Suicide Door Safety Latch

[Fyrzowt]

I was telling someone (NorCal Bambi?) about a latch that my GT has to safeguard against the door coming open while travelling. They wanted some photos.
I'm not sure who makes it; it's stamped "Lamp" and has a number "SUS304" on it. If anyone knows any more info please post.
Thanks, Dave

[Fyrzowt]

One more shot with the latch in the open position

[Zeppelinium]

love it! I want 3.

Zep

[A-Merry-Can]

same here! i only need 2, though...

jp

[Wabbiteer]

Looks like a wonderfull mil-spec item you have AND you can open the door window (solid door here) to unlatch it as needed... Its good some practical joker can't lock it on you while you are inside trailer..

When I had my metal shed up in the boonies of West Virginia I made sure I had a detachable clasp bar for the door padlocks that I carried inside with me, everyone doing add on latch please make sure you can defeat it while you are inside!

[highmark]

Did some research and the SUS304 is the type of metal that the latch is made of and the "Lamp" - not sure, but it should be the brand, but unable to come up with anything. Will keep an eye out on my travels as it looks like a great safety feature for door. Carol

[A-Merry-Can]

Originally Posted by Wabbiteer

Its good some practical joker can't lock it on you while you are inside trailer...

practical jokers? in airstreams? ha! duely noted!

jp

[FreshAir]

Not long ago I read a thread that suggested a simple solution for a safety latch. I could not find that thread so I went ouyside, in the rain, (whatta guy) and took these pictures for you. It works!
Neil.

[A-Merry-Can]

will that work on the doors that don't fit flush with the body? ours is an earlier model, and the door overlaps the skin an inch or so, with a gasket. nice and clean, though! i like it! does tension keep it in?

jp

[juel]

I have a wooden one that Balgrn made and sold on Ebay. Mine has a strap to keep it attached to that bar when not in use, but it will stay in place when wedged in and you are moving. Love mine; however, it looks like A-Merry-Can has the dead bolt I would love to have. I'm afraid to cut into the Argosy to install one.

[A-Merry-Can]

that dead bolt didn't stay shut on our first trip.. the door blew open, and punched a hole in teh skin! it's all patched up now, though the door has a bad bend in it i haven't had the patience to fix yet....

anway, i DON'T want that happening again!!

jp

[FreshAir]

Originally Posted by A-Merry-Can

will that work on the doors that don't fit flush with the body? ours is an earlier model, and the door overlaps the skin an inch or so, with a gasket. nice and clean, though! i like it! does tension keep it in?

jp

I can't speak for ALL the AS models but it will work where the assist handle is like this on my '66 Tradewind. It stays in place very well. It would probably behoove me to make extra "safety latches" to take along.
Neil.

[FreshAir]

Originally Posted by juel

I have a wooden one that Balgrn made and sold on Ebay. Mine has a strap to keep it attached to that bar when not in use, but it will stay in place when wedged in and you are moving. Love mine; however, it looks like A-Merry-Can has the dead bolt I would love to have. I'm afraid to cut into the Argosy to install one.

If you put a strap on the wooden one make the strap long and thin enough to pull inside when you are in. That latch just hanging outside will tempt some young pranksters to lock you in.
Neil.

[Fyrzowt]

I may be stopping in to see my PO over thanksgiving. (For you other law enforcement types, that does NOT stand for Probation Officer!)

I'll see if he has any more info on the latch. If I'm not mistaken, he told me that an airstream owner developed it. I was hoping someone here would know something. We'll see....

[Dr. E]

After reading earlier threads concerning the suicide door concern and the various solutions offered, I looked around my garage and came up with a solution that is simple and very effective.
The wooden "thingamajig" some folks are using seems a good solution, but requires cutting, shaping, and sanding a block of wood. After pondering that idea, I decided some Aggie Engineering was in order. So, I commandeered an old wooden-handled scrub brush about eight inches long, cut down the bristles to about 1/4 inch, and added an old shoestring for a lanyard. The brush already had a hole for the lanyard.
Voila! A safety latch that fits snugly through the Assist Handle and firmly holds the door closed without risk of marring the aluminum skin. See the photos below. Leaving about a 1/4 inch of bristle on the brush provided more that enough friction to keep the latch in place during travel.
My wife and I just finished a two week (2400 mile) trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in our 1976 27' Overlander International. Our "Scrub-Brush Latch" worked like a charm.

--
Dr. E
(An Old Aggie)

[A-Merry-Can]

AND you can use it to do the dishes! another space-saver idea!


jp

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Fyrzowt

One more shot with the latch in the open position

That latch is and is not, a good idea.

It's good when your traveling.

It's very bad, if your in the trailer and someone comes by and connects that latch.

Now your locked in and would have to open the window then push out the screen to release the latch.

The "BIG" question is, could you do that quickly, in case of the need to make an emergency exit, as an example, if there was an internal fire????

There are better ways to secure the entrance door when traveling, that does not create a locked inside situation when parked.

Emergency exits, should never be barricaded, however accidental or intentional.

Andy

[Dr. E]

Andy,
I agree with you completely concerning the risk of being locked in. I should have included that in the earlier post.

I remove the device and store it in the trailer when parked. The lanyard is looped through the Assist Handle so the Safety Latch is easy to remove without having to untie anything. See photo.

--
Dr. E

[Fyrzowt]

Andy and DR,

You do make a valid point, and one that I have considered for myself. The chances of someone randomly locking you in are remote, but the fire safety factor needs to be considered by each owner prior to making such an install.

-Do you have a reliable second or 3rd exit?
-Do you know where it is?
-Do you know how to use it or break it out?
-Do you have a working smoke detector?
-Are you calm enough in an emergency to think clearly and take appropriate action?

I have satisfied these questions in my mind and am satisfied that I AND my family can safely exit the trailer by more than one means.
While I don't wish to test this on MY trailer, I also believe that I could "Donkey kick" the door hard enough to pop the rivets out of the latch. In my line of work I get the "opportunity" to try these types of things out occasionally.

I agree that this lock may not be for everyone for safety reasons, but I like it and will use it until I'm no longer comfortable with it due to safety questions listed above.
Dave