| Author | Message | ||
| Brian Elfert
Rating: N/A |
My Dina has one of those European style plug doors and I can't stand it. A hinged door would be so much better for camping. I would quickly run out of air for opening and closing the door when camping. Has anyone converted one of these plug style doors to a hinged door of some type? It would need to still have plenty of glass for the driver to see. Brian Elfert | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Rating: N/A |
Brian, I know a guy who replaced a plug door on a Neoplan with a stock RV door, but the door was amidships rather than in the front -- it did not have enough sight glass for a front door. I have a plug door in the front of my coach. We looked long and hard at welding hinges to it and making it a manual swing-type door. I think, if you really want to lose the plug-type operation, this is the way to go. Nevertheless, we decided to keep the plug door. We need a constant source of air anyway, to flush our toilet (long story) and to keep our air suspension topped up while parked. We opted to just add an electric compressor ahead of the wet tank, which supplies all our air needs when parked. The compressor cost me a whopping $169 at Lowe's. I set it to cut in at 80psi and out at 100psi, and it runs for about 30 seconds to do this. With the door constantly in use, it will run once every fourth or fifth door operation. Without using the door, it runs about once an hour or so, more when it's cold out (the whole air system leaks more in the cold). A side benefit is that I have no door handle or switch outside. I rigged the operating solenoid for the door to the trunk-pop output of a conventional car alarm/keyless entry system (these can be had for less than $60), and we each have a key fob. We just push a button and the door opens or closes. In an emergency lock-out, I know where to find the air line that will release the door, if necessary. You might think about this route -- it's probably cheaper and easier than converting the door, and has several side benefits, as noted. Oh, the compressor also comes in handy to fill tires and inflate our boat and YachTub. -Sean | ||
| motorcoach1 Rating: N/A |
to asnser your question ...yes been there done that | ||
| Brian Elfert
Rating: N/A |
Part of the reason I want rid of the plug door is it doesn't work right at the moment. It won't shut on the rear side properly, but that may just be a simple adjustment. I do have an air compressor I could add to the bus. Brian Elfert | ||
| Crane Rating: N/A |
If you know what an "RTS" is, thats the door I have. It was two peices that would come together and sort of plug the hole up. If you have the two piece door, you need to make it one piece. I used fiber glass to fill the void (later found I should have used SMC) and then I put sheet aluminum on the outside surface and interier surface to strengthen and prevent stress. Had to place a piece of wood along the hing edge and used some incredibly heavy marine hatch hinges to do the swing. I didn't like the way the piano hinge would stretch and shrink with the change of temperature. Sometimes would not close cause the latch would move out of alignment. Just what I did. | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Rating: N/A |
Make sure the compressor is not so noisy that it is a PITA. Richard | ||
| Brian Elfert
Rating: N/A |
An RTS door is not like the type of plug door I am talking about. My door is already a one piece door. Van Hools, Neoplans, Setras, and Dinas all have a door that drops down and then swings out and back on a air driven mechanism. If the mechanism ever fails, you are pretty much dead in the water as the door will fly open going down the road. I'm trying to figure out if I can somehow do a hinged door. The front of the existing Dina door is a large curve so hinging it at the front is nearly impossible. I'm not against replacing the door and doing some framing and skinning if I can find something with enough window area. Brian Elfert | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Rating: N/A |
Brian, The plug doors do have several adjustments, and if any of them is out of whack, the door will either not close, or not seal properly. Also, the air piston inside the mechanism does have seals that wear out and need to be replaced, but only rarely. We rebuilt our piston and spent a few hours getting the door to seat properly and all the dogs adjusted. (We also had a bent tie rod, which we straightened.) Once you lock it all down, it should be good indefinitely in normal use (in commercial service, drivers tend to whack the doors into curbs, bollards, and the like, which knocks them out of adjustment). HTH -Sean http://OurOdyssey.US | ||
| Crane Rating: N/A |
Take a look at the hinges on the GMC Motorhomes. The body is curved and the door is also. the door closes nicely with the hinge they use. http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/gallery/showpic.php?aid=516&uuid=wbryant&pid=5408 http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/gallery/showpic.php?aid=475&uuid=wbryant&pid=4738 http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/gallery/showpic.php?aid=429&uuid=wbryant&pid=4993 Hope the pics make sense for you and are helpful Crane | ||
| Gary Carter Rating: N/A |
Just for your info, but Newell has been using this type of door for the past number of years. They will even build a front entrance now because the plug door will keep it quite. | ||
| Ross Carlisle (Rrc62)
Rating: N/A |
You could replace the air cylinders with electric actuators. | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Rating: N/A |
Ross, It's not a simple matter to replace the air mechanism with an electric one. With one (albeit complex) cylinder, the mechanism first closes the door against the frame, and then lifts the plug into place, engaging the dogs which hold it tightly against the seals. To do this sort of compound motion would require either multiple electric actuators, with sensors to sequence them from the closing to the sealing motions, or would require a complex two-axis jack-screw type of mechanism that would certainly have to be custom fabricated. You have to disassemble one of these items to really appreciate the engineering (or what I am describing). -Sean | ||
| JW Smythe (Jwsmythe)
Rating: N/A |
Crane, Do you have pictures of your RTS door? I'm considering keeping my back doors on, and I thought about welding the two halfs together and re-hinging them. I like the original front doors. I especially like the view with the door open at 60mph.  | ||
| Crane Rating: N/A |
Sorry, never took one. I hope to go up to the storage site soon, maybe I can take one then. Do you have a pic of Wulf Wards RTS front door? He was the one that turned me onto glueing the sheet metal to the door surface to make the door more sturdy. I found out later that automotive resin won't give you a permanent adheshion. The RTS used the same Fibreglas system the Corvette uses and they use SMC. A different kind of fiberglass but it will adhere to the material in the door. The RTS front door was two pieces and the rubber in the middle was taken out and substituted 5/8" ply to firm up the door and fibreglas from there. I used the strongest construction glue I could find to attach the sheet metal, but now I find there is a foam tape, double sided by 3m that once applied will not let go. They warn you that if you install the piece crooked, it will either be that way forever or you will have to destroy the panel to get it off. I heard of this from Rob Grays site where he showed how he built his Wothellisit all terrain RV. He used 1/4" diamond plate on the sides and only the 3m tape is holding them up. amazing things we learn here..... good luck |