Making the supporting arms longer will increase the leverage.So after adding as much rebar to the counterweights as possible they stil dont seem to be heavy enough to hold the door open firmly. I can barely give the door a tug and it will come slamming down. Any suggestions on how to either increase their weight or simply get them to apply more hold to the door?
I just dont want the door to slam shut on me with a slight breeze.
Making the arms longer will is what is needed. The higher on the door you mount them, the more strain you place on the hinges. The best mounting point is the middle of the door. When it is mounted and the door is open about even with the top of the tank, the distance form the center of the tank to the weight should be the same as the distance from the center of the tank to the bottom edge of the door. This will make the balance point there and, when opened past this point, the door will fall to the rear. It will also give you plenty of closing force without being to heavy. If it will not balance at this point you either have too much weight or not enough. If it is too much, shorten the arms. If it is not enough make them longer are add weight. Sounds more complicated than it is but it works like a charm. Think of it like a teeter-totter. My door weighs over 200lbs and I have no problems opening it and feel perfectly safe under it. You can see it on my build thread, "As Promised." Looks great so far. Good luck!I was talking with a friend of mine and he said if I cut them loose and move them as high and as far back as possible, it's kinda like moving the axle under the trailer, and should change the hold of the counter weight. Any thoughts on this? Sounded good when he said it, but I lack in the fabrication background so I figured I would throw it out there and get a second, third or maybe even fourth opinion.
I was thinking exactly that, I cut the weights off and I will start with the doors propped open and the counter weight in place just slightly lower than where it is now. Then I will measure the gap between the two to get the length and know where I need to mount it on the door.Just a thought. If you start with the door in the complete open position you'll see where to tack the counter weight arms, (closest to hinge area), on the door and all the clearance problems will be obvious. Where to locate counter weights and miss anything that could be in the way. This also allows you to use the counter weights as door stops by having them rest on the tank or other structure in the area.