Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 08-04-2019, 08:03 PM   #21
Bronze Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Mi
Posts: 26
Default

A power slider would be great. They are super easy to open and close. They are quiet. I would love to have one on my unit.
arvitrekking is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2019, 09:03 PM   #22
Bronze Member
 
JebTN's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Lost State of Franklin
Posts: 44
Default

We like the double doors on our B. It is a minimalist B that I have modified further. I have installed a cabinet inside the second door (in place of a third seat) so it is blocked for actual use but I have a space to strap a table to the side of the cabinet for use outside or inside, a pocket on the door has all the manuals for equipment and strapped to the door above the manual pocket is a folding step for when we are set up. My wife can come and go with the build in step but it aggravates her bad knees if she does it to often so once we are set up I put the folding platform step out to reduce the step height.

The cabinet I added is only counter high, to give more space for food prep, so if the door is open we have a wide open opening to the side of counter for ventilation.

The double doors do hit the support braces for our awning if we don't have the awning legs up high enough, but so does the front passenger door.
JebTN is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2019, 09:03 PM   #23
Platinum Member
 
Boxster1971's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Maryland
Posts: 1,183
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by rothskeller View Post
I don't know, sorry. As I said, the 2020 order guide shows the hinged doors available on any cargo van, but I'm not certain that's accurate. The 2019 configurator on Ford's web site only allows them on the low roof van, and the section of the 2020 order guide that describes changes since 2019 doesn't mention any change.
The 2020 Transit ordering guide, on pages 8 and 21, makes it clear that the 60/40 Hinged door is only available on low roof models. Graphic below from page 21 that says it all.

I had a Ford E-350 with hinged doors before my Sprinter. I'd prefer hinged doors if they were available on high roof models.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Capture.JPG (91.4 KB, 15 views)
__________________
2024 Airstream Interstate 19
Boxster1971 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2019, 10:34 PM   #24
Platinum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Nebraska
Posts: 131
Default

When I have purchased vans in the past, a mechanic that I highly trusted stated that he would only chose vans with folding doors. They are less troublesome. And sliding doors are very noisy in a quiet campground. If you choose sliding doors, I would certainly opt for the electric option so that one would not incur the noise that occurs when trying to close a sliding door. I have always been happier with my folding doors and I have had both.
gksmith is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2019, 10:50 PM   #25
Platinum Member
 
Davydd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 5,963
Default

If Boxster is correct, if you want a new European style high roof standup van your only choice is a slider. I think there are way more priorities anyway. I have no choice in my priority other than manual or auto slider and I ordered an auto slider.
__________________
Davydd
2021 Advanced RV 144 custom Sprinter
2015 Advanced RV Extended body Sprinter
2011 Great West Van Legend Sprinter
2005 Pleasure-way Plateau TS Sprinter
Davydd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2019, 11:10 PM   #26
Platinum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 11,914
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Davydd View Post
If Boxster is correct, if you want a new European style high roof standup van your only choice is a slider. I think there are way more priorities anyway. I have no choice in my priority other than manual or auto slider and I ordered an auto slider.

How are they powering the slider? The minivans with power doors have systems that would likely be unaccessable in a finished van.
booster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2019, 11:25 PM   #27
Gold Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: IN
Posts: 88
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by 73shark View Post
Personally if I was doing it over again, I would get the double doors. If you do decide to get a slider, I would highly recommend making it a power slider. Once you add the weight to the slider with the conversion, it makes it more difficult to close, especially if you are headed uphill.

Adding the standard power slider and asking it to move more weight than it is originally designed for could lead to alot of failures and money for repairs.
Brad1998RD is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2019, 11:33 PM   #28
Site Team
 
avanti's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,321
Default

Another advantage of hinged doors is that sliders limit your ability to install louvered windows behind them.

If I did go with a slider, though, I would definitely order the powered version.
__________________
Now: 2022 Fully-custom buildout (Ford Transit EcoBoost AWD)
Formerly: 2005 Airstream Interstate (Sprinter 2500 T1N)
2014 Great West Vans Legend SE (Sprinter 3500 NCV3 I4)
avanti is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2019, 01:24 AM   #29
Platinum Member
 
Davydd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 5,963
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by booster View Post
How are they powering the slider? The minivans with power doors have systems that would likely be unaccessable in a finished van.
All I know is ARV is allowing selection of that option available on the 2019 Sprinters so they must have figured out how they work. I haven't looked into it. The last I heard is their optional deadbolt system on the sliding door and the optional keypad lock will not work unless things have changed since May when I talked to them about it.
__________________
Davydd
2021 Advanced RV 144 custom Sprinter
2015 Advanced RV Extended body Sprinter
2011 Great West Van Legend Sprinter
2005 Pleasure-way Plateau TS Sprinter
Davydd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2019, 01:40 AM   #30
Platinum Member
 
Davydd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 5,963
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by avanti View Post
Another advantage of hinged doors is that sliders limit your ability to install louvered windows behind them.

If I did go with a slider, though, I would definitely order the powered version.
Louvered windows? I have CR Lawrence full windows with two operable awnings on my current van for ventilation in the sliding door. I have asked for the same. If you meant louvered blinds behind them I won't be having them. My GWVan had them and didn't adequately block the light as my double lined curtains do now. That's a major plus when boondocking at a Walmart. I'm still undecided on sliding shades (I now have) or Roman shades. Both are designed to block the light almost entirely as well as having some insulation qualities.
__________________
Davydd
2021 Advanced RV 144 custom Sprinter
2015 Advanced RV Extended body Sprinter
2011 Great West Van Legend Sprinter
2005 Pleasure-way Plateau TS Sprinter
Davydd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2019, 04:08 PM   #31
Gold Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: IN
Posts: 88
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by gksmith View Post
When I have purchased vans in the past, a mechanic that I highly trusted stated that he would only chose vans with folding doors. They are less troublesome. And sliding doors are very noisy in a quiet campground. If you choose sliding doors, I would certainly opt for the electric option so that one would not incur the noise that occurs when trying to close a sliding door. I have always been happier with my folding doors and I have had both.
Shutting a properly lubricated sliding door makes no more noise than a folding door.
Brad1998RD is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2019, 05:50 PM   #32
Site Team
 
avanti's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,321
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Davydd View Post
Louvered windows? I have CR Lawrence full windows with two operable awnings on my current van for ventilation in the sliding door. I have asked for the same. If you meant louvered blinds behind them I won't be having them.
I didn't mean either of those things. I was referring to louvered windows in the fixed openings BEHIND the sliding door, not ON it (the windows in back of the galley in the case of your van). The problem is that when the door is opened, it would interfere with and damage open louvers. For this reason, most upfitters use fixed windows in that location. There do exist windows that can work there, but not the nice ones.
__________________
Now: 2022 Fully-custom buildout (Ford Transit EcoBoost AWD)
Formerly: 2005 Airstream Interstate (Sprinter 2500 T1N)
2014 Great West Vans Legend SE (Sprinter 3500 NCV3 I4)
avanti is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2019, 08:04 PM   #33
Platinum Member
 
Davydd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 5,963
Default

Gotcha. Yes, I have a fixed window over the counter. I don't know if that is critical as there are 6 operable awnings. If you go by the Bernoulli effect you might get more apparent air circulation in closing some of them down to draw more air in a small area where you want it. I found that out when keeping my sliding door open (with screen) there was not as much air coming through the back side windows over the beds. You can only exhaust so much in a 12" diameter exhaust fan.

I've taken that in consideration with my new 144 design that doesn't have the middle window (the one over the counter). For the beds I placed windows strategically sized only for looking out as little as necessary and with sliders so the door doesn't hit.
__________________
Davydd
2021 Advanced RV 144 custom Sprinter
2015 Advanced RV Extended body Sprinter
2011 Great West Van Legend Sprinter
2005 Pleasure-way Plateau TS Sprinter
Davydd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2019, 10:18 PM   #34
Bronze Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: British Columbia
Posts: 24
Default Sliding or Opening

In 2008 we bought a camperized Ford E250 with folding doors at side. Liked them and no trouble over subsequent years but did not ever find a good mosquito net door thing for it. We would have to come and go very quickly in mozzie country, spent our outdoor time in a little mosquito hut.

This spring we bought a Roadtrek Zion SRT (Dodge Promaster chassis) with sliding door and it has a mosquito door attached inside and it is great. So far anyway. I understand what we have is actually the Pleasureway mosquito net "door". The one on the Winnebago Travago we saw (sliding door on Ford Transit) looked like one of us, never mind grandchildren would walk through it and destroy it in 5 mn.

We travel a lot in bug country so this is an important thing for us to consider.
Weroadtrip is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-07-2019, 04:18 PM   #35
Bronze Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 45
Default

Is one type of door heavier? Does weight matter?

Does the power mechanism take up space in the wall of the van? Can you use that space for something? Will it take space that insulation could go in?
skiMore is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-08-2019, 05:27 PM   #36
New Member
 
Join Date: May 2018
Location: CA
Posts: 11
Default

Sliding door lends a more open feeling, less likely to be in the way or to cause injury and allows a table (either portable or built in to cabinet) under the awning while standard doors inhibit space between them. Imagine sitting under an awning under each scenario.
Kevin Graves is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-09-2019, 01:44 AM   #37
Platinum Member
 
Davydd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 5,963
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin Graves View Post
Sliding door lends a more open feeling, less likely to be in the way or to cause injury and allows a table (either portable or built in to cabinet) under the awning while standard doors inhibit space between them. Imagine sitting under an awning under each scenario.
Good points.
__________________
Davydd
2021 Advanced RV 144 custom Sprinter
2015 Advanced RV Extended body Sprinter
2011 Great West Van Legend Sprinter
2005 Pleasure-way Plateau TS Sprinter
Davydd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-09-2019, 03:41 PM   #38
Platinum Member
 
rowiebowie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,632
Default

It seems the issue about what kind of doors has largely already been made for us by the manufacturers. For high roof versions, the slider has won.
rowiebowie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-30-2019, 03:15 PM   #39
Bronze Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 40
Default Sliding or folding door

We have owned 5 vans & RV’s from 3 different manufacturers, with each type of door and much prefer the folding doors. The sliding doors that we have had on vehicles from 3 different manufactures have all eventually developed problems, mostly the result of the sliding mechanism binding. It is necessary to keep the sliding track clean and lubricated to minimize the binding, however, our experience has been that the binding eventually returns. On one of the vehicles, a Volkswagen Vanagon, the sliding door came off the track multiple times. If parked on a slope to the rear, closing the sliding door can be difficult or even impossible if you have insufficient arm strength. In my opinion, you are no more likely to damage an awning with folding side doors than with folding doors.
AreCF is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT. The time now is 02:50 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.