Barn Door for JK factory hardtops
- Thread starter jscherb
- Start date
jscherb
Expedition Leader
A few weeks ago I posted some photos of "Gullwing Doors" (as they're known in the Land Rover world) with cargo compartments to replace hardtop windows :
I've done a little design work on the idea to see how much room would really be available in the JKU, given that the roll bar gets in the way. A JKU cargo compartment would look something like this:
You can see there's an accommodation for the roll bar, but there's still almost 4" of depth at the bottom of the compartment between the door and the roll bar cavity, so there's still a pretty good amount of room inside. The overall depth other than at the roll bar cavity is about 7", which brings it to the inside edge of the roll bar inside the Jeep. There would also have to be a small accommodation for the mount for the rear seat belt, that's not shown in this drawing.
The door could have a mount for a Rotopax container on the outside, or perhaps some other piece of trail gear.
The back of the compartment would probably have some sort of grid system, so you could use something like QuickFist mounts to secure trail gear, or perhaps even mount some shelves or baskets inside to organize cargo. Or maybe a Molle grid would be a good idea.
The compartment is a bit larger than the hatch opening for maximum interior space. The dimensions in this drawing are rough dimensions, to be refined as the design progresses.
Do you think these would be useful in an overlanding/camping JKU or is it a dumb idea?
An animated view...
I've done a little design work on the idea to see how much room would really be available in the JKU, given that the roll bar gets in the way. A JKU cargo compartment would look something like this:
You can see there's an accommodation for the roll bar, but there's still almost 4" of depth at the bottom of the compartment between the door and the roll bar cavity, so there's still a pretty good amount of room inside. The overall depth other than at the roll bar cavity is about 7", which brings it to the inside edge of the roll bar inside the Jeep. There would also have to be a small accommodation for the mount for the rear seat belt, that's not shown in this drawing.
The door could have a mount for a Rotopax container on the outside, or perhaps some other piece of trail gear.
The back of the compartment would probably have some sort of grid system, so you could use something like QuickFist mounts to secure trail gear, or perhaps even mount some shelves or baskets inside to organize cargo. Or maybe a Molle grid would be a good idea.
The compartment is a bit larger than the hatch opening for maximum interior space. The dimensions in this drawing are rough dimensions, to be refined as the design progresses.
Do you think these would be useful in an overlanding/camping JKU or is it a dumb idea?
An animated view...
Absolutely! What about a fold down version instead of a fold up version(or both)? The reason I ask is because I think it would be a perfect surface area for a propane grill/cooking area and you'd be able to cook under your awning if you have one. Maybe even put a small LED light inside the storage area that shines down onto the grill area.
jscherb
Expedition Leader
Sure, no reason the hatch could be installed the other way so it swings down and functions as a table.
The light is a good idea whichever way the hatch is installed.
TenaciousTJ
Explorer
Yep, those compartments are exactly what I want. I talked to John at Ursa Minor vehicles at the Expo about these. He told me they were working on them and they would be out very soon. This was in 2013. Then shortly after, the sliding window option came out. I think he misunderstood what I was asking for.
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Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Were did you find them?Picked up the cargo hatches today.
Picked up the cargo hatches today.
Very interested in these and curious if they fit the existing hole when the glass comes out...or if trimming and/significant modifications would be needed. What a good idea!
Jurfie
Adventurer
I'm betting it won't fit the factory top, only the Safari top; the stock JK/JKU top has a curve to it. Maybe with some monkeying around, but I'm doubtful the composite sandwich material of the stock top is easy to modify.
Haf-E
Expedition Leader
Seems like the fold-down hatch configuration would be a bit high to use for a cooking stove... Lots of other uses for them however (such as the mixed drink bar cabinet)
Would the hatches you found be strong enough to handle the rotopaxs on them? Seems like a lot of weight for a hatch - but maybe these are beefy enough?
Would the hatches you found be strong enough to handle the rotopaxs on them? Seems like a lot of weight for a hatch - but maybe these are beefy enough?
jscherb
Expedition Leader
I've been working with several RV window companies on custom windows and hatches for the JK hardtop as well as sliders for upper half doors.
This particular pair isn't sized properly for a factory hardtop, but getting them made to fit a factory hardtop wouldn't be a problem based on the discussions I've had with hatch/window manufacturers.
Yes, the factory hardtop is curved, so you can't just install standard RV windows or hatches in the factory window opening, but I've worked out a retrofit kit that allows them to be installed on the curved surface. I reviewed the retrofit kit design with a window company I met with yesterday and they agreed the design of the kit was practical; in fact they said they could manufacture the parts for the kit if I needed them to.
About the sizing for the factory top though - the factory top has a very wide mounting flange for bonding the glass in place - so one thing I'm trying to decide is if hatches or windows were to be made to size for the factory hardtop, should they be made to fit the stock opening, or should they be as large as possible, which would require trimming the factory opening a bit. The dashed line shows what could be trimmed to maximize the opening. Trimming isn't difficult and it would provide for a larger glass/hatch opening size. If anyone has any input on the this question I'd like to hear it.
jscherb
Expedition Leader
These hatches are strong enough to support a Rotopax.
Thanks for the illustration on how the factory hardtop could be cut. I would personally prefer, based on the illustration, to just use the existing opening. It does not appear to add a considerable amount of width or height by cutting the opening. From a production and ease of install perspective, my vote would be to use a hatch that would fit the existing opening. I would only be using this to access gear stowed above the fenders anyway. Also, I am with HAF-E in thinking the hatch folding down would be too high for most uses. If the hatch raises, it would be nice to have an "RV" style catch or something affixed to the hardtop that could hold the hatch door open. Just my $.02. Thanks again!
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Sure, no reason the hatch could be installed the other way so it swings down and functions as a table.
The light is a good idea whichever way the hatch is installed.
This gives me an idea... Could you turn this fold down tray area into a sink? Not a permanent sink but one that could somehow be removed when not needed. You could use the Road Shower solar powered shower which is pressurized through a co2 canister...
