Garage Door Rollers

5 Things You Should Know
About Buying Garage Door Rollers

The most common garage doors works on a very simple principle: the door is made up of several panels which are hinged together. With the help of rollers, this door is made to roll along a designated tracks. And thus, garage door rollers are imperative to the opening and closing of the door. One can even say that the rollers are one of the most hard-working devices in a garage door.

There are some things that one must understand about rollers in order to buy them, use them and maintain them.

1) Size of the Roller
The most common size (diametrically) for a garage door roller is 2" (the size usually varies between either 2" or 3"). The length of the roller stem also matters which usually comes in 4", 7" or 9".

2) Coated or Not
Rollers are made up of steel. However, nylon-coated steel rollers are also available in the market. Nylon-coating makes the roller quieter vibration free. Therefore it is beneficial to use nylon-coated rollers in home garage doors. Chamberlain has a special range of ‘guide rollers’ which are manufactured from steel roller bearings and then are given a neoprene covering. This covering also makes the rollers silent and steady.

3) Strength
Rollers come with ratings depending on how much weight can they support. For example 75 lbs per roller @ 15,000 cycles on a 12’ door,” or as low as “35 lbs per roller @ 10,000 cycles on an 8’door.” There can be other things as well that add strength to the rollers. For instance, Martin Doors’ rollers come with case hardened fasteners and a lifetime warranty as well. For insuring that the roller holds up the garage door and doesn’t buckle under, it is crucial to do a little research to find the right rollers to support the garage doors.

4) Ball Bearings
Some rollers are equipped with ball bearings, while some are not. Bearings are used to separate the moving parts within the rollers, and thus reduce rotational friction. For exemplifying, let’s consider Stanley’s ‘Hardware double-track heavy duty roller 73-0775.’ These are 10-ball-bearing steel rollers to extend operating life. The provided factory lubrication is enough for years of carefree usage of the rollers. In comparison, rollers with ball bearings cost more.

5) Maintenance
Buying good quality door rollers guarantees that the rollers will function nicely. However, the better way always is timely inspection and lubrication of the rollers. Silicone spray is recommended for this purpose. However, ordinary household oil can also be used as an alternative.