Why did Airstream change from front hinge doors to suicide hinge doors?

[InsideOut]

That's cool - those attachments are what I was talking about - but, from what I understand they are pretty hard to come by. Not all awnings work the same or have them. No worries - we love our pole awnings!

Shari

[arcamedies]

Originally Posted by NJtoNC

but to say that the door change was due to the new awnings... that was not the situation in my case. was the awning style an 'option'? does anyone know of a trailer 62 or older with a 'factory installed' permanent awning?

my argument (for arguments sake - to play 'devils advocate here) is that perhaps 'awnings' are not the reason for the change ...

This may seem silly but most people are right handed and use their right hand to grab the handle when entering while opening the door with their left hand, ergo, the door opens right to left like home doors do.

any thoughts?

[JBinKC]

I'm just hoping my family members have enough sense not to leave the door open when the heater's on! Best wishes, John

[arcamedies]

Originally Posted by 62overlander

... or it could be that Airstreams are so totally cool that they wanted it to be unique and awnings and what hand you reach out with have very little bearing... just saying, could be.
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I mean does this guy look like someone who would build a product just like everyone else's?

That's what I'm missing, a hostess to serve me my drink while I lounge in my armchair outside the airstream, now that's class, oh honeyyyyy

slaaaaap, sorry I was just dreaming dear

[Snedwid]

Was there a rack on the back to carry those armchairs when traveling?

[NJtoNC]

So, I don't know what you mean when you say " that was not the situation in my case".
The factory didn't install awnings during that era; they were aftermarket accessories

Right so the argument that the doors were one direction to accommodate an awning is moot; i see 62's with suicide and non-suicide doors; so (permanently mounted awnings) cant be the reason for the door direction switch.

[Chuck]

Originally Posted by NJtoNC

Right so the argument that the doors were one direction to accommodate an awning is moot; i see 62's with suicide and non-suicide doors; so (permanently mounted awnings) cant be the reason for the door direction switch.

No, its not moot; just because the factory does or doesn't install something isn't the only reason to make "allowances" for the future possibility, if the market demands it.
Around the same time, they started making "allowances" for air conditioners, too. they'd run a wire to the spot where an a/c unit would be mounted...if the dealer or owner wanted to add one later. (they also installed drain-tubes...just in case 2 things: a: the owner wanted an a/c, and B, said a/c was built to accept a drain tube; not all of them do...in fact, most don't.).

In the WB era, there were lots and lots of exceptions...its as if each unit was custom built, so you'll see all sorts of variations. Like the one above, that Frank posted...that floor plan probably screamed out for a window in that spot, and a right-hinged door would have mucked that up. Some new trailers have a window on one side, and a sidewall fridge vent on the other. bad design, imo.

[KimmyDale]

All this talk about latches and suicide doors brings me to this post because - Yep it flew off on the freeway and we can't seem to find it. UDOT is looking for it we are looking for it friends are looking for it... its like it disappeared. Now I need a 1960 Tradewind door I understand that it can be from a 1955 to 1962 because they all use the hatch door. Is there a better place to post this? I have called all the scrap yards i can think of and even someone that might build it but takes 40 hours and I am sure he is not working for 10 dollars an hour If he was I would beg and plead. Any ideas are helpful

[66Overlander]

I can't help you find a door except to say the used doors do come up for sale every once in a while, but you have to be diligent searching all possible relevant sources (and then move fast), including many vintage Airstream related Facebook groups. Attached is a screen shot of the last such Facebook ad I saw, just 3 weeks ago (unfortunately already sold).

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And back to the original question, I believe the main reason Airstream began using suicide doors in the early to mid 1950s was to avoid the door hitting the frame of an open window. There were a few exceptions to this "rule" at least as late as 1956 (especially the 1954-56 22' Safari, but there were other rarer cases, too) where a non-suicide door was used that could hit an open window immediately in front of the door, but Airstream always (or almost always) used a front hinged, non-suicide door when there was no opening window forward of the door (basically all trailers shorter than 20-feet and some 22 footers at at least into the 1960s).

In the decades since, the presence of factory installed awnings has also become a factor so that the door would not hit an awning arm. In some cases, like the modern 28-footers with an awning arm immediately in front of the door and an opening window immediately rearward of the door, they had to make a decision to violate one of these rules. The current rear door 23-footers are opposite and have a non-suicide door than can crash into an open window immediately forward of the door. It seems that now that having the door avoid the awning arm takes priority over avoiding hitting an open window when both conditions exist on the same trailer.

Most current Airstreams with a window immediately rearward of the door have small stacked non-opening windows in that location to eliminate the possible crash condition, but not the 28. The opposite is true for most rear door models that have an awning arm immediately aft of the door, so non-opening stacked windows immediately forward of the door, but not the 23.