Schweiss Bifold Doors
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Note from the owner of Schweiss Bi-fold Doors Note from the owner of Schweiss Bi-fold Doors
Must see photos

Free Standing Headers

Bifold door with a free standing header

Can be used on older buildings

Need Extra Building Support

Fast & easy way to add extra support

Easy to position and layout on the building

Building with free standing header attached for bifold or hydraulic doors

All in One.

Self-Supporting.

Attaches to your building.

Includes - Endwall girts/wind bracing.

Finished Look After Assembly

On Round Roof Building

Free standing header attached to a concrete building

Horizontal Support

Steel Siding

Rubber

Base Trim

SIDE VIEW OF FLASHING

BEHIND THE HEADER

Extension Header
Bracket

Roof Purlin

Top Flash

Brick or concrete building

On Brick or Concrete Building

Free standing header attached to a concrete building

Steel Plates for added strength

SIDE VIEW

Plate
bolted to
bldg.

Free Standing Headers

Talk About Free Standing Headers

Star Bullet

Schweiss Bi-Fold Doors manufactures the entire free standing header. You may retrofit it to your building endwall or sidewall. The free standing header is a quick and easy way to prepare your building for a bi-fold door. It consists of two side columns and the main header frame.

 
Star Bullet

The free standing header must be attached to the building and the building must be able to support the vertical and horizontal weights of the bi-fold door. You must tie the header and side columns to your building and provide a solid footing under the legs of the free standing header.

 

WHY USE A FREE STANDING HEADER?
Bullet Point It's a nice easy way to prepare an existing building for a Bi-Fold Door.
Bullet Point It provides a clean,flat,flush surface to attach your bi-fold door too.
Bullet Point The free standing header will offer extra strength.
Bullet Point It provides a nice straight and level place to attach your door to -especially on those older buildings.
Bullet Point It's a quick fix -It's easier than remodeling the existing end wall for a bi-fold -and many times cost effective!
Bullet Point It's a trade off -You would have to build a header up to your existing end wall and that's not free (Labor and material?)
Bullet Point Free Standing Headers are made out of 4"x 4"x11ga tubes
(2 across the full width, 2 legs and base plates).
Bullet Point Larger free standing headers are made out of larger member sizes.
Bullet Point The header comes all welded together -you must field weld or bolt both of the legs on.

INSTALLATION OF THE FREE STANDING HEADER
Bullet Point Installation is easy;attach the legs to your side columns and tie the header back into your existing building.
Bullet Point Anchor the base plates to your concrete footing with anchor bolts.
Bullet Point If there are no footings for smaller doors, just attach the side columns to your building posts or columns.
Bullet Point We provide a step by step installation manual that is very easy to follow.
Bullet Point If you want to build your own header we will provide you drawings on how to build it your self.
Bullet Point Take pictures to send to the factory of your large opening, especially for larger header questions.

IMPORTANT:
Bullet Point The customer, contractor/owner and the building manufacturer are responsible to ensure that the building's structural design is capable of handling all the imposed loads that the bi-fold door exerts to your door header,endwall,and building.
Bullet Point When your bi-fold door is in the full open position,the bi-fold door tends to pull away from the building at the hinge line exerting considerable horizontal loads on the building structure in the open position.
Bullet Point Your building header design must meet standard deflection and strength criteria,both in vertical and horizontal directions to support the bi-fold door in all positions.
Bullet Point

Schweiss Bi-Fold Doors will provide you with those loads that are applied to your building and door.We will provide you with our A-1, A-2, A-3, and A-4 Spec sheets for your actual measurements, movements, weights, and hinge locations.

 

 

Free Standing Header on a steel building

Free Standing Header - On A Steel Building

Measurements for a free standing header attached to a steel building

Free Standing Header

 

Bi-Fold Door is Attached

Bi-Fold Door Attached to free standing header

Lateral Bracing

Free Standing Header

Side view Bi-Fold Door and free standing header

Free Standing Header

Clear
Opening

Custom built- lose no headroom

Custom Built - Above Roof Line - Lose No Headroom

Free Standing header extending above the roof line

Flashing Behind the Free Standing Header

Flashing behind a free standing header above the roof line

Diagonal Support Bracing

Free Standing Header Details

Detail viewo of flashing attached to free standing header

Flashing

Back Bracing

Base Trim

Steel Siding

Top Flash

Rubber

Trim - Side View

Bracing Back the Free Standing Header

Support bracing behind a free standing header above the roof line

Lateral Bracing

Building Purlins

2nd Building
Mainframe

Free Standing
Header

Building Endwall
Mainframe

To left header leg

to finished floor

Offset Building Endwall

On Wood Buildings

Free standing header attached to a wood building Measurement drawing for free standing header attached to a wood building

Free Standing Header

Offset Building Endwall

Offset Building Endwall

Using a free standing header with an offset building endwall

Lateral Bracing back to Building

Free Standing Header

Offset Building Endwall

On Building Sidewall

Attaching guide for a free standing header to a building sidewall

Side Wall

Lateral Bracing

Free Standing Header

Substitute Hangar Bracket

3" x 4" x 1/4" Angle Extension Bracket

(Sized per door / place by each hinge)

Building Side Column
wood or steel

Side view of free standing header attached to a building endwall

Side View

Lateral Bracing

Free Standing Header

Building Sheeting

Door Frame

I-beam bolted to column

Building Side Column
wood or steel

Extension Header
Bracket

Roof Purlin

Single Hinge

Round Roof Buildings

Finished Look After Assembly

This is the way your free standing header should look after you assemble it

 

Finished free standing header after assembly

Field Drill
these Holes

Leg

Base Plate

Leg

Header Mainframe

Specs / Measurements

Base Plate

Bracing to the building

Bracing Back to the Building

Bracing back for a free standing header

How to tie your free standing header into the building

The customer must supply these methods of tieing the header with the building

Tied to the building
mainframe or endwall
(Not included
customer
must supply)

Tie onto the building's side columns
Not Included
CUSTOMER MUST SUPPLY
*Fast and easy way to add extra support.
*Can be used on existing buildings.
*Easy to position and layout on the building.

Lateral Bracing

Lateral bracing and side plates aren't furnished by Schweiss Bi-Fold Doors.

Side PLates (Clips)

Header assembly

Assembly

Assembly drawing of a free standing header

Leg

Leg

Slide Each Leg Against The Header Mainframe. It Is Very Important That The Legs Be Straight, Flush, And Flat With THe Header Mainframe.

Weld all around the tube
and the angle irons

Angles are pre-welded onto the header.

Base Plate
pre-welded to
the leg bottom

Base Plate pre welded to
the leg bottom

Header Mainframe

Side columns must be flush with main frame header

Must be Flush with Main Frame

Correct alignment of legs and header tube of a free standing header

CORRECT

CORRECT

WRONG!!

WRONG!!

Header mainframe
is flush with the legs

Header mainframe
is flush with
the legs

Header
mainframe is
flush with the legs

Straight,

Flush and Flat

Legs aren't resting flush
with the header mainframe.

Attach legs to concrete footing

Attaching The Legs to Concrete Footing

Illustration showing attaching free standing header to concrete floor

Existing Building Post

Free Standing Header

Bi-Fold Door

3/4" dia.
holes

Footing Detail Can be either
round or square

Free
standing
header leg

Door rolls
on here
Floor Level

Door Frame

Door Sheeting

Bottom Trim

Bottom Rubber Seal

Base Plate

Should be flush with the
inside floor or where door
will be sitting on.

Anchor Bolt - by customer

Footing - by customer goes below frost line

Not Included
Customer Must Supply The
Anchor Bolts And Concrete Footing

Footing
goes
below
frost line

Anchor
Bolts

Free Standing Headers


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