garage door rollers

[clyde]

Anyone know anything about replacing garage door rollers? Looks like it shouldn't be that difficult...but I've fallen for that trap before.

[FC]

Slightly OT: I just bought all sorts of parts for replacing garage springs, cables, etc. No rollers though. They appear to still be good.

Rollers though, seem annoying as you somehow need to get them inside the track. I suppose it depends on the door, but my guess is that it will be a PITA. I think if it's a roller at the top of the door that may prove easiest. Just a guess from memory. Good luck.

[Rob]

I have replaced rollers into the garage door track when the garage door screwed up and it wasn't that hard. I don't know about getting them out of the track or replacing them though.

[lupinsea]

I've worked on a couple commercial garage doors replacing rollers, springs, paneling and a bunch of stuff. It was a big enough project we used the forklift.

Seems to me the rollers weren't too bad but it's be a long time ago. Any chance of you posting a photo of what your garage door? I'd go look at mine but it's a single big panel that pivots up . . . no rollers.

But, I'd think that you could unbolt the roller assembly and pivot it out of the track? I think the tracks have a radiused area pointing into the garage so that as the door rolls up the wheels will ride in the radiused area. The opposite side of the track (facing out or the outer wall of the garage) I think is flat.

[clyde]

Looks like the rollers come assembled units (wheel, bearing & arm) and what you're supposed to do is unbolt the hinge from the door, pull the roller out, stick the new one in, and bolt the hinge back to the door. The bottom most hinges usually (and I think this applies to mine...need to look at it in better light, though) also serve as the mounting plate for the cable that attaches to the springs. The door needs to be in the up position and supported to get the tension off the spring to replace those.

By my quick examination this evening, those two "looked" okay and I'll probably leave them until they're falling apart like some of the others are now, or it gets warmer. The rest of them...boy, I'm surprised the thing is still working.

What I'm most worried about right now is whether the garage door is rotted at all around what are probably carriage bolts securing the hinges. There are some kind of painted over plugs on the exterior of the door hiding the heads. Just one of those things that doesn't take much effort to imagine getting ugly before it gets pretty. The joys of homeownership, I guess.

[FC]

Looks like the rollers come assembled units (wheel, bearing & arm) and what you're supposed to do is unbolt the hinge from the door, pull the roller out, stick the new one in, and bolt the hinge back to the door. The bottom most hinges usually (and I think this applies to mine...need to look at it in better light, though) also serve as the mounting plate for the cable that attaches to the springs. The door needs to be in the up position and supported to get the tension off the spring to replace those.

By my quick examination this evening, those two "looked" okay and I'll probably leave them until they're falling apart like some of the others are now, or it gets warmer. The rest of them...boy, I'm surprised the thing is still working.

What I'm most worried about right now is whether the garage door is rotted at all around what are probably carriage bolts securing the hinges. There are some kind of painted over plugs on the exterior of the door hiding the heads. Just one of those things that doesn't take much effort to imagine getting ugly before it gets pretty. The joys of homeownership, I guess.

Oh, I could have told you that the roller is in fact sold as an assemby ($8, IIRC).

My doors are old, heavy, wooden P'sOS and it bothers me to spend the time and money to replace the springs on one of them, but I don't feel like spending however many thousands they will cost to replace just now. Maybe next year.

[kognito]

Clyde, your assembly might be different that what I had, but, I found it easiest to get the roller assembly out of the track at the arc of the top curve.

I used the remote "clicker" to stop the door with each roller I wanted to replace in this spot in the curve.

This also positioned the work at an easy eye level for me to do each swap out.

[Rob]

You might want to get an estimate on replacing the door. If it is rotted, than at least you will know what you are up against.

I was about to day door replacements aren't that expensive, but then I remembered that not everybody uses crap doors that bend when you look at them and don't weigh anything. Insulated doors are rare around here and wooden ones are practically non-existent.

[lupinsea]

You might want to get an estimate on replacing the door. If it is rotted, than at least you will know what you are up against.

I was about to day door replacements aren't that expensive, but then I remembered that not everybody uses crap doors that bend when you look at them and don't weigh anything. Insulated doors are rare around here and wooden ones are practically non-existent.

:+1 to pretty much everything that the former RWG said.

On my door I have the main anchor plates coming loose. The lag bolts holding them in place have stripped out the wood holes they're in. Nothing is in imminent danger of falling out of place (and it's been like this for a while by the looks of it) but I should re-drill the anchor plates and add some more lag bolts.

Thanks for reminding me of some home maintenance to do.

[clyde]

The bottom most hinges usually (and I think this applies to mine...need to look at it in better light, though) also serve as the mounting plate for the cable that attaches to the springs. The door needs to be in the up position and supported to get the tension off the spring to replace those.

By my quick examination this evening, those two "looked" okay and I'll probably leave them until they're falling apart like some of the others are now, or it gets warmer.

Note to self: Check previous notes before starting work on project. :irate:

Real Team WTF?! moment right there...

[FC]

As long as you are alright... Big springs can be dangerous.

[clyde]

As long as you are alright... Big springs can be dangerous.
Thanks. :)

It would be too much of a PITA to fully detail my stupidity. I just passed a point of no return where I had to change what I was doing to prevent drama or a close call from happening. Fortunately, I realized it and all I did was add some complexity and cost to the project instead of a hospital visit or worse.