Remove Horizontal Rails and Motor but Keep Door

[jdkmundo]

Hi, first time poster here, I’ve looked through as many posts as I can related to the topic but most are around installing high lifts or replacing the door type altogether.

I am installing a golf simulator in my garage and the rails for a 3rd car garage are too low to fit the enclosure. I want to be able to hit towards the garage door to have a nice space by all the garage cabinets I just installed. My question is, can I just remove the horizontal rails and motor and leave the door “decommissioned”? The final wheel is in the bend so I was thinking about cutting a small piece of straight rail and attaching it to the vertical rail to make sure it stays up. And then I want to find some way to lock it from opening.

I would leave the spring and cables alone as I want nothing to do with it. Does this sound reasonable? The idea is if I ever needed to convert it back I could just put the pieces back.

If that checks out, what are some good ways to lock it other than vice clamps? I guess something a little more permanent.

 

[nadogail]

Hi, first time poster here, I’ve looked through as many posts as I can related to the topic but most are around installing high lifts or replacing the door type altogether.

I am installing a golf simulator in my garage and the rails for a 3rd car garage are too low to fit the enclosure. I want to be able to hit towards the garage door to have a nice space by all the garage cabinets I just installed. My question is, can I just remove the horizontal rails and motor and leave the door “decommissioned”? The final wheel is in the bend so I was thinking about cutting a small piece of straight rail and attaching it to the vertical rail to make sure it stays up. And then I want to find some way to lock it from opening.

I would leave the spring and cables alone as I want nothing to do with it. Does this sound reasonable? The idea is if I ever needed to convert it back I could just put the pieces back.

If that checks out, what are some good ways to lock it other than vice clamps? I guess something a little more permanent.

Welcome to the Forum.

Without Pictures, I am unable to visualize your situation.

Perhaps the installer of your Golf Simulator can offer a suggestion.

 

[jdkmundo]

Welcome to the Forum.

Without Pictures, I am unable to visualize your situation.

Perhaps the installer of your Golf Simulator can offer a suggestion.

Thanks! I’ll be the installer of the golf simulator

But let me take some pictures when I get home from work and I will post them.

 

[Colin Len]

This can for sure be done. Unfortunately I don't remember the exact method my dad used but in their last house he walled off the single bay of a 3 car garage, "decommissioned" the door and turned it into a shop while the 2 car side remained garage space. He kept most everything in tact but removed the opener itself. When they moved out he just reinstalled the opener and it functioned like normal for the new owner.

 

[GreyOwl]

I think on most doors, the horizontal track assembly includes the mounting plates/bearings for the spring and hub assemblies which also includes the cables. You may have to cut the track in order to not remove the spring, hubs and cables.
It would be only a matter of bolting back together with a short splice plate to return it to operation.

 

[jdkmundo]

Excuse all the cardboard from the cabinets but here’s a couple pictures of the 3rd car garage.

 

[jdkmundo]

I think on most doors, the horizontal track assembly includes the mounting plates/bearings for the spring and hub assemblies which also includes the cables. You may have to cut the track in order to not remove the spring, hubs and cables.
It would be only a matter of bolting back together with a short splice plate to return it to operation.

Oh, so for that I was thinking, the spring and cables are bolted into the front wall as well as connected to the curved/horizontal section with that angle piece. Annoyingly, the angle piece is riveted to the horizontal rail so my thought was to unbolt the spring shaft from the rail temporarily (it should still be supported by the wall as far as I can tell), remove the rail, then put a similar maybe shorter angle piece back as a non destructive method.

But maybe cutting at the end of the curve/angle piece would be an even easier solution. Most likely if I ever had to recommissioned I would hire it out.

 

[jdkmundo]

Oh, so for that I was thinking, the spring and cables are bolted into the front wall as well as connected to the curved/horizontal section with that angle piece. Annoyingly, the angle piece is riveted to the horizontal rail so my thought was to unbolt the spring shaft from the rail temporarily (it should still be supported by the wall as far as I can tell), remove the rail, then put a similar maybe shorter angle piece back as a non destructive method.

But maybe cutting at the end of the curve/angle piece would be an even easier solution. Most likely if I ever had to recommissioned I would hire it out.

From your suggestion, could cut it here with no interference?

 

[firebirdparts]

It's no problem at all to do.

When you remove the top track, the top section of the door will come loose, as the curved section will be gone. You need to pop a few nails Into the door frame to hold the top section closed, or you may decide you want something a little meatier than that for security.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

If the door doesn't have locks you can screw a 2x4 (or similar) into the header to block the door closed.

 

[nadogail]

To keep the door from opening you could drill holes in the vertical tracks and add Bolts & Nuts to block the rollers.

 

[GreyOwl]

Since your shaft bearing plates are bolted to the horizontal rail instead of being riveted, you should be fine removing it. I would add a mounting plate to attach the bearing plate to the vertical mount just to prevent it from twisting.

 

[CraigStu]

I 'think' you should relieve the tension on the spring before you do anything else. Once that is done you can unbolt the horizontal track and the angle piece that extends to the wall. The plate that the shaft goes through is bolted to both the wall and the horizontal angle piece. W/o spring tension, the wall bolts will be strong enough to support the weight of the shaft. To keep the top door section from flopping down, you may be able to remove the 3 bolts holding the top roller to the door. It 'may' work out that you could swap the roller assemble to the other side of the door and install it upside down. Put the 2 bolts into the 2 existing holes and see if my guess is correct that the roller will fit into the very top of the remaining vertical track.

 

[jdkmundo]

Hi All,

Thank you for the suggestions! Ended up cutting the horizontal rail and using some wood to lock the door down. Super solid and never had to touch the torsion setup.

Decided to not go with the unbolt solution because the top wheel on the door sticks out further than the others so it wouldn’t fit in a vertical rail extension like I was thinking. I’m sure I could buy a replacement piece but I don’t really want to spend extra when I could just cut the rail.

Problem solved!

 

[Cardboard Man]

It's too late now, but I would have cut the track between the rivets and ground off the second rivet to get the track free. That way, when the time comes to re-install the track, you can just bolt it back on to the angle iron reinforcement. As it is now you can't.