Parts of the Garage Door

In order to safely maintain your garage doors, it’s important to understand how they work. The experts at Action Garage Door Repair Specialist believe wholeheartedly in the education and safety of our clients. Read to learn more about how your garage door functions and how your trusted team at Action Garage Door can keep your garage door running strong.

Garage Door Parts:

Bearing Plate

Better known as end bearing plates, these pieces are used to support and secure the spring and the shaft. There are two types of bearing plates, supported and unsupported.

Supported end bearing plates secure both the angle on the horizontal track and to the garage door header.

Unsupported end bearing plates secure only to the angle of the horizontal track and not to the garage door header. These bearing plates are often weaker than their supported counterpart. However, sometimes these bearing plates have to be used, especially when the springs are mounted toward the back of the garage.

Bottom Brackets

Also known as bottom fixtures, bottom brackets are structured supports that hold attachments for the lifting cables. They are located at the bottom of the garage door.

Cable Drums

These grooved drums are located on the torsion spring shaft and allow the lifting cable to wind up when the garage door is called to open.

Emergency Pull Cord

Emergency pull cords are a safety feature that, when pulled, causes the motor to immediately cut off. This allows the individual to then open or close the garage door manually without the interference of the motor.

Extension Springs

Extension springs extend along both horizontal tracks. They assist with raising and lowering the garage door.

Hinge

Hinges are attached to the sections of the garage door to provide support. They allow the garage door to open or close without adding too much strain to the section, which can cause it to warp or break.

Operator

The operator is also simply known as the motor. The motor allows the garage door to open mechanically.

Operator Hanger

Operator hangers are located on the horizontal track and are attached from the ceiling. This adds extra support for the garage door.

Operator Rail

Operator rails (e.g., chain, belt, or screw drive) allow the motor to provide power to the garage door so it can open and close.

Photo Eyes

Photo eyes are a safety feature that sense when something is in the garage door’s path. Two eyes shine a beam of light between each other. When something disrupts the light, the garage door will not close. These eyes must be aligned properly for the garage door to operate correctly.

Rear Track Hanger

Rear track hangers are attached to the horizontal track and the ceiling, adding extra support for the garage door.

Sections

Sections are steel panels that are used to reinforce the stiles which are interconnected with the hinges and rollers.

Top Brackets

Also known as top fixtures, top brackets are used to support the top of the garage door and provide attachments for the lifting cables.

Torsion Springs

Torsion springs are used to raise and lower the garage door by working together with the drums, which are wound by cables.

Track

The track is responsible for guiding the section to open or close the garage door. Tracks are located on both sides and can be referred to as either the horizontal or vertical tracks (depending on what type of garage door you have.) The curve seen in the track is known as the radius.

Action Garage Door Keeps Your Garage Door In Action

Whether it is a busted spring or faulty operator, you can trust that your team at Action Garage Door Repair Specialists has your back! We offer garage door maintenance, repair, new installation, and replacement services for the DFW area! Contact our team today for more information on our services or to receive an estimate!