Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

wysedav wrote:You could use tamper proof screws.

Sparksalot wrote:I've always looked at it as if the window was the easy access point, even with external hinges.

• That's one of the reasons I never wanted a pre-built door on my TTT...the second reason was to avoid the easily pried-open door lock/latch that they have. The third reason was that by using a separate window, high up on the side, then there would be less chance of accidental (or purposeful, by a would be thief)) breakage, due to contact while sleeping (I toss 'n turn). The last reason was that I was covertly building the trailer, unseen by the wife, on a low/no budget (two $300+ doors would've been an impossibility to buy, w/o her seeing that in the bank statement).
• When I was first building it, it was to be used by the wife, on camping trips with her Bigfoot group, and I wanted it to be super-secure. So, 3/4" thick doors, cut-out from the side profile, were sure to be pretty strong, and nearly impossible to shatter/break-thru. I already had doorseals on hand, for a '67-'72 Chevy pickup, leftover from a re-build (bought two sets, used the best ones on the truck, and had these left). So, I made an inner stop/flange for the seals, glued/stapled them in place (after trimming a bit off, to decrease their thickness), and made a compression sealed door with them. http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=67837&hilit=+door+seal#p1195509
• Strong doors needed strong hinges, secure hardware attaching them, and secure locking points. Gate hardware, attached with stainless carriage bolts, were my choice.
• I use Jeep-style gate hinges, powder-coated? black, available at any big-box store, were my choice, They were very strong, durable, with nylon bushings for quiet use and low wear. I used three on each door (and on my vertically-hung hatch door), for extra resistance against ever sagging ((if you ever had an old Camaro, you'll know what that's like). The hinges were installed with the smooth carriage bolt head of some bolts, facing the exterior, so no one could easily unbolt it, and decorative acorn nuts on the other bolts. The latches chosen were also gate pieces, modified to make them latch very tightly, attached in a similar fashion. The two latches (on each door) can be padlocked shut, or open (so nobody could lock you in), while a drop-bar door latch system I fabricated, secures the door when inside.

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  hatch hinge.jpg (168.99 KiB) Viewed 1807 times

• Re: the window placement, and attachment...the windows are high up, to make them harder to enter (or break & grab thru) from outside, small enough (15"x 18"), to make entry more difficult, and are installed using a pair of security-head bolts, in addition to the normal screws. I experimented with window placement, using a template inside and outside, until I determined the best position (where it's hard to see or reach inside, and while inside, I only needed to sit up to see out).

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  trying to find ideal window placement using template.jpg (100.62 KiB) Viewed 1807 times