Barn doors or sliding door on Van. Pro/Cons
- Thread starter AUTO360
- Start date
This is some good stuff. I did have to pull the door roller bearings and shoot stuff WD40 in the them....the door was sticking pretty good but an easy 20 minute fix.
Think I might get with my welding friend and see if we can come up with extension bracket so the door can clear bigger tires and/or fender flares.
If so, maybe I can have a few sets made for others who would be interested.
Think I might get with my welding friend and see if we can come up with extension bracket so the door can clear bigger tires and/or fender flares.
If so, maybe I can have a few sets made for others who would be interested.
What sucks about sliders is that if you use your rig for a camper, it's hard to get in and out of the vehicle quietly, especially from the inside of the vehicle, You really gotta get the door moving for the momentum to carry it into the latches. And it's hard for a kid or small woman to operate them, especially on an incline. (90% of the time, I only need a door open enough for passage of people, so the extra width of a slider is wasted. Look at most people's camper builds; their interior cabinets overlap the door opening, which supports my reason.
Sliders have their place, but for me, I would choose a barn side door in a New York second, if it was even an option on a Sprinter.
Sliders have their place, but for me, I would choose a barn side door in a New York second, if it was even an option on a Sprinter.
If given a choice, I vote barn doors as well.
I've been around too many vans that have had issues with their sliding doors but have never owned one personally. As mentioned above, I'm not aware of a way to quietly close a slider. I also like the idea for having a small cabinet or shelf that flips down. I have dual barn doors on my Express that I have been please with so far.
I've been around too many vans that have had issues with their sliding doors but have never owned one personally. As mentioned above, I'm not aware of a way to quietly close a slider. I also like the idea for having a small cabinet or shelf that flips down. I have dual barn doors on my Express that I have been please with so far.
I have an Express van (barn doors) and an E350 (slider) and have owned Astros and Dodge Ram extended vans for years and grew up in VW vans. I will always vote for barn doors. The slider on my Ford now is typical of all the ones I've had in the past, difficult to open and difficult to close. My wife and kids don't even try; if I'm not there to open/close it for them, they all go thru the front passenger seat.
shawn_nj
Observer
Have owned both, I would never buy a slider again. I love the 60/40's! 99% of the time I am only opening one of the side doors. I store stuff in the foot step area behind the other side door that I almost never use. Its also an easy spot to sweep clean, so its a great place to leave muddy/sandy shoes ect.... that you dont want on the van floor. (Without worrying about trashing your slider track with sand, dirt.)
i vote for the 60/40 barn doors
I always wanted a van with a side slideing door , my second van i had was a 2002 Astro with a slider and i found out very quickly that i prefer the barn doors mainly because it takes too much effort to open or close the slider wheres the barn doors open and close real nice and even have a nice sound to the latch .
The 40 door is a little harder to close then the 60 door but i seldom open the smaller 40 door so that does'nt bother me.
A side slider that opened and closed electronically from remote would'nt be so bad tho but i think i personally would stick with the barn doors.
I would say that anybody looking to buy a van look and test both types for yourself and choose what you prefer!
I always wanted a van with a side slideing door , my second van i had was a 2002 Astro with a slider and i found out very quickly that i prefer the barn doors mainly because it takes too much effort to open or close the slider wheres the barn doors open and close real nice and even have a nice sound to the latch .
The 40 door is a little harder to close then the 60 door but i seldom open the smaller 40 door so that does'nt bother me.
A side slider that opened and closed electronically from remote would'nt be so bad tho but i think i personally would stick with the barn doors.
I would say that anybody looking to buy a van look and test both types for yourself and choose what you prefer!
I just spent a week with a rented GMC cargo van for my work. It had side barn doors. They only open 90 degrees and would not stay open. When parked on the smallest incline and the door would not hold open. PITA after awhile. I'm sure this could be fixed if it was my van, but it was a rental. I would think that the rear side door would have openned more than 90 degrees.
dejablu311
Observer
I have never had a slider so I can't say much about that but I have slept in my van more times then I can count and the only time my swinging doors have caused a problem was when I tried to help a friend with a tent during an intense wind storm. As soon as I pulled on the latch the wind ripped the door out of my hand, bent the stoppers and slammed into the body. I later found out from someone camped near me with a monitor that the gusts were reaching 80mph. :Wow1: Other then that I can't say that they have hindered me in any way.
Now that I think about it, it has been nice having the option of only opening one of the side doors.
Now that I think about it, it has been nice having the option of only opening one of the side doors.
vanman1234
New member
I have owned both vans with barn and slider all my life. I have a hard time making a decision on this. Ive had my nose almost broken because the barn doors only open strait out and I tend to be harsh on swinging them way out and havingin em bounce back into my face.the slider on the other hand locks into place.has a wider opening and is kinda the vintage look. it is definatly alot louder when my GF is trying to sleep in the middle of the night and I get up about every 1.5 hrs. She has no problem opening the slider if you maintain you r vehicle then you should maintain your doors also which mean cleaning out the tracks on the slider. I vote for having a van with a slider and one with barn doors
Removed slider added Barn doors
I hated my slider door on my E350 so much i put barn doors in Once you see photos of my barn doors you will under stand. much more storage, and slider don't hit my fender flares and more. and have 2 opening windows on the barn doors and My refrigerator on the rear door and a built in cabinet on the front barn door. so much better
I hated my slider door on my E350 so much i put barn doors in Once you see photos of my barn doors you will under stand. much more storage, and slider don't hit my fender flares and more. and have 2 opening windows on the barn doors and My refrigerator on the rear door and a built in cabinet on the front barn door. so much better