For a first timer, it'll take quite a while, because you have to learn
what's there first.
Best way to do it is to go ahead and carefully lower the door. Then
release the remaining spring. See the winding cone? That's the part
at the end of the spring closest to the outer part of the door. There
are two holes in it, and the winding bars MUST be all the way
in before you do anything. Have your ladder positioned so that your
head and body are distanced from the winding cone. The spring is
wound, you hold it in place with the bars as you loosen the two
bolts holding cone to shaft. Then, after you've loosened them and
the tension is on the winding bars, you loosen the pressure a quarter
turn at a time by holding one of the bars in as you take the other one
out and put it into the next hole.
Check the size of the holes, get a 4' bar of the same size, cut it in half,
and use the two as winding bars. Put a wrap of electrical tape at the
point that the bar is fully in, and don't make a move till it's fully in.
Keep your hand protected from initial spring tension as you loosen the bolts
of the winding cone, the amount of tension can surprise you. Takes
maybe 5 minutes to unwind a spring if you're being very slow and methodical,
which is the only way to do it.
Careful lowering the door, use a C-clamp on both rails, or get someone
to help you. That door is damned heavy, and can get away from you
easily. I used a 6-ton ratchet from Harbor Freight on both sides, and slowly
lowered a ratchet space at a time to keep from causing the door
to come down with a twist.

Ignoramus11573 wrote in message
...
how long did it take you? Thanks!

i

On Sun, 26 Dec 2004 03:17:40 GMT, wtb wrote:
With a little common sence you can easily do it yourself, once you have
obtained the proper spring, or springs. All the hype about the safty
issue around this seems very discouraging, but I am a novice and did the
change myself using a couple 18" peices of 1/2" rebar to turn the
springs. Beside the proper wrenches little else is needed unless you
need to grind down some of the torsion bar to get the old spring off or
new one on. Find out how many turns of the circular stripes on the
spring you need, that is probably the same as are already on the
remaining spring.
If you have the extra $50 to $60 bucks for a second spring you could
easily put it on when you do the broken one, but I am frugle and will
wait for the second one to give up before spending that money. It has
been two years and the good spring still is working fine on mine.
No biggie, just be carefull. JMO


--