Garages and Carports - Minimum track radius

My 1st post and a simple question, can anyone please tell me what the "absolute" minimum curve is for a garage door track.

I have a 16' x 8' high 4 panel door which because of the position of the first roller (4" down from top edge) gives me 1" clearance to the finished ceiling.

My mother in law has already bought the garage opener and is wondering why I haven't fitted it yet!!

Any advice appreciated.

The min. I've ever seen is a 10 inch radius. The normal is 10, 12 and 15". If you have one inch of clearance you might be able to replace the top fixtures with a quick turn (arm style) top fixture. see here Quick Close Fixture [256] - $14.25 : Garage Door Parts, LLC, Your online garage door parts source! (http://garagedoorpartsllc.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29&products_id=585)

Thanks doorman.
I don't think the quick turn arm will give me the clearance needed. I'm now thinking of lowering the top rail by cutting 4" off the rail where it meets the vertical. This would not affect the first roller (which would be positioned at within the radius). My only concern would be on the smoothness of the transition from the vertical to horizontal for other rollers.

Actually yes there are other sizes of track. There are 2 in particular that you may want to consider. "low headroom with 3" radius" or "zero clearance track" which means just that. If you have minimal clearance to lift the door and have an opener than you want to consider those options. Oh, btw, if you are going to cut the track do not cut it from the radius, cut it from the bottom of the vertical track, that way the track will lower itself to accommodate your needs. Cutting the track at the radius where it meets the horizontal track is only going to create a nightmare situation. Also there is the problem of where the pulling radius is going to be coming from as opposed to the actual turning radius. If this sounds complicated, it is! There are so many factors that MUST be taken into consideration when modifying any garage door. These things are dangerous and should not be taken lightly. There are many injuries every year from homeowners "fixing" their door problem,(over 50,000 injuries per year) and many of these persons are quite capable of turning wrenches. You could do it and it would work but chances are it wouldnt last a year, in turn destroying the door, opener, and possibly a vehicle that would be under it due to the stress created over that time that you didnt realize was important. In a nutshell, I think you might be in over your head. Just some fair warning. Hope this helps, Mike

Thanks IRISHMAN_CALI,
I've since tried a "dry fit" of my idea and can see that it won't work. You mentioned a 3" radius track, while a 6 or 7" radius would work, 3" would be great. Any ideas where I can get some.... spent an hour googling and was unable to find a retailer.

My other option is to take back the opener and get a commercial opener that fits alongside the door not overhead. Sounds good but expensive.

Hi, srry it took a while to respond. I was caught up in password vortex hell.
Well, where to get that low headroom track. I would suggest going to a garage door company and buddy up to them for 5 or so minutes then hit em with the "I wanna buy that track" Most companies are a bit shy when it comes to selling parts to the general public because, well, that means they're not doing the job for you. Kinda makes sense though.
As for the commercial opener that mounts on the vertical wall......Liftmaster makes an incredible "Residential Jackshaft Opener" model 3800. It even has a DC motor for a super quiet opener. A bit tricky if your new to putting one in but sooo very worth it. And half the cost of a commercial opener. Win win for you, sounds like..

Thanks for the advice... managed to sell the overhead openr and bought the liftmaster and I'm very impressed. It took me about 4 hours to fit (about half of that time was spent reading the manual). As you said it's super quiet and very smooth. It even tells me how cold the garage is when I go out for a smoke. OK, it cost $200 more than an overhead opener but it saved messing about with changing the track.

Thanks again.

hey thats wonderful. I'm glad to have helped. Enjoy
Mike