“Martin makes door rollers with Roller Shields
to help prevent finger entrapment in the moving rollers.”
Replacing garage door rollers requires similar steps as replacing a hinge, since the two are attached to each other. Here’s how I safely replace mine. For the do-it-yourselfer, this is generally not as dangerous as replacing torsion springs, but it can still be very intimidating.
If one or more of your rollers is bent or damaged, your door may work poorly or not at all. Taking your time and paying close attention to safety measures will help to ensure successful completion of this project.
Step One
Identify which garage rollers need to be replaced. If one or more of your rollers does not roll in the garage door track smoothly, look closely to see if it is damaged or bent. If you do not see any visible damage, you may just need to lubricate it with light weight lubricant such as 3-IN-ONE® oil. If one or more of your rollers appears to be damaged, it’s time for a new roller.
When selecting new garage rollers, try to match the ones you already have in place. Although it may be tempting to replace your old, worn steel rollers with new rollers that have a stainless steel shaft and polyethylene wheel, don’t do it unless you plan to replace them all. For smooth and consistent garage door operation, replace “like for like.”
If it is not possible to buy new rollers of the same brand, compare your current rollers to the replacement and try to match them as closely as possible. If you are buying your new garage door rollers at a local hardware or home improvement store, take the old one(s) with you to be certain you get the correct replacement.
The two critical issues to remember when buying new rollers are wheel diameter and shaft length. Most residential doors have garage door rollers that are 2″ in diameter. Shaft length, on the other hand, can vary widely from 4″ to 7″ or more depending on the brand of your garage door and the type of installation. Commercial and heavy duty doors may use a 3″ roller, so pay close attention when selecting your new rollers.
How much do they cost?
For residential doors, expect to pay from $2.00 to $4.00 for standard 2” rollers. You can pay as much as $7 to $9 for each roller, depending on the type you buy and where you buy them. If you are shopping online, be sure to check a couple of different suppliers as prices can vary widely.
As you might imagine, the price goes up for larger, 3” rollers and heavy duty commercial or sealed bearing rollers (like you might use in a car wash garage door).
Martin makes garage door rollers with Roller Shields
to help prevent finger entrapment in the moving rollers.