Schweiss Doors has introduced a cordless drill-operated hydraulic pump that will open and close a hydraulic door up to 24 by 12 feet with any cordless drill or by hand.
“The drill-driven compact hydraulic pump system provides all the benefits of a Schweiss hydraulic door — strength, security and full access to inside space — without the need for power,” company officials said.
Price: $1,450.
Schweiss Doors manufactures hydraulic and bifold liftstrap doors. Schweiss also offers a cable to liftstrap conversion package.
For more information: Bifold.com
I have the same door as Larry (at least from his description). I have not had the limit switches fail, but have had the (expensive, sole sourced) main reversing/latching relay go bad several times. Fortunately, the failures were progressive. I’d have to press the “down” button more and more times to get the door to come down. It got really bad, and for a while I had the control box cover off and had to go up a ladder and physically hold the relay arm in the “on” position with a stick to progressively lower the door. (Neat, climb up a ladder and push on something invisible with 220 volt live wires all around. Then climb down that ladder while the door is moving, keeping pressure on the relay tab all the time. Did you say you were from OSHA or my life insurance company?)
I was always (and still am) afraid to open the door all the way because if there is a failure, the motor is trapped between the door skins and there is NO way to get at it.
Eventually, I bought a motor reversing switch (15 whole dollars from eBay), bypassed all the Rube Goldberg relays, transformers, chains and limit switches entirely, and operate the door with that switch and stop it myself before it does anything nasty. It isn’t as convenient as having auto-stop up and down, but it is a LOT more convenient than the live wires and ladder trick, and a lot safer, too.
I’m still reluctant to open the door fully because the motor (which is the only electrical part still on the door) will still be trapped with the door fully open. I am wondering about relocating the motor and drum off the door, at the top to the rear of the door. I’d need some healthy pulleys and some ironmongery. I’d still need the ladder if it failed, but at least I’d be able to get at it.
The people who make the door have been supportive, and the mechanical part of the door (frame, hinges, latches, etc.) are well done. The electrical part, made by a well known company which does all kinds of power door openers, is right out of the 1940s, and they not only provide zero support beyond “buy a new one”, they are also almost impossible to contact, and there is very, very little that is safe from me on Google.
This is a great development.
– hangars without electrical power can use this door now
– It is probably more reliable, with a motor driving the pump vs the motor/cable/limit switches arrangement.
– the option to use a handheld drill motor to raise/ lower the door, if the electrical power is off.
I had an electric motor drive door run up past the limit switch…blew the fuses, but would also not come down. I had to call a service tech with a 15 ft scissor lift to manually lower the door and reset the limit switch. It took hours…!!!
I had a bifold electric motor door with auto locking closing arms fail to stop in the DOWN direction thereby damaging the arms and associated stuff. My point is, doors w/ limit switches can go bad in EITHER direction depending upon design.
Newer doors require the operator to hold the ‘up’ or ‘down’ button vs. my design which is a latching function up or down until the ‘stop’ button is pressed or a limit switch stops it. This means you’re physically there to stop it if the limit switches don’t do their job. The older design depends upon the limit switches to stop the door. If one fails, the door will keep going and potentially damage itself. I have actually seen a hangar that darn near was taken down by a door that didn’t stop. A hangar neighbor had a door that popped a circuit breaker ON the control box when the door was almost all the way up. I had to wedge myself into the door up in the air to reset it for him (with the power off!).
I ordered my door with remote openers; after my problem, I never used them. Remote operation is a frivolous NOT needed option. I don’t allow anyone but myself to operate the door and when I do, I’m ready to stop it at a moments notice. I set my 12′ door to stop at the 10′ height so I can get at the motor with a hand crank to get it down IF something happens when it’s up. It also gives me time to stop it if the ‘up’ limit switch doesn’t do its job.
THIS backup mode to operate a hydraulic pump looks like a great backup method to run a door if power isn’t available or lost.