Page 1 of 1

Rear door sourcing help

PostPosted: Mon Jan 30, 2017 11:45 am
by sikocycles
I need a rear door for my square drop. This is what I am thinking. Does anyone know who makes this door and where to buy one?
Thanks

Re: Rear door sourcing help

PostPosted: Mon Jan 30, 2017 7:51 pm
by working on it
I did an image search, and found the pictured trailer at http://hikertrailer.net/. I don't see stand-alone doors offered, but they seem to have two locations and custom build trailers in many configurations. I built my own lift up rear hatch from a cut-down sheet of 3/4 plywood. Later, I added a single gas lift, to help me. It simply latches shut against the rubber seals I secured around the perimeter. Though mine is all wood, it hasn't warped or failed to seal in years. Build your own, if you can't find one. good luck! http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=61432#p1099571

Re: Rear door sourcing help

PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 8:28 am
by noseoil
If you build with a rear door, make it a hollow core type so it's light weight. Thin skins, insulation, hard points for hardware attachment & lights/wiring, positive latching mechanism are all things to consider. Remember, the rear door will take all of the loading from a twisting box in the wind, so make sure it's sealed properly & strong enough to take the loads which will try to transfer through it when bouncing down the road.

Re: Rear door sourcing help

PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 1:50 pm
by working on it
noseoil wrote:If you build with a rear door, make it a hollow core type so it's light weight. Thin skins, insulation, hard points for hardware attachment & lights/wiring, positive latching mechanism are all things to consider. Remember, the rear door will take all of the loading from a twisting box in the wind, so make sure it's sealed properly & strong enough to take the loads which will try to transfer through it when bouncing down the road.
A hollow, or honeycomb door would be best for weight and ease of use, but not nearly as durable. I wanted to use a sandwich-plywood piece for the hatch, but couldn't find any for under $125 for a 4x8 sheet, so I used what I had. I had already purchased 5 or 6 sheets of 3/4" poly-glued sanded ACX plywood for $125-150 (memory fails me), so that made any other consideration moot. If the OP has a similar square-back door in mind (as his photo shows), then the fitting of strong upper hinges, along with a either a perpendicular bulkhead, or triangular gussets, near the door seals, will assure that twisting won't be extreme. I used three nylon-bushed gate hinges to hold my hatch; there is no play, even after hundreds of operations. I used two types of side-latches, needing none on the bottom, to hold the hatch tight against the bulb-seal.
hatch pic, prior to gas spring attachment.GIF
hatch pic, prior to gas spring attachment.GIF (120.11 KiB) Viewed 852 times
  1. 123162 bulb seal between hatch and sidewall
  2. 122994 two latches per side: hinge hasp, corner draw latch
  3. 102809 three gate hinges hold hatch (waterproof belting cover)
  4. 123161 added bulb seat to top of hatch later
  5. 97338 doors have identical hinges