As an official distributor, today we celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Overhead Door Company™!

The History of the Overhead Door

Did you know that the overhead garage door was invented by our founder, C.G. Johnson, in the year of 1921?

Henry Ford introduced the very first inexpensive and reliable car in the early 1900’s. It was known as the Model T. From here, other car makes began to make affordable cars, which allowed more people to own cars.

In the past, people would keep their carriages and their horses in their carrier. These carriage houses were gradually replaced with garages as more and more people bought vehicles. At the early stages, garages had side panel doors that worked but not in the most convenient way as those doors needed twice as much space to open.

C.G. Johnson - Founder of Overhead Door Company™
Inventor of the overhead garage door & the garage door opener

In 1921, C.G. Johnson invented and patented a sectional overhead door. This was the beginning of Overhead Door Corporation™.

To promote this new invention, Johnson drove to fairs and exhibits with a prototype door attached to his vehicle, the Model T. Johnson created a network of distributors with the help of clever marketing techniques, such as consumer coupons and bulletin boards in different communities. Five years later, Johnson gave the industry another useful piece of technology to help those who couldn't lift their doors manually: he invented the first electric garage door opener.

Johnson drove to fairs and exhibits with a prototype door attached to his vehicle

These two inventions laid the foundation for Overhead Door Company™, which has proven to be an industry leader. ​​His brand quickly​ gained a reputation for quality, service and integrity.

As an official distributor of Overhead Door Company™ we like to think that we still offer to our valuable customers high quality, extraordinary service and always maintaining our integrity.

Congratulations to our supplier for 100 years! We hope there are many more to come!

Installing a high-speed/high-performance door in an auto dealership will allow them to perform efficiently as the service door may have to be opened and closed hundreds of times per day. Additional safety systems can be installed to ensure that the people and vehicles are protected as they enter and leave the auto dealership's service department.

Safety Systems for High-Speed Doors:

Basic Safety/Signaling Devices
Warning lights can be used to signal to traffic the door status, movement or issues.  Some of the basic devices that are available are:

✓ Traffic Lights and LED Traffic Lights - Red/yellow/green lights 
✓ Traffic Lights and LED Traffic Lights - Red/Green lights only
✓ Strobe Lights
✓ Rotating Lights

Traffic Lights & LED Traffic Lights

Sorbe Lights Rotating Lights

Dock Lights Communication Packages

If you choose one of these devices, it is important to take any other signaling devices that are nearby into account to ensure a clear distinction for all traffic.

Activation Sensors
Depending upon the application and the number of vehicular traffic, door manufacturers offer several door activation options, such as:

- Automatic activation devices: these offer a hands-free method of opening and closing high-speed doors. Some of the devices available are floor loop sensors, motion detectors and presence detectors.

- Enhanced activation devices: these devices monitor the areas immediately in front of the door as well as enable programmable operation based on activity in areas adjacent to it.

- Manual activation options: these options are best suited for areas with low traffic or predictable traffic levels. Some of the manual devices that you can find for high-performance doors are pushbuttons, remote controls and pull cords.

Benefits of Using Activation Sensors:
✓ These provide easy movement through the door threshold
✓ Reduce thechance of accidents by avoiding contact with the rollup door
✓ It helps controlling the environment differentials with minimal open time
✓ Maintain traffic patterns

Enhanced Safety/Signaling Devices - Safety Light Systems
There are different safety light systems available. Some of them flash amber lights help warn nearby workers that the door panel is about to move. Other systems detect if a person or another obstruction is blocking the door’s path and avoid it from closing. There are other safety light systems that provide visual indicators near the door and ensures that they will be seen in the most critical time. 

Pathwatch® Safety Light Systems

 Reversing Bottom Sensing Edge
When the responsive sensors located in the bottom edge of the door senses an obstruction, it will immediately instruct the high-performance door to immediately auto-reverse or to auto-stop. The Safe-T-Beam® is one of the safety devices that we offer at Overhead Door Company of The Meadowlands & NYC that senses an obstruction and signals the operator to stop or reverse the door. 

Photo Eyes The photo-eye sensor for commercial or industrial doors prevents them from closing when needed. It assesses the area around the door to verify if it is safe to close/open the door. This safety feature triggers an alert to notify building management that something is preventing the door from closing.

 Audible Alert Systems
It stores and plays back pre-recorded or user-created messages that can be played during various door activities.

Countdown Clock Countdown clock signals traffic how much time is remaining before the door begins closing. Adjustable time is set in the System 4 controller and automatically synchronizes the clock to the set time value. Includes articulating mounting bracket.

If you need more information on choosing the best safety systems for your high-speed door, please contact us, it will be our pleasure to assist you.

Service areas: Northern New Jersey (Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Union, Essex, Morris, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Mercer and Somerset county/counties), Manhattan, New York City, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Bronx, Westchester, and Rockland.

What we do: We sell, install, repair and maintain commercial and industrial overhead doors, operators, and loading dock equipment since 1981.

As every customer has different needs, at Overhead Door Company of The Meadowlands & NYC, we offer a wide selection of overhead doors for industrial and commercial settings. Some of the main factors that must be considered when purchasing an industrial overhead door are:

1. Functionality - Model, Size, Design, Operation and Environment
2. Safety & Security
3. Quality/Value

1. Functionality of the Industrial Overhead Door:

✓  Model and Size
For the overhead doors, the model and size are the first criterias to be considered.
The architect has two options: to choose from an already existing door or to ask for a custom made door.

Oversized overhead doors (40+ feet wide) are available, although these may become too heavy, slow and unwieldy for many applications.

✓  Design
Although Industrial Overhead Doors are usually not seen by the general public, it may be important in some specific applications that doors are aesthetically pleasing. Still, architects will want doors that well on the facility. Some of the characteristics that an architect must keep in mind are:

Door Color Fancy hardware is usually not used in industrial settings, however, some industrial settings have public functions or may be visible to the public. In those cases, the architect may want to make sure that the industrial doors that are selected work well with the building’s aesthetic.

Desired Light Infiltration Some facilities will require maximum visibility and call for clear-panel doors made of tempered glass, or other transparent materials. Some other facilities may want complete privacy/security and use doors with no lites/windows at all.

✓  Operation
When choosing the overhead door, it is important to keep in mind how often the industrial overhead door is going to be used as well as the speed that is needed in some specific cases.

- Some facilities open the door early in the morning and close it at night.
- Some facilities open and close the overhead door several times per day.
- Some facilities operate around the clock (24hrs).
- Some facilities will use the overhead door infrequently and will remain closed most of the time.
- Some facilities may need a high-speed door to make sure that it opens and closes rapidly for environmental or safety reasons.

✓  Environment
Due to the environmental challenges, many industries may need a overhead door that has special characteristics such as:

Climate Control Heavily insulated overhead doors are required when applications involve refrigeration, as well as facilities that have substantially different internal and external temperatures. We offer insulated overhead doors that provide R-value up to 26. These are an ideal choice for: • Agricultural buildings • Food and beverage storage facilities • Pharmaceutical facilities • Climate controlled facilities • Industrial manufacturing facilities • Government facilities • Shipping and receiving docks

Weather and Wind Some applications may call for high wind pressure doors and/or doors that are sealed tightly against water and air infiltration. To support their high performance, these types of doors require flexible weather seals and thermal breaks.

Sound Attenuation  In order to attenuate sounds entering or leaving the applications, doors may require heavy insulation to diminish the sounds entering or leaving the application. It is most common in mixed-use developments.  FireKing® Fire-Rated Door Model 635 is a rolling insulated fire door that offers the triple benefits of insulation, fire protection and sound attenuation.

2. Safety & Security

It is of utmost importance to create a safe working area for the workers. Most industrial applications strive for zero tolerance of unsafe conditions as well as aiming for the physical security in the work locations. In order to reach these goals, companies for both, safety and security, with extreme care. Some of the factors that are usually considered are:

Security meaning in this context is:

- Only personnel authorized can operate the overhead doors.
- Video monitoring is also required for a secured communication network so that the door at all times can be observed and controlled.
- Control of the vehicles entering or exiting (through a high-security protocol)
-Trigger floodlight and/or alarms.
- There must exist an automated record of all movements of all doors.
- There must be a central security control that locks down all doors.
- In order to prevent code stealing when the doors are locally managed with remote controls, the units should be equipped with rolling code technology, so every time the remote is operated, a new code will be used.Tightly controlled for remote openers must be used in high security situations.
- Pressure sensors, electric eyes and emergency-release mechanisms are items that all power operated doors should be equipped with as part of the safety equipment.
- It is recommended that once a month door safety should be tested so to be sure that closing doors automatically reverse when they hit obstacles.
-Trained personnel must regularly maintain and keep in good shape the doors.

3. Quality & Value - Invest in a High-Quality Overhead Door

One of the most common mistakes is to try to save money by using inferior quality doors as the door will be compromised in its lifetime, and it will require maintenance and repairs more frequently to keep it working.

Broken Sectional Overhead Door

To be sure that the door provides the thermal and sound diminish characteristics, managers must have a clear preventive maintenance plan.

If a door is for rough use, the best materials to be used are heavy gauge steel and aluminium, as they live for a long time and they can also be painted or powder coating. On the contrary, wood is usually avoided for industrial settings except for breweries or facilities that have a public component.

We highly recommend contacting us when renovating an industrial facility or designing one, as there is an enormous variety of choices and our experts will give you the best solution for your requirements.

If you need more information on choosing the industrial overhead door or loading dock equipment in general, please contact us, it will be our pleasure to serve you.

Service areas: Northern New Jersey (Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Union, Essex, Morris, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Mercer and Somerset county/counties), Manhattan, New York City, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Bronx, Westchester, and Rockland.

What we do: We sell, install, repair and maintain commercial and industrial overhead doors, operators, and loading dock equipment since 1981.

Dock lifts are a type of scissors lift with a large platform. They are used primarily to load/unload materials from trucks to a dock or to the ground. 

A dock lift provides a number of benefits. 

✓ They are the best solution for loading and unloading trucks for a ground level application. 

✓ They eliminate the danger and space requirements associated with a ramp and they improve safety by eliminating manual handling of freight from the truck bed height to the ground. 

✓ They can be found in different sizes and lifting capacities to suit a wide range of loading dock applications (and yes, they can be custom made).

✓ There is more secure level unloading from the bed of a truck than any other alternative.

✓ Dock lifts are the only equipment able to reach from ground level to any range of truck size, from low step vans to large refrigerated reefers.

✓ They allow your lifting equipment (forklift, pallet jack, walkie, etc.) to load or unload most trucks you will receive.

✓ A dock lift replaces concrete ramps and truck wells.

CHOOSING A DOCK LIFT

STEP 1: Choose What Application Works Best for You

Top of Ground Dock Lifts:

✓ They can be launched on any flat concrete slabs.

✓ There is no need for pit work. 

✓ You can move the dock lift in the future without difficulties. 

✓ Their capacities range from 4,000 lbs. up to 15,000 lbs. and the size of the platform from 6” to 6’ up to 8’ X 12’. 

✓ The price of a ground dock lift is usually higher than the cost of the recessed units. Although if you sum the cost of the pit construction, the price of the top of ground dock lifts can be quite competitive.

Benefits of The Pit Mounted Recessed Dock Lifts:

✓ These units are usually less expensive than the Top of Ground units.

✓ The main benefit is that these units are mounted flush with surrounding surfaces, so they will not become an obstacle to drive over traffic (this is important to keep in mind mainly if the dock lift will be installed in a doorway). 

✓ Recessed units offer level loading at ground level and at truck height. When mounted within the face of docks, they can provide easy dock to ground access (top of ground units can do the same if the units are mounted immediately adjacent to the dock and the approach ramps are shortened.

STEP 2: Platform Size

The platform size is determined by the type of transport equipment that will be used to load and/or unload trucks. 99% of all applications are mentioned below:

- The minimum suggested platform width is 6’. 
- Guardrails use 4’ - 8’ of usable platform width on some models. Keep in mind there should be at least 4’ of clearance on each side of the widest load as well as a 48’ wide pallet for ease of maneuvering.  
- When the loads are wider and/or some users like to unload two pallets side by side, the 7’ and 8’ wide platforms are the best options.
- When  the loads are four wheeled carts or baskets, or the load is limited to two-wheeled hand carts, then a 6’ platform length is more than enough. 
- An 8’ platform length is considered as minimum for the manual pallet jacks. 
- Power pallet jacks works better with 10’ lengths  to fit the load in a comfortable way
- Straddle stackers work well on 10’ platforms. 
- Fork trucks are usually much longer, so they normally require platforms in the 10’ to 12’ range.
- Unusual loads may require custom designed units with platform widths of 10’ - 12’ and platform lengths of up to 65’.

STEP 3: Capacities

✓ Lifting Capacity:  
When the size of the platform has been determined, you just need to add the maximum weight of the goods being loaded/unleaded + the weight of the transport equipment + the operator’s weight to arrive at a lifting capacity.

✓ Axle Rating Capacity: 
Axle loads on manually propelled carts and pallet jacks are too light to be of concern. 
Manual pallet jacks divide payload weight between two axles
Powered pallet jacks and straddle stackers usually concentrate 60% of the combined payload and equipment weight on their rear axle. Powered pallet jacks can move heavier loads than manual equipment. Fork trucks usually concentrate 80% of the maximum payload plus fork truck weight on the front axle, very few trucks may run up to  90% concentrations. 
It is wise to compare the axle loads produced by your equipment vs. the rating of the dock lifts to be safe. 

✓ Roll over capacity: 
This capacity only applies for recessed units, and it refers to the maximum axle load allowed for vehicles driving over a fully lowered lift. The majority of recessed dock lifts are rated for 10,000# axle load slow speed drive over. It is important to keep in mind that large specialty vehicles and high capacity fork trucks with small hard wheels can exceed these limits. In those cases, it is important to warn the lift manufacturer and they can modify the lifts to accommodate larger loads with thicker deck plates and other forms of reinforcement.

STEP 4: Power Units and Controls  
The operator who rides the lift must be the one controlling the up down controls, if operated in a different way, could cause an accident. NEMA 4 push-buttons, usually mounted on cords, are the standard controls for most companies. 

These are some of the items that can be adapted/replaced from the power units and controls:

✓ Cords length can be adapted (these could be longer for security options). 

✓ The hand held controls can be replaced with key lock push-buttons that are mounted on the platforms. 

✓ Limit switches may be added to cause the lift to stop at fixed dock heights.

✓ Power units on top of ground units are usually mounted on the lifts and covered with weather protection. 

✓ Recessed lifts typically have remote power units that are mounted inside buildings, but weather covers can be ordered for outdoor mounting. 

✓ Oil immersion heaters are important options for power units that will be exposed to cold winter outdoor temperatures.

STEP 5: The Size of the Bridges 
The size of the bridge is dictated by the gap from the lift to the back of the truck bed. Ideally, there should be a 4” to 6” extension onto the truck bed. 

- When lifts are located inside of buildings with a wall between the lift and the truck, the bridge (longer than usual) can rest against a wear strip on the wall and will then automatically reach into the truck as the lift is elevated and retract as the lift is lowered (in these cases, extra weight is not a concern).

- Bridge weight is dependent on both length and capacity. Manually operated bridge weight is a concern when the bridge is 24” or longer.

- There are options to mitigate bridge weight such as splitting the bridges into two sections, aluminum bridges or hydraulically operated bridges with push button controls.

Other things to keep in mind is that there are other additional options such as special paint finishes, special platform surfaces, wheel chocks, hydraulic fluids, gates, among others.

If you need more information on choosing the right dock lifts (or loading dock equipment in general) for your premises, please contact us, it will be our pleasure to serve you.

Service areas: Northern New Jersey (Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Union, Essex, Morris, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Mercer and Somerset county/counties), Manhattan, New York City, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Bronx, Westchester, and Rockland.

What we do: We sell, install, repair and maintain commercial overhead doors, operators, and loading dock equipment since 1981.

Note: The above white paper was copied word for word from Advanced Lifts Mfg.