Have you looked at a side mount opener?

 

I've installed on the side a few times already, just have to tighten the springs a bit more to avoid cocking the door sideways. That's not the problem with it, how do you connect the door to the opener cradle? As in, the door must first be raised before pulled into the building. Openers pull inward the entire time. Not a problem when the track immediately goes horizontal. BIG problem when it doesn't. Can't use pulleys, the door would get in the way. Gotta pull it from the bottom directly UP. Mounting on the side makes that easier using cables and pulleys to pull both up AND down, but still more trouble than normal.

 

A thought just came to me. If you extended the cable/chain, and put a pulley or gear on each section or the door all the way to the bottom. Attach the cable /chain to the bottom of the door. It should pull the door up as intended??? Might take some experimentation but I think it will work. Just a thought. I open my doors manually and had never given this a thought, until now? I've always wanted automatic doors but at 18ft wide I wasn't sure what it would take. You've got me curious. Let me know if, and how it works out. Good Luck.

Jack

 

I think Sean was referring to a ‘wall mount’ opener, something like the following, that will lift up to 14 feet:

 

Ya gotta be careful about thinking what other people think - I think

I made that mistake in the seat thread.

 

Ah, okay, I didn't know there were such contraptions. I'll have to check that out. Then I could run the tracks to the ceiling and not worry about anything.

 

I just put that into my Amazon cart.

 

There's other brands out there, probably want to shop around, features, pros/cons, price. Thought about one a few years ago when my opener quit, but realized I didn’t really have the wall space for it (have to give up some shelf space next to the door), and I don’t have the height needed to put in a lift, even by putting the door all the way up to the ceiling (stupid steel support beam runs right across the middle of the garage).

 

I put things in 'my' cart so the wife can do all the research she wants at all the possible locations, and she almost always finds the best deal on everything. Less work for me, FUN for her! I make the final approval though, so it meets my requirements.
I won't actually GET one until probably April, when it isn't frozen ghastly death outside.

 

Ive got the setup you need. Its a liftmaster opener which mounts on the wall next to the door and attaches to the bar that has the cable drums on it.

the I put in peaked trusses to get more height.

the I angled my top garage door rails to follow the angle of the peaked trusses and the door goes up and over anything that might be on the lift

 

That's the same idea as what Sean and KJ suggested. I put the Genie version in my Amazon cart. I'll buy one in the spring, along with raising the door rails to the ceiling.

 

Hazard eliminated 😎

I reckon raising the door tracks will make your garage feel heaps bigger too