heat, just lucky we dont have a lot of sub zero here just wet .
DMiller
Senior Member
Crane house does not seem to have a whole lot of room for working. 4 cyl Detroit or 6? Overhauling house or systems?
Tugger2
Senior Member
I lifted it off the carrier and set it on a skid to move inside,the work you go through when your shops too small. Its a 75ton i bought after it had been flopped on its side. No serious structural damage just bent tinwork. Im cleaning up some tin off a parts machine , going to do the torque and reseal the vert.swing shaft. Its a 4/71 runs good and has hydrostatic swing.