Doors doors doors ----Anybody

[Paradiseteardrop]

Can someone direct me to drawing ,pictures etc. of side crawl in doors. Just want to look at other ideas. Aluminum frame--wood core--- FRP skin. Thanks

[Roo Dog]

Para,

Composite door.
Ply- ally sheet- steel sheet.
Lined inside.

RD

[jss06]

I built my own using the door blanks I cut out of the sidewall for the opening. Makes for a perfect fit.




And then I used latches and windows I bought off of ebay.




To seal the doors I built a lip on the inside of the wall and used wather stripping on the door. It has been in some heavy rains with no water infiltration. Even while towing.

[Paradiseteardrop]

Thanks for the reply and pics. Have some ideas now to begin.What is that wire cover off of on the front of the cargo box? Boat?
It looks like you also used the PVC FRP trim. What did you rool on the tralier for a finish. Looks super and lots of room inside. Next one will be larger then the 4x10. A 4x10 is a lot of work for the little you get for the labor and cost. Lee in CA
Today the top vent and start on the door.
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[aggie79]

As you can gather from the replies, there are many ways to build doors. I built my doors using the same section and materials as I used for my sidewalls.

There are two general ways to seal doors. The more traditional way is to use t-molding around the perimeter of the door with weatherseals around the edges of the t-molding. The other way is to make an interior door jamb and use weatherseals to seal the door to the jamb.

In building my teardrop, I was overly paranoid about its weathertight-ness. So, I constructed my doors using both methods. Following is a section of the door and sidewall.



I initially just placed seals around the t-molding. This has worked so well that I haven't found the need to appy the interior jamb weatherseals.

You may notice on the sketch that the door and the sidewalls are not on the same plane. I offset the door 1/8" further out from the sidewall to allow room for the weatherseal. You will need to do this if you are using t-molding. If you are using the interior jamb only, you can make the jamb depth 1/8" deeper than the thickness of your doors so your doors can be flush with the sidewalls.

Instead of an offset piano hinge, I used individual strap hinges. To offset the door, I made a spacer out of 1/8" thick aluminum.



You'll notice in the sketch that I used t-molding along the hinge side of the door. If you do this, you'll need to make sure that your hinge centerline is beyond the outer edge of the t-molding or your doors won't open.

Take care,
Tom

[jss06]

Thanks for the reply and pics. Have some ideas now to begin.What is that wire cover off of on the front of the cargo box? Boat?

Yes it is a standard boat deck fitting. Picked it up at a local marine supply store.

It looks like you also used the PVC FRP trim. What did you rool on the tralier for a finish. Looks super and lots of room inside. Next one will be larger then the 4x10. A 4x10 is a lot of work for the little you get for the labor and cost.

I primed the outside with Kilz outdoor oil based primer per the directions from the top coat manufacturer. All of the seams were sealed with butyl rubber and then it was top coated with Liquid Roof. It is a paint on product that cures into a EPDM rubber membrane just like the roofs used on RVs. It has been very effective in keeping the water out. Liquid roof is a UV stable product and reflects a significant amount of the suns energy which helps to keep the inside cool.

the trailer is 5x9 with 6 inches stolen from the tongue box to increase the headroom and allow a 6'6" sleeping area.

[jss06]

My door seal is the opposite of Tom's. I built it to use an inner seal wich allows the doors to be flush with the outside of the trailer.