Hangar Doors

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Mtns2Skies

Final Approach
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Mtns2Skies
I bought a 50x50 insulated heated steel-constructed hangar at my local airport. It's a great hangar with a door that leaves a lot to be desired. Currently it's a center garage door with swinging doors on either side that swing inward eating up precious space, and they don't seal particularly well. The goal being to eventually be able to fit two airplanes inside.

The base of the header is at 12' and I'd like to maximize height as much as possible. A single piece door is not an option as the hangars are pretty close to the taxiway. This is a winter climate so snow and ice buildup is a concern.

There are SO many options out there so not sure if there's recommendations either way (this is just the current list, feel free to add or subtract):

  • Schweiss Strap door
  • Midland Strap door
  • Diamond Doors
  • Hi-Fold Doors
 
Everyone at 9B8 is using hi fold. I haven’t heard of any issues. You do replace the cables every decade or so. Call them up and they sent them for free.
A car or plane can be pretty close to the door as it opens or closes. There is an overhang but it’s high.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
It looks like a nice door but I don't think it will work in my application both from a height standpoint and a solid non-folding door standpoint.
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What is the building structure like? The advantage of the Higher Power door is it doesn't depend on the building for support. All of the bifold doors you have mentioned place a significant force on the structure of the building when open. A header alone is not enough. If the building is not reinforced for that load, the door can separate from the building. I've seen it happen here.

We also have several happy Higher Power door owners here as well. One is on a hangar that had a bi-fold nearly fall off the front.
 
midwestpa24 said:
What is the building structure like? The advantage of the Higher Power door is it doesn't depend on the building for support. All of the bifold doors you have mentioned place a significant force on the structure of the building when open. A header alone is not enough. If the building is not reinforced for that load, the door can separate from the building. I've seen it happen here.

We also have several happy Higher Power door owners here as well. One is on a hangar that had a bi-fold nearly fall off the front.
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Proper engineering will be done. Several of the bi-fold manufacturers offer stand-alone header/structures as well incase the building is not built for it.

A single piece door really is a non-starter or it will be sweeping almost into the taxiway.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
Proper engineering will be done. Several of the bi-fold manufacturers offer stand-alone header/structures as well incase the building is not built for it.

A single piece door really is a non-starter or it will be sweeping almost into the taxiway.
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I hate to sound like a salesperson for the Higher Power, and if it isn't right for your installation that's fine. I would just point out the Higher Power pivots into the door frame as it goes up, and ultimately doesn't stick out anymore than a bi-fold when up. Some of the other hydraulic doors just have a hinge at the top and push straight out, but the Higher Power works on a cam type system at the top, and the hydraulic rams are actually pushing it up not out.
 
Pictures of the structure & immediate area/taxiway?
 
Any quality brand bifold door should be very easy to seal up tight. What I’d look at is how it locks into the jamb after closing. All I’m familiar with have a manual cam lever to pull the hinge area into the weather seal manually. They work great.

I helped a neighbor hang a monster bifold door recently. It must be around 75’ x 20’. Single piece doors are easier to install!
 
I have had a Schweiss for the past 15 years. It's a steel frame. I've placed 2" rigid foam panels between the framing members. The outside is sheathed in plywood that is layered and groved to give the appearance that it is a huge rail and style door.

The only problem I had with the door was closing it on top of my towbar that's driven by a coordless drill. Do you know how many little gears and things are inside one of those drills?
 
We’ve got Horton Stack Doors on all of the box hangars here, and they’re great all around doors with virtually zero maintenance.
 
We have been quite pleased this (brutal) winter with the Higher Power door. We have a north facing hangar and the fact that it lifts up a bit before the pivot solves a lot of ice dam issues from the snow that is shed from the roof. Granted, a bi-fold does the same, but we had no choice, as we bought into the already installed door.
 
2892CCE4-619E-4ECF-9B42-92BB9EC19670.jpeg 8BE2CA5D-70BA-4D39-ABD7-8B43101CC0A6.jpeg C1916995-C559-46D3-9B4D-82E70771E4E5.jpeg We just put a Higher Power door in our new hangar. It’s great when it’s done. Our contractor and engineer couldn’t see eye to eye on the installation. Lead to delays and some ire. But we are happy with it now! Required 3 phase electric which also was a hassle but might be due to pump size.
 
ebetancourt said:
I have had Hi-Fold for over 22 years. Recently built a new hangar and went with Hi-Fold.
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Any issues with cables on the Hi-Fold? I really like their high clearance design and they're relatively local to me, but I'm leaning towards a strap door because I've had issues with cables in the past.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
Any issues with cables on the Hi-Fold? I really like their high clearance design and they're relatively local to me, but I'm leaning towards a strap door because I've had issues with cables in the past.
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No issues with cables, even though this is a fairly humid area. The old door is maybe 23 y/o. Now starting to have a few problems with electronics and remote openers. No hesitation on my part to reorder. Without the increased height, I would have had to change design.
 
Okay I'm between the Schweiss and the Hi-Fold.
Schweiss - Pro strap doors vs cable. Con: clearance would be about 10'
Hi-Fold - Pro clearance would be 11'+ Con: Uses cables

Thoughts?
 
Mtns2Skies said:
Okay I'm between the Schweiss and the Hi-Fold.
Schweiss - Pro strap doors vs cable. Con: clearance would be about 10'
Hi-Fold - Pro clearance would be 11'+ Con: Uses cables

Thoughts?
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My heart says strap, because I think it's better than the cables. My brain says cable, as the Hi-Fold will make the hangar compatible with a larger number of aircraft types. This could affect hangar resale value and ease of resale as well. The less planes that fit, the less buyers. As an example, Cessna 210 would probably be uncomfortably close to the Schweiss, but would clear the Hi-Fold nicely.

Personally, when it comes to toys, I normally ignore resale aspects and chase my heart vs brain.
 
FWIW department: Had a cable (1 of 2) break on my bifold door a couple years ago. The other cable was able to hold the door and I just closed it. Hangar was built in 1975 and it's possible that the cables were original. They tend to sag enough to lay on the wet floor when the door is closed and the one that broke was corroded.
 
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