Can garage door tracks be raised up?

[whizzerick]

My ceiling is 11'4'' high.
When I open the garage door, there is a 4' loss of space between the door and ceiling. The track height also forbids the use of a 4 post lift.

Could the garage door tracks be made to go up to the ceiling (or close to it)?

Is this common or is it a stupid question?

Any input?

 

[bobbyd]

Que nova65ss.

 

[bimmer95]

Yes, absolutely. I cut 30" off the back of my horizontal track section and spliced it in between the vertical and radius portions of my garage door track to extend it from 7 1/2 foot to 10 foot. You can also replace the entire track with a "high lift" track if you're not comfortable with modifying your existing track. You will need new high lift drums, cables and a new torsion spring designed to work in that configuration.

Before:

After:

 

[bobbyd]

Any plans or have you installed an opener bimmer?

 

[bimmer95]

I'm using a Liftmaster MJ jackshaft opener, works great.

 

[JohnZ]

Here's my high-lift sectional door with a 12' ceiling - doors are 8' x 18', added a 24" tall dummy panel to the top of the 8' door in the lift bay to get the right geometry for translating the initial vertical pull to horizontal pull from the opener. Horizontal tracks are 8" from the ceiling, operator track is 1" from the ceiling at the header and about 2-1/2" at the operator; ordinary Lift-Master opener, no "special" parts needed anywhere. I can open the door all the way with a car at full working height on the lift.

 

[whizzerick]

JohnZ, that is exactly what I want to do, thanks for the pic, man!

 

[whizzerick]

One more thing. That 'dummy' panel could be fabricated out of anything, right?

 

[AndrewM]

How much did the new drum, cables, and springs run you? Did you have them professionally installed? (I think our spring install when our main garage door broke ran around $150... worth it to me not to have to jack with it)

If I could have this done for $300-$400, I'd do it. I'm in the same boat. 11' 4" ceiling, regular 8' garage door. I shortened my rail (to the vertical hangar) to where it sits within 1" of my rear hatch window when the car's on the lift, but that's still not full height.

 

[bimmer95]

The drums, cables and new spring were about $200 total from americandoorsupply.com. I did my own install because the local garage door companies were only interested in selling me a $2500 garage door replacement instead simply modifying the existing tracks.

 

[bigvic]

One more thing. That 'dummy' panel could be fabricated out of anything, right?

I too would like to know more about the dummy panel. I am in the process of building my shop with 12' eaves, but I will be using 8' tall sectionals due to limited funds. However, I would really like to have the tracks to to the eaves.

Since I will be ordering the higher tracks from the get-go do any of you foresee additional costs with the higher tracks?

Sorry for the thread hijack.

 

[nova65ss]

I too would like to know more about the dummy panel. I am in the process of building my shop with 12' eaves, but I will be using 8' tall sectionals due to limited funds. However, I would really like to have the tracks to to the eaves.

Since I will be ordering the higher tracks from the get-go do any of you foresee additional costs with the higher tracks?

Sorry for the thread hijack.

Depending on the size of the door and amount of lift it is usually about 65-75 bucks per 15" of additional lift, plus the cost of the dummy section or sections. Anytime you are more than say 18" of high lift it should have a dummy section. It's not a must to have them but the door just runs better with a drawbar operator. You can always just extend the arm down with angle iron but at some point during the doors travel the opener has to catch up with the speed of the door and it tends to jerk and not run smmothly.

The section can be made out of anything I have seen the made of angle iron on smaller doors. On a big door that's not an option, usually we just use a section that has been scratched or a little damaged being that it won't be visible from the outside.

Jimmy

 

[JohnZ]

How much did the new drum, cables, and springs run you? Did you have them professionally installed? (I think our spring install when our main garage door broke ran around $150... worth it to me not to have to jack with it)

If I could have this done for $300-$400, I'd do it. I'm in the same boat. 11' 4" ceiling, regular 8' garage door. I shortened my rail (to the vertical hangar) to where it sits within 1" of my rear hatch window when the car's on the lift, but that's still not full height.

I just called my garage door guy, told him what I wanted, gave him a diagram I got from a garage door site, and he did the conversion - took him about four hours, cost me a little less than $400.00.

 

[dickpribyl]

I just called my garage door guy, told him what I wanted, gave him a diagram I got from a garage door site, and he did the conversion - took him about four hours, cost me a little less than $400.00.

Excellent to be reading this! I am getting ready to move into new construction with three car garage and 12' ceilings. Builder installed high tracks which put the doors at 9 feet in open position.

I want to add about 30 inches to vertical track, and a couple of dummy sections to achieve same effect. The one garage door outfit I stopped by was talking $1000 per garage for the work! Pretty absurd.

 

[sirstude]

My ceiling is a cathederal type, and I just cut a pie shaped piece out of where the horizontal and vertical tracks meet. The door track now follows the ceiling and works great.

Doug

Excellent to be reading this! I am getting ready to move into new construction with three car garage and 12' ceilings. Builder installed high tracks which put the doors at 9 feet in open position.

I want to add about 30 inches to vertical track, and a couple of dummy sections to achieve same effect. The one garage door outfit I stopped by was talking $1000 per garage for the work! Pretty absurd.

 

[bmwpower]

I want to add about 30 inches to vertical track, and a couple of dummy sections to achieve same effect. The one garage door outfit I stopped by was talking $1000 per garage for the work! Pretty absurd.

What company did you get the quote from, if you don't mind me asking?