Common Track Terms
Sectional Garage Door Track Configurations
When designing a commercial or industrial garage door system, knowing which track configurations, jamb mounting types, sizes and materials are available is important in specifying the best track system for the situation. Specifying a track design that fully considers the operational needs of the facility as well as its’ spacial and structural details adds to the final products ability to last longer, operate smoother and allows it to function more reliably all while making the best use of the buildings’ space
Garage Door track selection starts with selecting one of two basic sizes that accommodates either two inch or three inch diameter rollers. These are the rollers that allow the door to transition through the track when the door is in motion and also positions the door in the opening in its’ resting positions. Two inch track systems are typically used for doors with less use such as: residential or smaller, light weight commercial doors and three inch track sizes are more commonly specified for doors with frequent use or doors that are larger, heavier or really need the structural integrity that three inch track offers
Basic garage door track construction consists of a set of horizontal tracks combined with single or multiple vertical track(s) components that are mounted to the wall with a full continuous wall angle, a wall angle with clips or independent track brackets that hold the track assembly to the wall when finally installed. All lower vertical tracks are designed to angle away from the opening at a rate of about 1/8” per foot of door height to match the hinge graduations. This permits the door to seal properly when closed and further allows the door to breakaway from the jambs when in motion
Selection of the best track configuration is based primarily on the available vertical space above the header of the doorway, sideroom, jamb material, backroom, door weight or size. Obstructions such as: structural components, lighting, equipment and other obstacles are equally important considerations as well
Choose from one of five types of configurations along with three basic track mounting types based on your headroom,
obstructions, operational requirements and other facility needs. Details and clearance dimensions, materials and gauges available are shown in our shop drawings to help you choose the right track for your situation. Click For Shop Drawings & Helpful Downloads
Track systems are produced with tough stainless steel for ultimate corrosion resistance or with standard galvanized materials for standard exposures.
Track Jamb Mounting Types
A number of track mounting types are available to match your door type and size as well as jamb material and sideroom. Choose from leg-in or leg-out designs with an overlap for typical commercial or industrial doors or choose our leg-out without a lap for applications that require it
Leg-in with 1” Lap
Leg-in with 1” lap mounting types are typically used for commercial/industrial doors mounted to steel, wood or wood covered masonry jambs.
Doors overlap the jamb by 1” on each side of the door. Produced with clip or full angle mounted vertical track.
Leg-out with 1” Lap
Leg-out with 1” lap mounting types are typically used for commercial/industrial doors mounted to wood or wood covered masonry jambs.
Doors overlap the jamb by 1” on each side of the door. Produced with clip or full angle mounted vertical track.
Leg-out Without Lap
Leg-out without lap mounting types are used exclusively for residential or commercial/industrial doors mounted to wood or wood covered masonry jambs.
Doors are the same width as the finished opening and do not overlap the jamb. Produced with clip, full angle or bracket mounted vertical track
Standard Lift Track Configurations
Standard lift track designs are the most popular track Configurations manufactured. This type of track is for use where the door height is relatively close to the ceiling of the building and the door does not need to clear an obstruction. The ceiling is typically flat but can be pitched as well
This track uses a vertical track mounted against the wall with a horizontal track that includes a 90 degree radius. The horizontal track is attached to the wall and vertical track near the header of the opening with a bearing plate. It is also attached to the ceiling structure in the back of the horizontal. When the door is fully open, the door sections will be orientated almost completely flatbeneath the ceiling.
Doors with standard lift track configurations see minimal to mild wear on door hinges, rollers and other hardware. They also allow the door sections to travel smoothly through the track.
Trolley-type motor operators are recommended for doors manufactured with this type of track but, jackshaft type operators may be used if the door: has a pitched track, is not opened completely, has pusher springs or another effective cable tensioning device.
Standard lift track is applicable for most building applications and requires only moderate headrooms making it a very popular choice for most situations. They are available in stainless steel or galvanized steel materials in both 2” and 3” sizes. They can also be constructed with any of the track jamb mounting types including bracket or angle mounted designs. A number of radius’s are available depending on the size of the track and material selected. See shop drawings for specific details including; headroom requirements, material gauges, etc.
Standard Lift- Regular
The most prevalent configuration;
Standard lift track designs are used for applications that don’t need to clear obstacles at or near the header or towards the back of the track. A number of horizontal radius sizes are available for meeting tighter headrooms.
Standard Lift- Pitched
Pitched or follow-the-roof track is used for buildings with pitched roofs/ceilings and when maximizing the use of your headroom/backroom. It is also used when avoiding an obstruction at the back of the track.
Pitched track configurations results in the door traveling up the wall and then back while following the pitch of the roof. Recommended for pitches greater than 3:12 with standard headrooms.
Standard Lift- Dual Shaft
Dual shaft track in standard lift configurations are reserved for doors that require more room on the shaft for springs to balance the door than normal standard lift track designs provide.
Typically, the doors in these situations have high cycle spring cycle requirements and often are large and/or heavy.
Highlift Track Configurations
Another popular track design type, highlift track configurations are used in situations when the ceiling of the building exceeds the height of the door significantly and the more use of vertical building space or clearing an obstacle is important or necessary.
Highlift track configurations, when properly designed, allow the door to travel upward past the header then turn back horizontally clearing equipment, building components or other objects that are in the path of the door or track. The ceiling is typically flat in these situations, but they can be pitched as well.
A variation of standard lift track, this track design includes a 90 degree horizontal radius, but uses more vertical track (single or multiple pieces) and less horizontal track to allow the door to move upward past the header. This maximizes the use of available building space. When the door is fully open, a portion of the door rests in the vertical track
Similar to the standard lift track designs, highlift track uses vertical tracks mounted against the wall and connects with a horizontal track. The horizontal track is attached to the wall and vertical track near the header of the opening, and can be manufactured to include either a heavy duty headplate or designed for use with a bearing plate. The back of the horizontal track is mounted to the ceiling as well.
Doors with high lift track configurations see minimal to mild wear on door hinges, rollers and other hardware. They also allow the door sections to travel smoothly through the track.
Jackshaft-type motor operators are recommended for doors using highlift track.
Highlift track configurations are available in stainless steel or galvanized steel materials in both 2” and 3” sizes. They can also be constructed with any of track jamb mounting types including bracket or angle mount designs. See shop drawings for specific details including; headroom requirements, material gauges, etc.. Click Here For ShopDrawings.
Highlift- Breakaway w/Headplate
This highlift design is designed with a headplate for a solid connection to the wall and for maximum all-around structural integrity.
An additional vertical track (extension) is included to allow the door to break away from the header quicker for better clearance and a smoother transition.
Highlift- Straight Incline
Straight incline highlift designs do not use a headplate and are used for applications which have more than 13” of highlift. This configuration includes a single longer vertical track which “extends” the track to reach a desired amount of highlift.
Not recommended for doors with exterior section hardware.
Highlift- Breakaway w/Wall Angle
This highlift design is designed to be used in conjunction with a bearing plate for connection to the wall.
An additional vertical track (extension) is included to allow the door to break away from the header quicker for better clearance and a smooth transition. Additional track supports are typically used to support the extension.
Highlift Track Configurations- Continued
Highlift- Extended Vertical
Extended vertical highlift designs are used for doors that require a small amount of highlift (under 12”)
This track configuration uses a longer, single piece vertical track that “extends” the track to reach the desired amount of highlift.
Not recommended for doors with exterior section hardware.
Highlift- Dual Shaftline
Dual shaft track in highlift configurations are reserved for doors that require more room on the shaft for springs to balance
the door than normal highlift track designs provide.
Typically, the doors in these situations have excessive amounts of highlift, have high cycle spring cycle requirements and many times are large and/or heavy.
Pitched or follow-the-roof configurations are available.
Highlift with Pitched/Follow-the-Roof Track
Pitched or follow-the-roof track configurations are available for all highlift track designs. This type of track is a combination of highlift and pitched track and is particularly used for buildings with a sloped or pitched roof (ceiling) that exceed 3:12. Pitching the horizontal portion of the track further maximizes the use of the vertical space in a building and helps avoid obstructions such as: equipment, building components and other obstacles.
Like other highlift track configurations; highlift with pitched roof track designs allow the door to travel upward past the header, then turn back horizontally to avoid obstacles and utilize valuable vertical ceiling space. With follow-the-roof pitch designs, the horizontal track radius’s are modified to meet the pitch or angle desired but still allow the door to transition smoothly through the track.
Doors with pitched high lift configurations see minimal to mild wear on door hinges, rollers and other hardware. They also allow the door sections to travel smoothly through the track.
Jackshaft-type motor operators are recommended for doors using pitched highlift track.
Pitched highlift track configurations are available in stainless steel or galvanized steel materials in both 2” and 3” sizes. They can also be constructed with any of the track jamb mounting types including bracket or angle mount designs. See shop drawings for specific details including; headroom requirements, material gauges, etc.. Click Here For Shop Drawings and Other Useful Downloads.
Pitched Highlift- Breakaway w/Headplate)
This pitched highlift design is designed with a headplate for a solid connection to the wall and for maximum all-around structural integrity. An additional vertical track (extension) is included to allow the door to break away from the header quicker for better clearance and a smoother transition. The horizontal track is modified to provide the pitch specified to follow the angle of the roof/ceiling structure.
Pitched Highlift- Straight Incline or Extended Vertical
Pitched highlift designs for straight incline or extended verticals are used for applications with small highlift requirements (under 13”)
This track configuration uses a longer, single vertical track that “extends” the vertical track to reach the desired amount of highlift. The horizontal track is modified to provide the pitch specified to follow the angle of the roof/ceiling structure. Not recommended for doors
with exterior hardware such as handles or locks
Pitched Highlift- Breakaway w/Wall Angle
This pitched highlift configuration is designed to be used in conjunction with a bearing plate for connection to the wall.
An additional vertical track (extension) is included to allow the door to break away from the header quicker for better clearance and a smooth transition. The horizontal track is modified to provide the pitch specified to follow the angle of the roof/ceiling structure.
Vertical Lift Track Configurations
Vertical lift track also referred as full vertical lift configurations are available for all applications where the headroom above the door opening is at least the height of the door, plus additional room for the spring assemblies.
This type of track uses all vertical track components and mounts completely to the wall of the building. When the door opens and closes, it uses almost all vertical space instead of turning back into the building like other track designs.
Often used in warehouses for dock doors and other commercial or industrial applications, this track design requires the least amount of backroom into the building allowing unobstructed floor-to-ceiling movement close to the opening.
Vertical lift track configurations use two aligned vertical tracks with the upper peice of track angled slightly away from the wall for clearance. Two basic vertical lift track designs are offered including units with a heavy duty headplate or a wall angle. Both include intermediate support brackets for the upper track to prevent bowing.
Doors with vertical high lift configurations produce the least wear on door sections hinges, rollers and other hardware due to the lack of movement required by these components when the door travels through its’ open and close cycles.
Jackshaft-type motor operators are recommended for doors using vertical lift track.
Vertical lift track configurations are available in stainless steel or galvanized steel materials in both 2” and 3” sizes. They can also be constructed with any of the track jamb mounting types including bracket or angle mount designs. See shop drawings for specific details including; headroom requirements, material gauges, etc.. Click Here For Shop Drawings and Other Useful Downloads.
Vertical Lift- Breakaway w/Headplate)
This vertical lift design is designed with a
headplate for a solid connection to the wall
and for maximum all-around structural integrity.
Vertical Lift- Breakaway w/Wall Angle)
This highlift design is designed to be used in conjunction with a bearing plate for connection to the wall. An angled component connects the wall angle to upper track.
Low-headroom Track Configurations
Low-headroom commercial track is sometimes referred to as
dual track and is applicable for building applications where
headroom is severely limited yet a sectional overhead door is required. This track configuration should only be used when absolutely necessary.
This type of track is used when the headroom does not allow enough room for standard lift track and springs to be mounted and for the door to operate normally. This design includes both a vertical and horizontal track component similar to standard lift track but, it is highly recognized by the second set of horizontal track (dual track) that allows the doors’ top section to travel back sharply into the room using only a small amount of headroom space
Used in any building that has a low ceiling or one that has obstacles above the door, low-headroom track can be provided with either a “springs in front” design (front mount) or one with the “springs in the rear” design (rear mount)
Doors with low-headroom track configurations see some of the worst wear on door sections, hinges, rollers and other hardware. They are not as likely to allow the door sections to travel smoothly through the track as other track designs. In all cases, it is more desirable to use standard lift track over low-headroom track, if headroom allows.
There are limitations on the door weight and the type of operation for this type of track and should only be used when necessary.
Only trolley-type motor operators are recommended for doors manufactured with this type of track.
Low-headroom track configurations are available in stainless steel or galvanized steel materials in both 2” and 3” sizes. They can also be constructed with any of the track jamb mounting types including bracket or angle mounted
designs. See shop drawings for specific details including; headroom requirements, material gauges, etc.. Click Here For Shop Drawings and Other Useful Drawings.
Low-headroom- Front Mount
Front mount, low-headroom designs include a double horizontal track with the torsion springs of the door mounted at the header. Used in situations where headroom is limited, but enough space is available for mounting the springs and for
the door to operate normally. Preferred low-headroom design.
Low-headroom- Rear Mount
Rear mount, low-headroom designs are the least desirable of any of any track configurations. This configuration includes a double horizontal track with the torsion springs mounted behind the back of the track. Used in situations where headroom is very limited. Extremely hard on door sections and hardware.
Custom Track Configurations
Numerous custom track configurations are available that are combinations of the other configurations that meet special challenges, requirements and needs.
Use when the door and/or track must travel or be positioned: above, below, alongside, in front of, behind an object or set of obstacles, but a standard track configuration will not work.
Do you have a special situation that needs a special layout?
Give us a call and let our experience in designing the custom track configurations go to work for you!
If it’s made in “GALVANIZED”.....
We make it in “STAINLESS STEEL”
