Two Ohio companies worked together to come up with a safer, more efficient, and lighter weight solution to the large swing doors found on new cargo vans—a roll-up door. While this concept is not new to the Global market, it is new to the US. European companies have incorporated this solution onto some of the cargo vans operating in the severely confined spaces of metropolitan areas. With the increasing congestion in metropolitan areas in the US and on jobsites—where space is always limited—a solution like this can prove to increase vehicle efficiency, while being safer for the vehicle operator.
Featured Image: The AXCESS Shutter Door System consists of factory rear door removal, aluminum frame installation, and aluminum shutter door installation.
Above: The AXCESS Shutter Door System eliminates the potential for expensive door damage due to wind and backup collisions.
DESCRIPTION AND BENEFITS
The specific roll-up door package we’re looking at—the AXCESS Shutter Door System—consists of factory rear door removal, aluminum frame installation, and aluminum shutter door installation. The aluminum frame mounts to the body—meaning no structural or design modifications to the body are required—and the roll-up door is installed to the new frame. The incorporated electronic locking system offers security and ease of access.
Frame kit: The conversion frame kit is engineered to maximize the van’s existing geometry to ensure the widest, tallest opening possible. The conversion kit is constructed of .120 aluminum laser-cut and CNC-formed panels to control quality and consistency of the parts. All surfaces are acid washed and powder-coated by computer control, providing a durable, high-gloss finish.
Roll-up door: The aluminum shutter door is a coiling aluminum slat door, powder-coated white. The roll-up door provides a better solution for confined spaces by coiling inside the vehicle. An electronic lock is designed into the door, providing a two-point locking system that requires a key fob to unlock. This locking system is more secure than the normal keyed lock, because it is not accessible from the outside. The aluminum shutter door also has seals on all four sides and has independent seals between each slat. The door rolls around an enclosed spring, which is designed to open and close over 100,000 cycles. The roll-up door is provided as part of the entire kit.
ADVANTAGES
The AXCESS Shutter Door System provides many advantages over swing doors, including:
- Eliminating the potential for expensive door damage due to wind and backup collisions
- Improving efficiencies of high-cycle delivery services
Improving operator safety by not having swing doors open in high-traffic areas - Optional integration of electronic latches in vehicle lock/unlock circuit
- Low maintenance, high-cycle hardware
- The entire kit being 60 lbs lighter than factory swing doors
- Opening size of 51 inches wide by 72 inches high
- Integral weather shield with recessed LED load area lighting
- Allowing for installation of inexpensive lift gates vs the expensive lift gates currently used with the factory swing doors
INSTALLATION
The conversion from factory swing doors to the AXCESS Shutter Door System is simple and requires about six hours. The installation process begins with the complete removal of the OEM swing open doors, hardware, and electrical harness connecting the doors to the van structure. Next, drill fixtures are placed to pre-determined, fixed locations to provide absolute placement of the attachment fasteners in the van structure. Holes are drilled and permanent threaded fasteners are installed. A perimeter seal is installed to the van’s structure as well as a bonding/sealing compound providing a dual seal to keep weather and dust out of the cargo area. The conversion system is then installed using all stainless steel and aluminum fasteners. All electrical support circuits are automotive grade with OEM style harness connectors and pre-wired to a specific color-coding to ensure consistency. Once the conversion system is installed the roll-up door and all supporting hardware is installed, aligned, and tested.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Ray Van Gunten is president of Diamond Roll Up Door, Inc. and Dover Roller Shutters. The two divisions of Diamond provide numerous roll-up door solutions to the transportation industry. Diamond worked with Jeff Massey of Buckeye Body and Equipment on the design of the AXCESS Shutter Door System. Ray can be reached at rvangunten@diamonddoor.com and Jeff can be reached at jmassey@buckeyebody.com.
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MODERN WORKTRUCK SOLUTIONS: SEPTEMBER 2016 ISSUE
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