Sliding doors for Pole Barn

[ovrszd]

I had a 56' x 40' built about 8 years ago with 20 ft. sliding doors 14 ft. tall at each end. The doors are actually 2 10 ft. doors sliding out. I've never had any problems with the doors and never had a mouse in the building.

Sliding machine shed doors are not mouse proof.

 

[lman]

The way mine were installed securely against the concrete floors have kept the mice out. The doors are all steel and pull tight against the walls also. I can only say a mouse has never been in this barn. I have another barn with overhead doors and mice are using that barn.

 

[tomplum]

Sliding machine shed doors are not mouse proof.

Mine are. I saw a mouse one day trying to slide the door open and he couldn't get it...

 

[SmallChange]

I built the door I think you're describing just this fall. I had a 20' by 40' pole barn with 4 bays 10' wide and 20' deep, and I put up roller based track from TSC on the inside of the beam at the entrance, and built a door 12' high by 10' wide so it rolls past one of my support poles on the inside. I bought four light 2" by 2" steel tubes. One runs horizontally just under the track trolleys and is bolted up toward them on short hangers. There are 4' high T-111 siding panels bolted to that tube, and there's another tube bolted along their bottoms, so it's a 4' high panel with steel tubing edges. Then I built a similar one 8' high along the bottom. I long clamps to draw things together when the weight was more than I could handle. I think this whole door and track assembly cost about $600 or $700.

 

[nybirdman]

I live in a similar climate as the OP;no way I would use sliders.My new pole barn got a 12'x10' over-head+an opener.Just pull up with the tractor or sidexside and hit the button.Look down the road;do you want to be fighting a sliding door in ten years?

 

[aczlan]

I live in a similar climate as the OP;no way I would use sliders.My new pole barn got a 12'x10' over-head+an opener.Just pull up with the tractor or sidexside and hit the button.Look down the road;do you want to be fighting a sliding door in ten years?

Nothing better than snowblowing and being able to hit the button to open the door and back in without having to get off of the tractor...

Aaron Z

 

[lman]

I needed two 20 ft. wide x 14 ft. tall openings. I couldn't find affordable overhead doors like that.

 

[Diggin It]

^^ I'll need two 8'w x 8'h and one 6'w. No way I could afford rollup OR sliders by any prices I've seen so far. Plan as of now is to make double 4' swingers for the 8 footers. Haven't decided yet on the 6 footer.

 

[aczlan]

^^ I'll need two 8'w x 8'h and one 6'w. No way I could afford rollup OR sliders by any prices I've seen so far. Plan as of now is to make double 4' swingers for the 8 footers. Haven't decided yet on the 6 footer.

Not sure where you are located, but 8' wide doors run $200-400 on Craigslist around here:
2 8x8 doors for $400 each: Garage Doors - general for sale - by owner
Garage Doors - household items - by owner - housewares sale

6'x8' roll-up door for $300: Rolling curtain door - materials - by owner - sale


Aaron Z

 

[Diggin It]

And what I'm planning will be about $100 per opening.

 

[aczlan]

And what I'm planning will be about $100 per opening.

If it works for you, great. With the snow around here, it would not work for us.

Aaron Z

 

[ovrszd]

If it works for you, great. With the snow around here, it would not work for us.

Aaron Z

Me neither.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Priced out a 14 wide x 12 high insulated garage door at Home Depot to be $1408. Add a$200 garage door opener to each door and you have roughly $3000 invested. About half that if you go with uninsulated. Not a bad investment for the convenience added to it for opening AND most importantly no snow or wind issues to deal with.

On my shop, I put one 16 wide and one 10 wide with 2 foot partition separating them and both have standard electric garage door openers which works fine for me. You can go cheap and struggle or bite the bullet and get the convenience and rat proof ones now.

 

[Barnbuilder]

If you use the bubble wrap, get it with the foil on both sides. The wrap with the white on one side will deteriorate after about 12 years. I stopped using after I found a better product.

 

[taem]

I really appreciate all the thoughtful comments on my questions. I've made notes and will incorporate some of the suggestions. Thanks

 

[farmalldx33]

This past summer I priced out a 30X40 just to see where prices are now compared to 10 years ago. I was surprised to learn that an overhead door installed was about $350 cheaper than an aluminum framed sliding door.

 

[Snaker]

Here's what I did. In Minnesota. Similar door on other end. The sliding hardware can be used with some lumber spacing on the inside to position the rail. I couldn't find any latching that would work on the inside so I had to rig up some turnbuckles. I wasn't really satisfied with that. Those doors do take up most of the end walls. You could build a fake end wall if you wanted the end wall space, I didn't.

It worked just like I hoped. I did a little snow shoveling at the edges but otherwise I opened the door and drove the snow loader tractor out the door and started pushing snow. And I didn't have snow drifts all across the end to shovel just to open the door.

Another benefit was that the rail hardware has no rust after 25+ years.

 

[fried1765]

I live in a similar climate as the OP;no way I would use sliders.My new pole barn got a 12'x10' over-head+an opener.Just pull up with the tractor or sidexside and hit the button.Look down the road;do you want to be fighting a sliding door in ten years?

"do you want to be fighting a sliding door in ten years?"

It ain't all that bad!
I have two of 'em, and I'll be 80 this year.
I do not need to open 'em in the Winter though.

 

[EddieWalker]

View attachment 638503

Here's what I did. In Minnesota. Similar door on other end. The sliding hardware can be used with some lumber spacing on the inside to position the rail. I couldn't find any latching that would work on the inside so I had to rig up some turnbuckles. I wasn't really satisfied with that. Those doors do take up most of the end walls. You could build a fake end wall if you wanted the end wall space, I didn't.

It worked just like I hoped. I did a little snow shoveling at the edges but otherwise I opened the door and drove the snow loader tractor out the door and started pushing snow. And I didn't have snow drifts all across the end to shovel just to open the door.

Another benefit was that the rail hardware has no rust after 25+ years.

Never thought of one on the inside. I can see the advantages to that!!!

 

[DaBear3428]

We don't have sliding doors in our house because they are not very convenient. At the entrance, we installed a metal door with several locks. We have oak fireproof interior doors throughout the house. When choosing the material, we paid attention to the products' color and quality. The consultant suggested two options: cherry wood doors and oak doors.

you live in a pole barn?