zak2442 Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 Hi guys, Would anyone know if there is a product out there somewhere to fix to a M/H or Caravan door which prevents the door slamming against the side of van when cought by wind while opening. If nothing out there to purchase would anyone have any tips to prevent this happening. Regards Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 Yours is not an uncommon question, but it's not easily answered. If you just wanted something to stop the door hitting the side of the motorhome in high winds, then a suitable-length tether that limited the door's total 'swing' would do it - a length of bungee cord, perhaps. However, I think what you are looking for is a means to control the door's movement from closed to fully-open and, when fully-open, for the door to stay in that position even in high winds. Some motorhome manufacturers have fitted Seitz habitation doors with a strut that restricts the door's length of 'swing' and damps its movement. This MotorHomeFacts forum-thread refers: http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopic-104824-0-days0-orderasc-.html How practicable it would be to retro-fit a strut-based mechanism to a habitation door not originally intended to take it will depend on the door's design (and the design of the entrance itself), as an effective strut mechanism is likely to put significant stress on the attachment points on the door and entrance-framework. The doors and bodywork of coachbuilt motorhome doors are usually not that strong and there have been reports of habitation doors with damping-struts suffering damage. As far as I'm aware there is no 'kit' commercially available to add a strut to an entrance door, nor any alternative off-the-shelf product to do what you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 Another option, nowhere near as sophisticated as dereks, is one of those rubbers on a spring, used by many, not sure how good they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 zak2442 - 2013-03-22 10:42 PM Hi guys, Would anyone know if there is a product out there somewhere to fix to a M/H or Caravan door which prevents the door slamming against the side of van when cought by wind while opening. If nothing out there to purchase would anyone have any tips to prevent this happening. Regards Keith. For indoor purposes it's possible to get bits of polystyrene that fit over the edge of a door to prevent children from getting their fingers squashed. As a temporary measure it might be possible to make something similar from a block of polystyrene. Cut a deep groove in one side and simply wedge it over the edge of the door. Might work ? (?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 We bought and fitted a door fitment that holds the door permanently open, like used on caravans. Had to drill hole in van . We found our problem was keeping the door open works a treat. Would photo it, but van is not kept at home, and I don't know how to up load photos any way PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 There are lots of designs of door retainer http://www.leisureshopdirect.com/caravan/caravan_accessories/door_retainers.aspx I'm guessing what you fitted is the 'through door' type. These will hold the door securely open - I had one on my Herald's habitation door - and (because the fitting on the bodywork sticks out) they should prevent the door striking the bodywork itself. But they won't stop the door being caught by the wind when you open it from inside the vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
everhopeful Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 To stop the wind grabbing the door and slamming it open we have a very short rope fastened to the handle, with a loop tied in the end. When It's windy we put a hand in the loop and then open the door. The wind may grab the door, but it can then easily be opened and laid back against the van in a controlled manner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomad Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 Hi, While in Spain this year we found it quite warm but very windy so I fastened the door of our Sundance open with a good strong bungee. This turned out to be a mistake as a strong gust of wind tried to close the door and the bungee then pulled the door back and broke the plastic bush of the door retainer, new one on order from Swift £21. after this I found that to keep the door from hitting the bodywork I secured it with a strap through the passenger and habitation door handles and a 3"x2"x6" block of foam used as a cushion. Not the best solution but at least it helped. Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 zak2442 - 2013-03-22 10:42 PM Hi guys, Would anyone know if there is a product out there somewhere to fix to a M/H or Caravan door which prevents the door slamming against the side of van when cought by wind while opening. If nothing out there to purchase would anyone have any tips to prevent this happening. Regards Keith. The short answer, I think, is no! The above suggestions will undoubtedly work under some conditions, but probably not under all conditions. A bungee, for example, may well work for a stiff breeze, but in a stronger wind is liable to be stretched to the point at which the door still strikes the side of the van. The various tethers will only work to the point at which they are strong enough to resist the strength of the wind combined with the velocity of the door. To be honest, as with any outward opening external door, the answers are: a) fit a rigid, friction type, door stay, such as Derek refers to (but bear in mind, as he says, that due consideration needs to be given to fixing these which, taking into account the construction of most motorhome doors and bodywork, may mean through-bolting to either or both), and b) to maintain your grip of the door while opening it, and not to let go until it is again closed. The latter is far simpler, and cheaper, and I can't really see why it could not be adopted when circumstances demand. It is usually quite apparent inside a van when it is windy outside. If one of the occupants is disabled making this difficult for them, then the other could, presumably, chaperone them out? After all, it is not as though such winds are an ever-present problem, so the problem should be only occasional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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