Open horizontal basement door with a spring?

[Maveric77]

Hello everyone,

I have an exterior cellar entrance with two doors/gates like the one in the picture below (not my picture, but the same principle). The gates are heavy to open and close, entirely dependent on the gate's own weight.

I am trying to find a solution to either motorize these (expensive?) or at least reduce their weight. So far, I've considered springs mounted underneath, which in my idea always have some upward pressure. That should make the gate lighter? A spring inside a cylinder that pushes upward when the gate is to be opened and holds back when the gate is to be closed.

I have seen that there are gas springs of the type used on car trunk lids, but these are more for pinch protection and hold both on the way up and down?

Does anyone know what the type of spring is called that I should be looking for? I haven't measured how many kilos are needed to lift the gate upward, but I would guess you pull with about 15-20 kg force when the gates are completely closed. Then that force decreases, of course, the more you open the gate and its weight rests on the hinges instead of in the hand.

 

[jahallåja]

What do you mean by them being for pinch protection? A gas spring that pushes with 100N helps on the way up and therefore resists on the way down with the same force when compressed. The energy has to come from somewhere to help on the way up next time, right?

 

[jahallåja]

You might be thinking of a door stop that looks like a gas spring. They prevent, for example, doors from flying open or slamming shut, but they don't help you open a door.

They resist movement in both directions and would make it even harder to open the hatch (but reduce the risk of slamming it on your toes if you drop the hatch halfway).

 

[Maveric77]

You're probably right, I'm thinking incorrectly. The spring on the trunk lid does indeed help to open the lid and holds it on the way down. Such a mechanism should work if it can lift sufficiently heavy weights.

Then the question becomes how to find the right model. I guess it's just a matter of measuring how long it needs to be in the fully extended position, and how much it needs to be able to lift.