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Folks, I have a really heavy garage door – I don’t know the exact weight but it uses springs rated for a 400 pound door – that much I can tell you . Some years back I replaced the pullies with two units I got from Home Depot. They did last maybe three years (I’m not exactly sure how long but it wasn’t very long relatively speaking) and then the door started jamming and the cable was jumping the pulley so I needed to get some replacements. Note, I was only having a ton of trouble on one side but garage door pullies are best replaced in pairs.

I got a good look at the pulley and it was fried. For whatever reason, I did not get a picture of it before I threw it in the trash. The pulley was bent away from the axle, the bearing were very loose and the outside lip of the pulley that should hold the cable in place was bending/rolling outward and no longer retaining the cable – no wonder there were constant problems.

So, I first went to Home Depot and was not impressed. I then started reading on pullies on Amazon and found the units I am now running. They are amazingly more beefy than what our local Home Depot had.

The sides of the pulley are stampings but they are made from heavy gauge steel and the groove in the pulley is deeper than what I originally had.

The bearings turn smoothly and there is no play. I was very impressed.

If you are looking for a new 3″ diameter pulley that uses a 3/8″ bolt to mount, I’d definitely recommend these. There’s a good reason they have almost five stars with 158 reviews.

Installation

I’m to the point where anything that is easy really makes me happy. This was really easy. I’ll tell you what I did for my door and your design may require different or additional steps.

I opened the garage door to remove the tension on the cables.
I worked on one pulley at a time.
- I removed the cable from the pulley
- Used one wrench to hold the nut in the back and a socket in the front to remove the old pulley (it was a wreck)
- Installed the new pulley along with the shackles to keep the cable in place just in case – that means running the bolt through the assembly and back into the hole on the garage door’s wall frame.
- Put the cable back on the pulley
- Sprayed Teflon dry lube on the bearings. I don’t like oil as it collects dust and dirt but that’s just me.
Moved stuff out of the way
Tested the door
Done

You can see the new pulley mounted on the frame. The powdery look is the Teflon dry lubricant. I moved the shackle around some to try and figure out where it might do the best to keep the cable from jumping out. The pulley’s groove is so deep that I honestly don’t think it matters in my case but it is there for added insurance.

Conclusion

Happy to report that these are rock solid replacements – it came as a pack of four so I have two for the future as well – if I ever need them. I’m very happy with the results – the door opens and closes very smoothly and the cable no longer jumps the pulley. It’s also much quieter I notice.

Note, I have to buy all of my parts – nothing here was paid for by sponsors, etc. I do make a small amount if you click on an ad and buy something but that is it. You’re getting my real opinion on stuff.

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