How To Significantly Increase The Life Span of Your Roll-Up Door

When it comes to building door solutions for the Canadian transportation industry, WHITING® Canada is setting standards.

As North America’s original roll-up door manufacturer, they recognized early on that truck roll-up doors operate in some of the harshest conditions. Prone to extreme wear and tear on rollers, hinges, springs, and tracks, roll-up doors are opened and closed with every delivery they make. Not to mention the constant banging and clanging of whatever objects pass their way.

That’s why WHITING® Doors are designed to be durable and long-lasting. If you want to reduce the amount of downtime required for the maintenance and repair of your roll-up door, then keep reading!

In this article, we share a few ways to keep you and your truck on the road, not in the shop.

Significantly Increase The Life Span of Your Roll-Up Door In 4 Steps

1. Inspect the Door Assembly

It’s a good idea to inspect the door assembly regularly, at least weekly. From the outside, check for damaged panels, worn or frayed cables, or pull straps. Any evidence of cable or pull strap problems should be corrected as quickly as possible. Those two items are critical to operation and safety.

Next, check to see if the lock and keeper pivot freely and be sure that the lock cam engages securely with the latch plate, holding the door tightly closed. We’ve all followed trucks down the highway and seen the locked door bouncing up and down, that is the result of a worn lock cam or latch plate. 

2. Springs, Rollers, Tracks, and Hinges

Moving inside of the unit, with the door open, check that the rollers, tracks, and hinges are in place, free from damage, and fastened securely. Are the rollers, hinges or tracks filled with grease? Create a list of damaged parts and have them replaced as soon as possible. Operating with damaged hardware will create a ripple effect and cause more damage, particularly to the more expensive components like panels.

While the door is still open look up into the header area at the cable drums, be sure the cable is not crossed over on itself, which can cause wear and failure. That condition is usually easily identified by a grinding noise as the door reaches the top of the opening.

Close the door and check the spring assembly inside the header. Are the springs broken or rusted? The balancer assembly does the heavy work of lifting the door. If neglected, it will fail and leave you standing outside of the truck with no easy way in. The cables should follow the grooves of the cable drum. There should be no spaces or gaps between the cable wraps.

Does the track have the rubber tracks stop fastened in place? Is the track bent or damaged to the point of restricting smooth roller movement or the possibility of rollers actually coming out of the track? If any of these conditions exist, be sure to have them corrected. The Innomotive Solutions Group is here to help.

Picture of a grease-filled deformed track. The roller was getting stuck at this point in the track. The grease is simply a dirt magnet.

3. Check Door Movement

Check the amount of side shift movement in the door. There should be no more than ⅜ inch in total. You can adjust this movement by adding or removing spacer washers located on the rollers at the first panel joint from the top and bottom.

These washers serve to center the door within the door opening, prevent track hang-up and play an important role in smooth door operation.

4. Keep Mechanical Parts Lubricated

You can extend the life and improve the operation of your door by keeping it lubricated. Apply a light or dry lubricant such as the Easy-Up (Item #7427) from WHITING® Canada to the hinges, bottom fixture, lock, rollers, and balancer spring to assist in a smooth door operation. 

You can spray some lubricant on a rag and wipe the side seals where they contact the door face. NEVER use grease, particularly in the door tracks. 

Keep Your Fleet in Shape – Check These Components Today!

Regular maintenance is the key to increasing the lifespan of your roll-up door. By inspecting them on a regular basis, and then scheduling them for professional maintenance every year or six months, you’ll find your repair and/or replacement bills will decrease from year to year. Is your roll-up door functioning perfectly, or is it giving you trouble?

Contact the specialists at Innomotive Solutions Group today. Our experts are here to help get your life back on the road.