T-hangar's bi-fold door: Convert to a motorized opening door?

Here's a silly question: Is there any way to convert a t-hangar's
manually opening bi-fold door to a motorized one?

I just rented a t-hangar that uses a circular chain hanging off a large
pulley near the top of the hangar to control the door. The chain must
be pulled thirty to forty times to fully open or close the bi-fold door.

Perhaps some type of conversion to an automatic garage door opener?

Has anyone ever done anything like this?

--
Peter

Peter R. wrote:

Here's a silly question: Is there any way to convert a t-hangar's
manually opening bi-fold door to a motorized one?

I just rented a t-hangar that uses a circular chain hanging off a large
pulley near the top of the hangar to control the door. The chain must
be pulled thirty to forty times to fully open or close the bi-fold door.

Perhaps some type of conversion to an automatic garage door opener?

Has anyone ever done anything like this?

Or ditch the stupid crappy bi fold completely and get a hydroswing to
really go first class.

Here's a silly question: Is there any way to convert a t-hangar's
manually opening bi-fold door to a motorized one?

If you figure this one out, please let us all know. Our hangar is over 40
years old, and it would sure be nice to just push a button to open the door.

Of course, you'd put my kids out of business. (We pay them 25 cents for
each opening...)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:

Of course, you'd put my kids out of business. (We pay them 25 cents for
each opening...)

25 cents? Wow, that cheap labor.

--
Peter

"Peter R." wrote in message
...
Jay Honeck wrote:

Of course, you'd put my kids out of business. (We pay them 25 cents for
each opening...)

25 cents? Wow, that cheap labor.

Assuming 1 minute to open the door, that's 60 * 0.25 = $15 an hour.

Paul

"Peter R." wrote:

Perhaps some type of conversion to an automatic garage door opener?

Garage door openers drive a sprocket that operates a circular chain. Some of the
older units had a block on the chain that tripped a switch when the door was raised.
This block could be adjusted to fine-tune the system. My Genie units do not have
this. I assume (but do not know) that they simply pull the chain for a fixed distance
(most doors are 7' tall).

So. Measure the distance you have to pull your chain to open the hangar door. Work
out the ratio between that and 7'. Rig a reduction gear out of two appropriately
sized pulleys and a belt and drive that from a chain driven by a garage door opener.
You can probably use your existing chain pulley as one pulley in the reduction gear
and mount the whole thing high on the wall.

George Patterson
If you want to know God's opinion of money, just look at the people
he gives it to.

G.R. Patterson III wrote:

Garage door openers drive a sprocket that operates a circular chain. Some of the
older units had a block on the chain that tripped a switch when the door was raised.
This block could be adjusted to fine-tune the system. My Genie units do not have
this. I assume (but do not know) that they simply pull the chain for a fixed distance
(most doors are 7' tall).

So. Measure the distance you have to pull your chain to open the hangar door. Work
out the ratio between that and 7'. Rig a reduction gear out of two appropriately
sized pulleys and a belt and drive that from a chain driven by a garage door opener.
You can probably use your existing chain pulley as one pulley in the reduction gear
and mount the whole thing high on the wall.

Thanks, George. I might just try this project.

--
Peter

Peter R. wrote in message ...
G.R. Patterson III wrote:

Garage door openers drive a sprocket that operates a circular chain. Some of the
older units had a block on the chain that tripped a switch when the door was raised.
This block could be adjusted to fine-tune the system. My Genie units do not have
this. I assume (but do not know) that they simply pull the chain for a fixed distance
(most doors are 7' tall).

So. Measure the distance you have to pull your chain to open the hangar door. Work
out the ratio between that and 7'. Rig a reduction gear out of two appropriately
sized pulleys and a belt and drive that from a chain driven by a garage door opener.
You can probably use your existing chain pulley as one pulley in the reduction gear
and mount the whole thing high on the wall.

Thanks, George. I might just try this project.

Actually many residential garage doors will open up a 10' high door
when they have the right length rail & chain. So if your door is 10'
tall you do not need to change the reduction at all, but if your door
is taller then 10' you would have to change the reduction. However if
you change the reduction very much (depends on door height) you are
also going to increase the speed that the door opens which may result
in an unsafe operating condition & is also going to put more wear &
tear on the door. Residential garage door openers are not designed for
this type of use & for your own safety is not something I would
personally recommend doing.

Doordoc

Doordoc wrote:

So if your door is 10'
tall you do not need to change the reduction at all, but if your door
is taller then 10' you would have to change the reduction.

Since this is a folding door, it's not a matter of the door height at all. It's
purely a matter of how much of the chain on his door he needs to pull to raise it
versus how much chain the opener pulls before it hits its limit switch. If the limit
switch on the GDO is adjustable, there's no need for a reduction mechanism at all.

George Patterson
If you want to know God's opinion of money, just look at the people
he gives it to.

"Doordoc" wrote in message
om...
Peter R. wrote in message
...
G.R. Patterson III wrote:

Garage door openers drive a sprocket that operates a circular chain.
Some of the
older units had a block on the chain that tripped a switch when the
door was raised.
This block could be adjusted to fine-tune the system. My Genie units
do not have
this. I assume (but do not know) that they simply pull the chain for a
fixed distance
(most doors are 7' tall).

So. Measure the distance you have to pull your chain to open the
hangar door. Work
out the ratio between that and 7'. Rig a reduction gear out of two
appropriately
sized pulleys and a belt and drive that from a chain driven by a
garage door opener.
You can probably use your existing chain pulley as one pulley in the
reduction gear
and mount the whole thing high on the wall.

Thanks, George. I might just try this project.

Actually many residential garage doors will open up a 10' high door
when they have the right length rail & chain. So if your door is 10'
tall you do not need to change the reduction at all, but if your door
is taller then 10' you would have to change the reduction. However if
you change the reduction very much (depends on door height) you are
also going to increase the speed that the door opens which may result
in an unsafe operating condition & is also going to put more wear &
tear on the door. Residential garage door openers are not designed for
this type of use & for your own safety is not something I would
personally recommend doing.

Doordoc

I would say, that a proper application of a residential opener could be
safe, and reliable. It would take some doing.

Gear the output of the opener, so that the door moves at a speed comparable
to how fast the door would move, if it were being opened manually. This
would mean a much longer cycle time than the electric opener was designed
for, so the original limit switches would not work. A Craftsman (Sears)
opener, of older design had built in limit switches run by a threaded rod,
to control the start and stop locations, and thus times. Keep the concept,
but instead of pushing the switches using the built in threaded rod,
relocate new switches, so the doors physically push on the new switches to
start, stop, and reverse the movement.

I have my show sawdust system run by an old opener. The only parts I had to
buy were two new limit switches, and a bit of wire. The two new switches
are actuated by the threaded rod, but the original switches still start and
stop the opener. The new switches hold in the coil for the magnetic starter
circuit, and still let the pushbutton stations operate normally when the
remote is not being used.

Good luck. Contact me, if you want to make a go at it. I do happen to have
one more old opener on hand, :-))
--
Jim in NC


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