Modification of garage door possible?

[Bill]

Keith -

You still need the bend in the arm to clear the door as it comes up.

I phrased it poorly. I meant that she could buy another two-part connecting arm, and discard the curved piece of the new arm - retaining, of course, both the curved piece and the straight piece of the old arm.

So far my impression has been that if something needs to be raised, it all has to be.

Well, I know I stated that in my original post (which I deleted after some thought, some on-line review, and a few minutes of staring at my own garage door), but I don't think it is true. The door hangs between the side rails and if it is high enough to clear your TM, there is no reason to raise it. The center track (with the chain) is above the level of the side rails. Its placement vertically is somewhat arbitrary, and can be changed (as Keith stated) within a reasonable range. The only requirement is that the connecting arm be long enough to reach from the traveller/trolley on the center track to the attachment point at the top of the door. When the door is up, you can see that it is attached to the door at a substantial angle, and you must retain a similar angle.

Using a pro for something like this is never a bad idea. But I guess my point is that it is not a major alteration, and you should be able to find a pro for WAY LESS than the cost of an entirely new door, opener, and hardware.

Bill

[OneMoBear]

Ok, so you guys are making me think twice. I took a few more pictures. The clearance decreases toward the back of the TM and garage. Not a lot but the track is slightly off level.

So, do you think it would be worth trying to see if we could just move the support bolt up one hole on the far end? Pics 2 & 4. It would be really close but might give us what we need.

Thanks again,
Malinda

[Keith Wire]

Melinda,

Just making sure we are both thinking the same thing... By support bolts you mean the ones shown in the second and fourth pictures, right?

If yes, then sure I'd give it a try. But be careful that you don't try to pull too hard on the track to raise it to the next hole. You do NOT want to bend or warp the track in any way. If you do the door rollers might pinch as the door came up. But you should be able to tell if there is enough "play" or "slack" in the track to move it up one hole just by taking the bolt out.

If I were a betting man I'd bet there was plenty of room. Especially since you said the track is slightly off level.

If there still isn't enough room for the TM to fully open, the only thing left is to raise the track. I would think a contractor could just add a couple inches of track to the bottom of the track. I believe he would have to also raise the torsion spring also by the same amount (as Bill had earlier said). That doesn't sound too bad if there is room at the door header to remount the spring, but if not they would have to figure out a way to extend the header...

Keith

[Bill]

OK, I guess I've missed the point here, and I apologize. I was under the impression that we were talking about the center track - the one that carries the traveller/trolley, the one shown in the third pic. You guys are talking about raising the side tracks, the ones that carry the wheels at the edge of the door. Disregard all my blathering.

Bill

[OneMoBear]

Hardly blathering Bill. I really appreciate all your input. Sorry for the delay in the response, life got in the way. We can't really progress until we can take the TM out of the garage but I'll keep you posted!

Thanks again for all the great ideas!
Malinda