Suicide doors. They look better! Why not?

[Gage]

I've got a suicide door on my standy...but it lays flat to the wall when open. Scotties had them and that's what I cloned. It has a steel jamb though and I always make sure it latches and gets locked when I travel. I think if you put one on a tear...you would find yourself thinking down the road...."why the hell did I do this?" for all the above reasons. Doug

My Dalton (standy) has a 'suicide' door. A few years back going down the road (I-5) at about 65 mph, the door came open (and it was latched and locked). The door handle tried to go right through the side of the trailer when it came to a stop when it hit the side. When ever I take the Dalton out now, I wrap a ball bunggy around the handle as a safty so if it does open again, it's not going to do much damage. And it has come open again. It happens.

[doug hodder]

You're right Gage....and I think about it all the time when I hit a bump in the road. I have given thought to some sort of an interior bungee type thing that I could pull the door open, but would be tensioned while traveling. I'd think that most pop open from some sort of racking in either the door or body. I did a steel welded Z shaped jamb and with the rest of it being new construction...I figured I'd have a good number of years on it before it happened. Who knows? Doug

[Roly Nelson]

When I learned to fly, it was required that I always go through a checklist prior to beguining a flight. However, now that I only "fly" teardrop trailers, I scrubbed that pointless proceedure...........WRONG! I have probably been yelled at, and honked at, a half dozen times to alert me that my teardrop door was flopping in the slipstream. I guess once the aging brain is approaching 80 years, things like checking the locks on the doors can be overlooked. Thank goodness my woody has non-suicide doors, or else I would have had to build at least 5 or 6 more new doors, due to my lack of check-list-ed-ness. (Is that a word, if not, it is now!)

As one who "builds out-of-the-box" regarding teardrop design, I say slap that hinge toward the back end if you are happier with it that way. If I had followed the norm, I probably wouldn't have built a teardrop at all. Build what you like, no one will criticize you, at least not a teardropper, we are better than that. You'll see.
Roly

[canned o minimum]

"I" am no engineer..but WHY suicide ? Jus put longer hinges on the "curved front of the door !! The door will open "traditionally..only a bit wider with longer hinges.

No more worry bout the door openin up in transit and slammin into the side of the teardrop.

Problem solved...curved part of door forward..longer hinges...

If this doesn't work.. I've already stated MY disclaimer.. LOL !

[pete42]

Back in the 60's I had a small travel trailer one I forgot I ever owned untill you mentioned suicide doors, it had a front opening rear hinged door.

While we were headed to california from Ohio the lockset gave way just as we were crossing the bridge over the Mississippi into St Louis Mo.

The door came open people were nice enought to point and tell us it was open but we didn't have anywhere to stop until we exited the bridge.

tied it close until we could replace it that night in a campground.

On that trip it was just the start of our troubles if I knew how much trouble we would encounter I would have turned around and headed home right then.

pete

[john warren]

the reason i decided to go suicide,,, my door size means the doors stick out in front of the trailer.

[bobhenry]

the reason i decided to go suicide,,, my door size means the doors stick out in front of the trailer.

Makes it kinda tough to get 'em to latch out there in mid air don't it ?

My front hinged door when full open is 10- 12 inches forward of the nose. I wish I had thought of clearance light placement a bit as it hits center of the window. I probably should use some door stop straps to keep them from going flat against the nose but I have only lost one window so far from not latching the door and as it swung forward at a stop it hit the clearance light.

[Boodro]

What about trying to close the door when you are inside laying down? It seems it might be harder to close it if its done suicidal.Could be along reach to the handle to close it.Just a thought.My doors have come open & now I run a bungie cord from the inside handle to the other handle , keeps them both closed that way. Good luck!

[john warren]

What about trying to close the door when you are inside laying down? It seems it might be harder to close it if its done suicidal.Could be along reach to the handle to close it.Just a thought.My doors have come open & now I run a bungie cord from the inside handle to the other handle , keeps them both closed that way. Good luck!

nope suicide style puts the latch right about where my shoulder is.
i use a "T" type handle , and inside a lever that latches on the frame.

the handle would have to be turned 90 degrees to open.

[Arne]

My personal opinion is suicide doors have no preferential value. They make it harder to get in and out, they are more prone to water leaking while driving.

They only look better because they are novel, not because they are useful or better.