Two Different Hangar Doors

by Jonathan McGaha | 29 February 2016 12:00 am

What contractors should know about hangar doors

There are a number of door styles aircraft owners can choose from when it comes time to put or replace a door on their hangar. Two popular styles are the bi-fold door and the one-piece hydraulic door. Both are excellent doors and are most often chosen depending upon what the hangar owner prefers.

 

Bi-fold Hangar Doors

The bi-fold door can be a strap lift door or a cable lift door. Most will agree that a liftstrap door highly outperforms the outdated cable door. Liftstrap doors are safer and require less maintenance than cable doors. Cables can fray, overwrap and even occasionally break. The strong liftstraps, rated to lift 29,000 pounds each, are safer, quieter and will lift your door faster. Liftstrap doors can also be fitted with automatic latching systems that use straps instead of cables. It has become quite popular for other existing brand cable door owners to have their doors converted to a liftstrap system.

Advantages of bi-fold doors are that they lift vertically, which is ideal in areas where heavy snowfall might accumulate in front of them. This eliminates the need to shovel snow away from the doors’ front before opening. Bi-fold doors attach above the clear opening, not under the header, with no loss of headroom.

 

Hydraulic Hangar Doors

The hydraulic door operates via a hydraulic pump and hydraulic cylinders. Hydraulic doors are very quiet, have less moving parts than a bi-fold door and don’t give up headroom. The one-piece construction has a very nice, exterior look and when opened provides a shaded canopy that in most cases, will keep rain outside your building.

Because hydraulic doors open outward it is recommended that you have a window in the door or have a window in your walkdoor so you can look outside for any obstruction that may be in the travel path of the hydraulic door before you open it. You cannot park as close to your building with a hydraulic door as you can with a bi-fold door. Hydraulic doors can be flush mounted or exterior mounted.

Both style doors are designed for easy installation and can be operated via remote control. All-steel hydraulic doors are equipped with spherical bearings with beefed-up hinges greaseable from inside the building. Multiple backup systems are available that include a battery power backup, drill-driven backup, and hydraulic backup system that can hook up to tractor fittings to open in case of a power outage.

Other Considerations

1. How much headroom do you need? Is there a possibility that in the future you may purchase a larger plane that requires more headroom? You’ll always appreciate a larger door, and your resale value on your hangar will increase with a larger door.

2. Your door manufacturer should be able to provide you, your architect or building supplier with engineering specs. It is important to know door weights, engineering data, wind load specifications and other pertinent facts to ensure a perfect fit to your hangar. It’s a good idea to call your door manufacturer before you put up your hangar. All buildings must be designed to carry the weight loads for safe installation and to avoid building failures.

3. Safety features: How safe is the hangar door you are ordering? Will your door have built-in safety precautions? Does the manufacturer offer safety equipment such as electric photo eye sensors, door base safety edge, warning lights and horns?

4. How much power will you need? The required power to lift the door, on hydraulic and bi-fold doors is 220 volts. Three-phase power may also be used to lift the door. Motor power varies from 2-horsepower to 5-horsepower depending on door size.

5. What about instructions? Manufacturers can give specific instructions on how to install the door. They should also offer telephone assistance. For a close fit, give your door manufacturer the exact dimensions so the door will fit in place with 1/8-inch of clearance.

6. How long has the door manufacturer been in business? Has he been doing business under the same name? Are the doors made in the United States? Study the company website; read reviews about their doors. Visit their factory; ask for referrals of people who own their doors. A little homework may save you big dollars in the end.

7. The difference between a well-designed, engineered door and a commonly manufactured one is not immediately visible to the eye. But it has a significant impact on the performance, longevity, maintenance and function of the door.

Pat Schmidt is media director of Schweiss Doors, Hector, Minn. To learn more, visit www.schweissdoors.com[1] or call (800) 746-8273.

Source URL: https://www.metalconstructionnews.com/articles/two-different-hangar-doors/

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