anybody know garage door systems well?

 

I'd like to install a jack shaft type garage door opener ( liftmaster 8500 ) for more headroom , but I have a wayne dalton torque master system and need to convert it over to the " standard " torsion bar system.

 

Admittedly, I dont know too much about garage door system, but i'm pretty handy.  Is this a DIY job, what parts will I need? guesstimated cost? ( it's a 2 car detached ) 

I know garage doors. My dad has owns his own company and I've put up my fair share of doors. My advice, torsion springs can be very very dangerous. The Wayne dalton system is meant to be more "user friendly/DIY" but a standard system as far as I remember will not fit over with out heavy modification.

+1 above. Treat a loaded torsion spring like a loaded firearm. It doesn't look like much but it has enough stored energy to remove body parts in a hurry.

That torsion bar is serious business. There are YT videos for DIY'rs, but it can be dangerous. My neighbor had a professional over a couple of summers ago, installing one. He heard a noise that sounded like a scream, and ran out to his garage to find the installer lying on his garage floor, spitting blood, and two teeth lying close by next to him.

 

The fellow who installed mine last December told me he had just got back on the job, he was out because one had kicked back on him and the bar used for leverage snapped down on his wrist and broke it. Hmmmmmmm.

I've owned two construction companies for over 26 years.  I've installed more than a few standard garage doors.  When I built my shop a some years ago with the two 10' high torsion bar doors, I hired a specialist to install them. 

Have worked in a few shops with torsion spring doors and have seen what can happen when they fail or when they are are worked on by both the novice and the experienced.

 

I do most of my own work but would never touch those.

Wayne Dalton makes A side mount opener for their torsion system. You might want to see if you can find A Wayne Dalton dealer near you and look into that.

And yes even the most experienced door guys are cautious with torsion springs.

I've done hundreds of Torsion spring applications.  The hard ones are for doors over 16' when the doors start to get real heavy requiring bigger springs.  If you have standard size garage doors,  there isn't much benefit with going torsion spring.  We have even gone as far as mortising the opener rail partially into the ceiling...if you really want to get it up there tight.  Head room is all important also.  Sometimes you just don't have the room...

my garage door is about 15'-16' wide, but it's light... real light. practicely paper thin.

 

i'd rather eliminate the ceiling opener all together and have the jackshaft on the side. 

I tried to install a Wayne Dalton torsion system for 8 hours and failed. They suck the big one. Remove the door, burn it and scatter the ashes. I ended up buying cable and rigging up an old school system in less than an hour including the opener.

I dont have any intentions of replacing the garage door, it's in pretty good shape - i'll probably insulate the panels.