Dean Schneider next to his new 40' x 18' Schweiss "Red Power" Hydraulic Door.
"When I pushed the button and the whole wall opened up, everyone was just amazed." That's Dean Schneider, New Ulm, MN crops and livestock farmer talking about a charity event hosted in their new 80' x 84' farm shop which features a 40' x 18' Schweiss hydraulic door installed on the south wall of the huge structure.
This eye catching farm shop is indeed a beautiful facility. All four exterior steel walls are white, however red is the accent color around the edges of this big hydraulic door, all windows in the door, plus other access doors into this incredible building.
Was the new shop and color trim ever an issue? Wife Lori said absolutely not. "I've told Dean for years that he should build a new shop. Our farm equipment is big; he and our sons take great care of the equipment so a better facility just seemed in order," she related.
Added Dean, "We did some touring checking out other farm shops so we pretty much knew what we wanted. Plus our son Chad, 27, has his own construction company (North Star Builders, New Ulm) and he helped with the layout and actual construction. So this was very much a family project all the way."
The Schneider family includes four sons, Ross, 17, Jeff, 23, Matt, 26 and Chad plus daughter Megan, age 14. And because this was a family project, the new structure has several special features including a 24' x 32' office and 'breakroom' area.
"The breakroom space is great. Gives some special room for visitors and space for our crews during harvest. Plus we needed an office to get some of the bookwork of our operation out of the house. So a neat bathroom also got added, plus a utility room housing all the geothermal hookups," said Dean.
The 80' x 84' structure is one Sharp Looking Farm Shop
Dean's wife, Lori took charge of the colors for the new farm shop
The new shop has a lot of curb appeal
Dean's Sons. . . You need a large shop with a big door to work on today's large equipment
Why the big Schweiss door?
"Because of the local connection," said Dean adding, "We see the Schweiss operation often because it's only about 40 minutes from our farm. So if there were any issues with the door, we knew we could rely on the Schweiss crew for quick service. Our only choice really was, "Do we do Schweiss Bifold or Schweiss Hydraulic?"
"We did check out a hydraulic door firm further west in Minnesota but the Schweiss door just looked better to us. Better design, stronger construction, heavier cylinders and frankly easier people to work with," related Schneider.
So why the hydraulic choice? Esthetically appealing might be the word from an architect. Dean simply said, "It's a cleaner, less busy look. It really complimented the total interior look of our shop, plus it was easy to insulate."
And delivery of the Schweiss door was right on schedule when needed. "Plus they told my son exactly what dimensions were needed for the doorframe. When my son fitted the door into the opening it was flawless; just a perfect fit and that's something when you're dealing with a space that big. Plus that's the neat part about dealing with someone locally," said Dean.
The red accent color was a mutual choice of both Lori and Dean. Lori said their farmstead already had a 'reddish theme.' The breakroom even features an elevated cocktail table encircled with three bar stools. Social 'break in' for the Schneider's new facility was last April when they hosted a fund raiser for upgrading a nearby baseball field being dressed up into a 'field of dreams' landscape. Dean estimates about 300 people attended and said everyone was totally impressed with the new building.
But what they really wanted to see was the opening of that huge hydraulic door. "Everyone was amazed. They had never seen a structure where the entire wall opened up. That just blew people away," chuckled Dean.
What's ahead for this new country 'social center' which incidentally is also an extremely convenient farm shop? Ross graduates next year so Lori is already thinking his graduation reception in the farm shop. Perhaps a future event might be a wedding anniversary celebration of the Schneider's.
Dean admits however that his new shop has already become sort of the neighborhood gathering place for morning coffee; and even an occasional 'happy hour' afterwork gathering. In essence already this is their own 'field of dreams' since the theme of 'if you build it, they will come' certainly seems to be flourishing.
The farm shop was a family project from start to finish
Office / Breakroom attached to the new shop complex
Upper Loft / Deck and card table for breaks. Upper
closet houses the doors hydraulic unit. . . clean
A geothermal system heats the entire shop, including
the office
Large, fancy windows within the moving hydraulic doorframe, provide extra light!
Some special features of the shop space:
Summed up Dean, "We're just totally pleased with the
structure. And yes, that Schweiss hydraulic door I'd have to say is perhaps the highlight of this entire structure."
Sharp looking farm shop features office space and large hydraulic door
This eye catching farm shop is indeed a beautiful facility. All four exterior steel walls are white, however red is the accent color around the edges of this big hydraulic door, all windows in the door, plus other access doors into this incredible building. |
|
Taxi-through hangar speeds crop work for big time spraying operation
Twenty-seven years as an aerial applicator provides an historical perspective each spring for Rich Sigurdson, Olivia, MN. For cantankerous 2011 he simply responded,"This spring brought in a little more work than normal. This is the latest for putting crops in the ground since I've been in the business. |
|
Huge Army tanks and track vehicles pass through Ft. Carson liftstrap bifold doors
Getting 146 doors installed at one location speaks rather strongly about the quality and reliability of your door provider. But that's the current scorecard of Schweiss BiFold doors at Fort Carson, Colorado (Colorado Springs) where Mortenson Construction (Denver branch) has an ongoing contract with the U.S. Army for the construction of special heated maintenance shops called TEMFs (Tactical Equipment Maintenance Facilities). This means structures big enough for Army tanks and other special military tactical vehicles. |
|
Electrical engineer researches and chooses 40 ft. Hydraulic Hangar Door
I researched over a year what I wanted to do. I met Dave Schweiss at the Florida 'Fun in the Sun' air show and both Dave and Mike at the big Oshgosh, WS show. After meeting the guys and looking more closely at their product the choice was obvious. It simply was the best fit, the best design, the best door and in terms of value, the best deal. |
|
Fagen WWII museum purchases multiple large Schweiss Liftstrap Bifold Hangar Doors
Here are some shots of Fagen's warbirds. All mighty nice, mint condition airplanes! Just one of many unique planes that will be on display in the New Fagen Museum. It'll be the hot spot in Granite Falls, Minnesota to see some of the most beautiful Flying machines imaginable. |
|
Fast opening Schweiss hydraulic heated shop doors were just what this farmer needed
Obviously a guy doesn't spend several thousand dollars for a big hydraulic door because it opens and closes in 37 seconds. But surprisingly 'door speed' is a bit of a factor, at least for Terry Albright, Renville County farmer who also runs a fleet of 'over the road' semi rigs. |
|
New 75 ft. Ohio farm shop has Schweiss hydraulic door with special lighting
A slick, new 75' x 80' farm shop with special lighting, in-floor heating, a huge 40' door and a burgundy and beige color scheme is getting all sorts of attention on the farm of John Dulin, Kenton, Ohio. "The contractor that sold me the building has people coming here every week it seems to check out the building and especially that big hydraulic door. So it's a real treat for me and my farming partner son Dana, to show them the works," explained Dulin, who is also maintenance manager for six school buses in their local special education district. |
|
Wayzata resident loves his worry free liftstrap garage door conversion
Two bifold doors were on his Wayzata, Minn. home when he and his wife, Nancy, purchased it from a previous owner several years ago. He referred to the doors as "a bonus and attractive feature" and believed the architect chose the bifold style of doors for aesthetic reasons. |
|
Carriage House helicopter hangar is very likely the most unique in America!
The Carriage House on the lakeshore property of Sid Morris, Cornelius, NC is very likely the most unique in America! It doesn't house horses and horse buggies. It doesn't house antique autos. Instead it houses his R44 helicopter. And that chopper gets to the Carriage House by first landing on a helio pad on the end of his 200' dock. A small electrically driven dolly then gently lifts the chopper with operator then guiding the chopper to its proper stall inside this remarkable 4-star carriage house. |
|
Artists architectural glass door was perfect for Martha's Vineyard studio and guest house
At 27 years of age, film maker/artist/author Travis Wood appears to be adding architectural design to his intriguing resume. Evidence of this new dimension is a most unique structure, a combination studio/guest house that he and his father are constructing on their vacation property on Martha's Vineyard, hugging the south shore of Massachusetts. |
|
Funky Brooklyn Store Front Perforated Steel Bifold Doors add touch of class and security
Hugging the southwest corner of Long Island, New York, Brooklyn's earlier identity was mostly hitched to Coney Island beach and the Brooklyn Dodgers of baseball immortality. Today the city is enjoying a renaissance of rediscovery by artists, retailers, ambitious contractors and creative landscapers including the Andre Kikoski Architect firm which just wrapped up the complete renovation of two empty, abandoned warehouse buildings on 22-28 Wyckoff Ave. |
|
Multiple stores and doors are key to Arnold Company farm implement business expansion
Consolidation is that aggressive word which has been enveloping agricultural business for several years now. In simple terms, it results in fewer but bigger. And that certainly is the recent history of the farm implement business, which used to pride itself on having eight, 10, even 12 or more dealerships per county. Today three or four farm equipment dealers per county is more the usual. But ownership of farm implement stores today often includes multiple locations throughout an entire state. |
|
Former Alaskan has Bifold hangar doors for fishing and flying from private airstrip
Flying since he got the bug when working the fishing canaries in Alaska, Eric Hutchins, Grand Rapids, MN, has a rather diversified agenda these days. For example he runs a year-round Dairy Queen in this bustling tourist center town. He also does some part-time law enforcement work and occasionally flies fire detection with the MN DNR. When time permits, high on his agenda is getting together with his snowmobile buddies for a few miles through the beautiful lake and woodland country of Itasca County. |
|
Large 108 ft. Schweiss Bifold Strap Door is finishing touch for hangar renovation
In September of 2009, we started the rehabilitation of Hanger 155 at Chippewa County International Airport in Kincheloe, MI. Our first step was to remove 60 years worth of lead paint from the existing steel substructure and miles of asbestos-containing material. When the building was safe to work in, our demolition subcontractor started on the roof system. |
|
Midwest John Deere dealership and store installs a Schweiss One-Piece Door
It's big, 43,500 square feet. It has a special floral display unit out front courtesy of the employees and the general contractor. You walk into an 'eye catching' 100' x 160' 'Consumer Display' section complete with a 10' high shelf showcasing various John Deere 'consumer goods'. And greeting you at the retail counter is a colorful prairie scene with an old country barn, woodlots, fields of corn and wheat plus a depiction of the original 1-bottom plow that launched the John Deere machinery company. A show place of sorts? Yes, indeed. |
|
Classic Florida hangar home Schweiss wall/porch door is drawing national attention
Well, it's all of the above for 62-year-old Daniel Shaw, a plumbing contractor at Geneva, Fla. Who has given new meaning to the term "hangar home." The structure is 50' wide x 60' deep x 30' tall, all metal/ However, a 45' x 15' Schweiss hydraulic door sporting a wrap-around porch with decorator railing, table and chairs, a "walk through" door with stylish window, and veranda "roof" gets your attention. |
|
Schweiss doors open things up at the Renville County Fair
Schweiss Hydraulic and Bifold Doors recently installed four new hydraulic doors at the Renville County Fairgrounds located in Bird Island, MN. The Renville County Board approached Schweiss looking for a way to open up the event building located at the county's fairgrounds. The event building is used to host live bands, beer gardens and public auctions by Henslin Auction Services. Hydraulic doors seemed like the perfect solution to open up the building and allow easy access to the building for large groups of people. |
|
Minnesota Implement dealership spike in business calls for new facility liftstrap bifold doors
We're no longer just selling iron. Today we're selling precision farming products and that requires special training of both our personnel and our farm customers," says Paal Haug, general manager of Haug Implement with stores at Willmar and Litchfield |
|
Radiation-shielded Bifold Door designed specially for industrial x-ray system firm
The creativity of customers continues to be a driving force for many manufacturers. Take for example North Star Imaging, Inc., a Rogers, Minnesota manufacturer of industrial x-ray systems which are enclosed by a radiation shielding cabinet and access door and used by manufacturing firms in the aerospace, military, automotive, medical device, electronics, even the genetic seed industry and many more. |
|
Stylish North Carolina Target store Bifold gates serve dual purposes
How do you make the loading dock area for your store secure, yet still easily accessible and stylish? This Target store in North Carolina found the answer with two 39' x 17' bifold gates for their loading area. Give us your idea and we will get you the door. |
|
Unique Schweiss Bifold roof-door designed for East Coast sandblasting chamber
What looked like a near impossible situation without some totally new engineering design instead turned out to be a remarkable solution to an extreme challenge. The challenge? How to fit a "roof door" over a 20' by 30' sandblasting chamber used by SMS Millcraft, Oil City, PA. This firm specializes in refurbishing component parts for various Pennsylvania steel mills. |
|
Farm Air spraying operation relocates and builds new hangar with 76 ft. hydraulic door
It is rare that an Air Tractor dealership changes hands. It cant be done without an approval from Air Tractor, Inc. This requirement became all too apparent to Bill Taylor of Farm Air in Fairfield Illinois. Bill was starting to think about retiring from the business he formed in 1976. Shortly after forming Farm Air, Bill saw a need for Air Tractors in the Midwest, and approached Air Tractor about becoming a dealer. Over thirty successful years later, Bill decided it was time to sell Farm Air with its Air Tractor dealership intact. |
|
TGIF puts custom-made Schweiss Bifold glass doors on patio bar
This custom set of Schweiss Bifold Doors was the perfect solution to provide a unique dining experience for this restaurant's patio bar customers. |