Cargo Ramp to a Side Swing Door

[undercrust]

I'm wondering if anyone has enough experience with converting a cargo ramp on a 7x14 aluminum frame trailer to a side swing door. Basically all I want to do is delete the bottom hinges and weld on hinges on the left side.

What I'm most worried about is the weight of the door twisting the frame. Is that an actual concern, or should I be able to get this done by a professional and the rear frame would be able to handle the change?

Thanks in advance!

[Tas]

Proline has an interesting option where 1/2 ramp door and 1/2 barn door option..

https://nhtrailers.com/

[Grummy]

Well, I've converted Dbl Swing Doors to a successful Ramp, so I think I can comment. In fact during the conversion, I had one door as a ramp and the other as a door until I got it finished as a rear deck. Do you not like a deck ? Curious as to why you want to change it.

First, I've had the cables off of my all aluminum 6x12 ramp and I quickly realized it is much heavier than I thought. So, you have additional weight being that you are 7' wide. IF you could actually get an adequate hinge setup, you could put a 8" wide diagonal 1/8" thick plate from the lower outside corner to the top inside corner to help it stay square, but I'd have some real concerns about actually getting that hinge side hefty enough.

Anything is doable, .. Might be that you would have to add a whole 'nother section of vertical tubing on the hing side to keep it from failing, and I would not use any less than perhaps SIX really good hinges.... IF I was going to try it. But, I don't think I would. Seems just a little too heavy and wide to pull this off given all the crazy things I have done with commercial trucks and trailers.

I could see adding an additional vertical tube in the ramp as near to center of the door as possible and sawing it in half and making it two swing doors instead of the one. If you can not weld the aluminum, at least you can remove the door and take it to someone who can. You should be able to purchase the correct aluminum edging and hinges directly from a trailer maker to effectively make it not even noticeable.

Too, I might consider making it a 60/40 arrangement like was mentioned by another poster, depending of course on your exact needs. I could see leaving/converting a 4' section on the drivers side to be part of the trailer and a 36" door on the passenger side, but hinged in the MIDDLE so the door opens towards the passenger side. I've never liked how the single door trailers tend to put the hinge on the passenger side and make it to swing right. The passenger side is where I make camp, and why would I want to walk around that door if it is open ?

[undercrust]

...Do you not like a deck ? Curious as to why you want to change it.

...

First, I've had the cables off of my all aluminum 6x12 ramp and I quickly realized it is much heavier than I thought. So, you have additional weight being that you are 7' wide. IF you could actually get an adequate hinge setup, you could put a 8" wide diagonal 1/8" thick plate from the lower outside corner to the top inside corner to help it stay square, but I'd have some real concerns about actually getting that hinge side hefty enough.

Yeah, I don't really like the deck design - I'd much rather have an open kitchen at the back than a deck. My design plan is to have the sleeping / living area accessed through the man door on the side, and then have the kitchen out back. I never, ever cook inside the trailer (pretty much all my camping is in bear country) and I really find the ability to have the kitchen open up quickly and close up securely is a very appealing prospect.

The general idea was driven by someone who's selling a very nice all-aluminum cargo trailer at a very reasonable price, but it's a ramp, not barn doors. However, you're absolutely right. I spoke with a number of welders and welding shops, and one guy I know who's an aerospace engineer, and they all came back with the same message: "Sure, it can be done, but the amount of reinforcement it would take is huge, and the chances both the converted ramp and the trailer walls will quickly bend out of square are very high."

So, sadly, I'm back to keeping an eye on Kijiji and FB for good cargo trailers with barn doors. On the plus side, it means I can immediately filter out anything for sale that has a ramp.

[Grummy]

Rear Kitchen.. Got it !

Another way you could use a ramp door is by modifying it to be a 3 Door.. Just like the 3 Door rear option on a lot of Chevrolet Astro Vans.

Horizontally, the top half ends up being a protective roof when up, and the bottom half, two swing doors to provide expandable workspace with tip up counters and maybe a little wind protection.

I think that would be doable on a 7' wide..... Just another thing to consider !

[undercrust]

This is a brilliant idea...I'm going to have to do some Google-fu for how in the world you would latch all of that closed though!

The change from a bottom ramp to a top swing has already been done, and doesn't look that difficult here - https://youtu.be/d7OzltK8MAA - although I wonder how well his frame is holding up if that ever caught a good gust of wind.

The split for a multi-open door though...man, that'd be so cool. If you have any resources, please share em!

[hankaye]

undercrust, Howdy;

Be interesting to "see" and watch how you go about whatever way you deciede to go about it.

"see" is code for please post lots of photos. chuckle.

hank

[Grummy]

>>> The split for a multi-open door though...man, that'd be so cool. If you have any resources, please share em!

Realize first that the aluminum angles, tubes and flat bars available at your local hardware store are really easy to work with. Joining parts can be done buy overlapping flat bar or cutting short sections of angle to make direction changes. It does not need to be welded either if you use a really good rivet like these https://www.mcmaster.com/98778A541/ and if possible, a layer of VHB tape between the joint.

I'm the type of guy who figures if I want to get something, I just make up my mind I'm going to do it, and I'll figure it out as I go. I also am fully aware of my favorite reminder, that if I "keep throwing money at it"... Well, I'll get it done eventually.

That said, If I wanted a 3 Door, I'd pick a dimension of where I want that top section to end, and I'd cut clear across that door from the back side with a circle saw, interior wood and all. Then I would pull the wood, and carefully rivet a piece of angle across the inside about 6" higher than the cut, just to hold things in shape.

Now with the "door" lighter, I would get the top hinge system working. For ease and a leak free environment, I'd spend the money right away on a hurricane style continuous hinge like used on your typical teardrop build uses. Wouldn't take much to get this far !

Then I would attach a horizontal aluminum angle across the bottom of the new cut edge. I'd position it so the "L" shape has a leg down towards the back of the trailer. This leg would serve as a closure strip across the entire back sealing the top door edges when they are closed. SO it would need to remain towards the rear enough to clear any future trim that will exist on the top of the doors and perhaps the weatherstripping I'd put across it. Remember the lower cut off portion will become doors, and the top edge of that is currently a raw edge.

The above angle would be riveted to the lower portion of the upper half by using 1/4" aluminum angle cut to be brackets to allow it all to be riveted together.

I'm not sure what type of hinges your original ramp had at the bottom, but I would leave that lower section in place and locate the hinges you want to use for the two swing doors. I would assume that the same ones used on most side doors would work fine. I'd flip up that lower ramp portion and fit/mount those hinges next. Once they are in place, I'd rip thru that lower portion exactly where I want my doors to split.

I'd rebuild a new door jamb system where they would meet in similar fashion as the aluminum along the bottom edge of the top portion. Note too, that if for some reason you are not comfortable with just the riveting, you can always remove any of the much smaller sections and take it to a weld shop where a few beads of Tig can make all the difference in the world. At least with the rivets, you have everything where it needs to be.

Latching should be pretty straight forward once you see what you have to work with. There is no shortage of really good door hardware from places like Mill Supply who has hardware for Step Vans.

I'd love to take on such a project... Not something I would fear at all... Well, other than costs these days. OMG. I bought my Cargo in 2018 and attacked the conversion. Thankful that I did it then because today, I don't think I could afford to do it ! Stuff has really gotten out of hand and sadly I don't think it will ever really come down to where it was.