I want to raise my tracks to give me more clearance with my lift. Here's my existing tracks. Can I switch the radius so that shallow side is next to the vertical track and the sharp angle is at the horizontal track and raise the horizontal along with the opener to be that much higher? It looks like it would gain me about 10 inches easily. I don't think that would stress the motor or the springs that much, would it?
no garage door expert, would not hurt to look into electric garage door openers that mount on side wall and not top mounted. you can really maximize open garage door height. really helps out when you have a lift!! charlie,
My other idea was to move it over one panel on the 16' door so that the opener hardware is not over the lifted vehicle. Moving from the right blue circled to the left blue circled area.
Side mount: https://hillsborogaragedoor.repair/why-buy-a-side-mount-garage-door-opener/ I would be concerned about side loading the door/tracks. But try it and see!
They do make tracks for extra lift. This is what I have. In the foreground is the high lift track. The next door over has the standard track design. I also use a side mount opener with the high lift track.
My friend has a 2 post lift with electric side mount door opener. Works great on a two car garage door. Leave the radius pieces the way they are, and fit in some straight pieces below it to get your height. You have high ceiling there, you can add some nice long straight pieces and get the door plenty far up out of the way.
Greg I raised my door to clear my lift. The cables and drums will need to be replaced. Parts and kit can be purchased through DDM garage doors ddmgaragedoors.com Your existing opener will not work due to the door having to raise up before making the turn. The project is not too difficult to accomplish.
Technically, the opener is just moving the door, not supporting the weight since the door is fairly well balanced. It isn't like it is manually hauling the weight of the whole door up is why I think my idea will work. Is your door going up at a 45° angle? If I could get mine up like that, it would work perfectly. All I would need was a 45° elbow instead of a 90° elbow. In reality, if they will install it where I want, I think it will clear the tracks and the opener while the door is down. It is when the door is up that I think the trunk/bed will possibly contact the door.
Yes, the door follows the track. I don't have as big a garage as I would have liked because of local codes. So it can be a little tight for me sometimes, especially with my big Buick tank. But the car doesn't hit the door when it's all the way up on the lift. I do need to keep the trunk closed though. If you're having the opener installed, just tell the installer what you need. They will be able to get it done no problem. Like I said, the factory makes a high lift kit option.
I was wondering if you had thought about you operator in the lift thread. I’m with Bill - get a side winder! Walter, I have never seen tracks like that before. Interesting.
It was installed by the local Overhead Door installer in 2007, knowing full well I intended to install a lift. I was assured all they had to do was add another section vertically. The doors are 8' now, taller than your standard 7' garage door. Another 10" would make them almost 9' tall and would likely clear the trunk of my cars. An additional panel would make them nearly 10' tall and surely clear the trunk of everything but a Tahoe SUV.
You might want to check with the original installer. I still think the cables, and springs, possibly the drums will need to be replaced. The added weight of the extra panel will require stronger balance springs. Your existing opener will work with the extra panel option. Call DDM and see what they think.
At this point, I'm going to wait until the lift is installed and deal with the door situation later. I have seen doors that go nearly straight to the ceiling with no horizontal component at all so I know I can get the space I need one way or another. But looking at it, the spring cable is attached the the bottom of the bottom panel so as long as the door doesn't go higher than the spring wheel assembly, it seems like a tighter spring would suffice. I don't need more travel. I need an altered direction. A little more torque is required but not a significant increase that I can see.
You can figure out what you need now. I assume you know which lift you are getting. You can look up its manual online and get its dimensions and specs. From that you should be able to figure out how high every part of you car can go.
I'm not the installation expert. They may suggest something different than what I want, based on their years of experience. Sometimes being patient is the best option. It looks like procrastination but feels better. LOL
Not saying you need to tell them what to do. But you can clarify the requirements. Ex - I need this much space from here to here and this high.
When you raise the top track the spring wheel assembly need to be raised. High lift drums will also need to be replaced. They help with the initial lift of the closed door.
Oh, definitely, it will go where I want it but it may need to shift over a few inches or farther from the door, etc, based on where I want it. This is one of the things that took me so long to get a lift, I couldn't decide which type I wanted and where I wanted it. I've vacillated between bays and types for so long that I put it out of my mind for nearly a decade.
I hear you. I figured out where to put my lift myself ( I installed it myself). But after it's all done I wish I put it 6 inches further back. But if you are having it installed, they should (in theory) know where to put it.
Just went through this myself literally two weeks ago - as others have suggested, I went with a high lift conversion and side mount opener. It definitely added cost to the project, but I’m happy I did it the right way. I have all the headroom I need and the side mount opener is almost silent going up and down, has a battery backup, and a host of other great features. It’s also twice as fast up and down. I did have to change out my spring assembly, drums, cables, and the track to get everything set. No additional door panels were required and there was no modification necessary to my existing door.
