How to Build a Track Carriage

Track carriages are used in garage doors.

A track carriage is the assembly of wheels that carries a load through a series of enclosed tracks. Garage doors use carriage tracks to raise and lower the garage door. Most enclosed track uses carriages to move a hoisting device horizontally across a room. Fabricating your own carriage track requires mechanical and construction skills. You must align the wheels to the frame of the carriage correctly or the track carriage won't move through the track smoothly.

Things You'll Need

• 2 x 2 x 6 steel stock
• 4 one-inch-long bolts
• 6-inch bolt, 3/4-inches in diameter
• 4 wheels
• Steel drill bit set
• Drill press
• Wrench set
• Taps (bits that make threads in drilled holes)
• Marker
• Tape measure

Instructions

1. Mark the steel stock in the center, along the width of the steel. Drill a one-inch hole in the steel stock, all the way through the steel. Slide the 3/4-inch bolt through the hole to ensure it fits. Four inches of bolt must stick through the bottom side of the steel.

2. Turn the steel stock on its side or along its height. Drill two holes, 1/2-inch deep, on either end of the steel stock. Turn the steel stock over and drill two more holes on the opposite side of the steel, aligning these holes with the two holes on the other side. Thread all four holes with the tapping bit.

3. Take one wheel and insert a 1-inch bolt through the center of the wheel. Tighten the bolt down to one of the threaded holes in the side of the steel stock with a wrench. Ensure the wheel turns before installing the other three wheels. Repeat the process and install each wheel to the side of the stock.

Tips & Warnings

• The wheels must be 3 inches in diameter, but thin enough to fit into the enclosed track.

• Ensure that the wheels extend above the top and bottom of the steel stock, as well as extend beyond the end of the steel.

• Ensure that the wheels on either side of the stock have enough clearance to turn without rubbing each other.

• Make sure you know the weight of the intended load and build your track carriage to hold that maximum weight.

• The size of the track must also hold the maximum intended load.

• Align each wheel properly or the track carriage will jam inside the enclosed track.

• Don't overload the carriage or the assembly will fail.

References

• DDM Garage Doors: Garage Door Tracks and Track Hardware
• Technology LK: CRL Overhead Track Carriage Assembly