Sliding or folding door?

[arvitrekking]

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.

[JebTN]

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.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by rothskeller

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.

[gksmith]

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.

[Davydd]

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.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Davydd

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.

[Brad1998RD]

Originally Posted by 73shark

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.

[avanti]

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.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by booster

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]

Originally Posted by avanti

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.

[Brad1998RD]

Originally Posted by gksmith

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.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Davydd

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.

[Davydd]

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.

[Weroadtrip]

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.

[skiMore]

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?

[Kevin Graves]

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.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by Kevin Graves

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.

[rowiebowie]

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.

[AreCF]

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.