Originally Posted by
FBT
Well I guess mine saved me some misery today.
It is in the shop parked for winter, or until I take it to Ben in Feb. I had just slid the garage door down and turned to walk away before the door botttomed out.
I heard a big bang, and went to the floor, I heard a big thump at the left rear tire.
The tubular shaft that runs across the header beam that has the two springs on it failed. Actually, a bearing at the very end of the shaft had seized up. Over a period of years it sawed through the shaft. It finished sawing today. When it cut through it instantly released the spring tension on the failed side, and doubled it on the other. The cable that raises and lowers the door came loose, and whipped across the room like a martial arts device. The thump I heard was the cable smacking the tire. The door wound up with one side on the floor, and the other side 3 inches off the floor. In a genuine bound up tight position.
$300 later it is all fixed.
Glad I had the Rzr parked there.
If this garage door arrangement sounds familiar take a bottle of WD-40 or 3in1 oil and locate those bearings and lubricate them once a year or so. They are at either end of the shaft the springs are on, in a sheet metal bracket that supports the spring shaft assembly, right next to the pulleys the lifting cables run on.
This door assembly is 30 years old, I have never lubed those bearings before.
I won't do that again.