Garage door torsion spring winding bars

[LD1]

Anybody got the diameter needed to fit inside the hole to wind the springs up. I am set to pick up my doors Saturday and was wanting to get a set of bars made. Just need to know the diameter to turn the ends down to. My doors in the other garage are extension springs, so no help there.

 

[Deere Dude]

1/2"

I took 2 pieces of 18" 1/2" rebar and ground them down until the fit.

 

[s219]

Yep, 1/2". I just use 1/2" rod and chamfer the ends so they slip in easily. Made two bars about 16-18" long and that length works well for leverage without being too clumsy.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Hey ld, how big are your doors? 16 inch might be a handful if you have large doors or are getting up I years. Try 24" and cut them down if need be.

 

[LD1]

1/2" it is then.

Probably make it out of 3/4 with just the ends turned down. Less likely to bend that way.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I bought a set on amazon

 

[s219]

1/2" it is then.

Probably make it out of 3/4 with just the ends turned down. Less likely to bend that way.

Can't hurt to go 3/4", but I haven't ever seen 1/2" rod even hint at flexing when adjusting springs. Normally the springs won't have enough tension to get to that point. On bigger heavier doors, you just have more springs.

 

[LD1]

All the ones I ever seen the pros use were a larger diameter bar that was turned down

 

[hosspuller]

1/2 inch cold rolled about 18' long did well with my double wide wooden garage door. ( it's heavy with two torsion springs) Make sure you turn each spring the same number of turns to preload. I made a mark to count the turns.

 

[dstig1]

It also helps to mark the bars with tape or a paint pen. Stick them in the hole on the adjuster and mark it with the rod all the way in. That way you can visually tell if you only got it part way in, as that can cause it to slip out when pushing, and that is where the death thing happens. But yes, they are just 1/2" rods, typically.