Barn door advise?

[Musky50]

I am new to barn repair, so thanks in advance for your help. I purchased 20 acres with a 40' x 60' tobacco barn on it. The previous owner had taken both the 40' ends off up to 12' and just used the barn as a big shelter house. I have replaced one end with oak back to original. It has 3 bays a 12' wide bay on each side and a 16' bay in the center. I would like your experienced thoughts on doors as i have tractor and equipment in one of the 12' bays and my camper in the center. I would like to have access to all 3 bays. Would you go with hinged doors or sliders, what type wood would you build them from?

 

[newbury]

Of the two I'd go with sliders. Roll up or overheads would be nicer.

 

[PILOON]

Slider should be less costly than roll up and if in a snow area forget hinged as that calls for a lot of snow clearing.
Slider is basically a wall panel attached to a set of wheels rolling in a track and can be home made while rollup is a factory product. Also for a tractor and RV you would need oversized which gets pricey.
For a big slider the only difference is the height at which you attach the hardware (and perhaps an extra roller or 2)

 

[BoylermanCT]

My place came with a 40x50 barn built in the 1800's, and the previous owner had boarded up the main opening with several sheets of plywood with a small people door in the middle. I built two 4.5'x8.5' doors from locally milled rough cut hemlock and hung them on tracks. Very easy to do, no maintenance, no issues. Hinges will sag over time, so I would avoid them. Rollup is good too, if you have a modern barn - would not look good on my barn.

 

[zzvyb6]

I have 4 large bays in my machinery shed that I made 12' wide by 10' tall sliding doors for. They ride two apiece on a double track, so I can have any two open at the same time, either neighbors or ends. I made the doors from 10' by 4' sheets of T1-11 obtained from Menards. They are framed by 2x4' laid sideways so they are not thick and run nicely on the double track rails. Mine are sideways to the weather so I don't worry about rain or snow interference. They run tight to the top, sides and ground over a concrete floor and apron. The bottoms are not restrained, just hang by gravity and can be secured by straps and turnbuckles if I want it locked.

 

[MF283]

Slider get's my vote!

 

[Musky50]

I have 4 large bays in my machinery shed that I made 12' wide by 10' tall sliding doors for. They ride two apiece on a double track, so I can have any two open at the same time, either neighbors or ends. I made the doors from 10' by 4' sheets of T1-11 obtained from Menards. They are framed by 2x4' laid sideways so they are not thick and run nicely on the double track rails. Mine are sideways to the weather so I don't worry about rain or snow interference. They run tight to the top, sides and ground over a concrete floor and apron. The bottoms are not restrained, just hang by gravity and can be secured by straps and turnbuckles if I want it locked.

This sounds like what i have envisioned. My 2 side bays will be 12' x 12' and the center will be 2, 8' doors sliding to each side.
I have plenty of room and can hang my double track on the inside where it would be out of the weather. Since all doors will slide to within the inside dimension, does anyone see a problem with inside track hanging?

How many rollers should I put on the 12' doors and how many on the 8' doors? Should I hang the 12' doors on the track close est to the beam or does it matter?

I plan to use rough cut pine so as to maintain the original look of the barn. So if I use 1''x6''x12' on a frame of 2''x4'' frame on its side. This will have me at approximately 3 full inches thick on each door. What track of track layout do I need to be looking at?


Again THANKS guys for all you help!!!

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

The whole door is going to be 3" thick? Or just at the frame?

I'll add my vote for the track setup. Swinging doors get blocked by snow, and can get caught by the wind and slammed hard against... well, whatever is in the way, which might be you, or a child.

 

[Musky50]

2'' thick rough cut 2''x 6'' layed on its side with 1'' x 8'' nailed to the face

 

[BoylermanCT]

Each door should have 2 rollers, one on each end. There are 2 styles of rollers / track, square and round. I went with round since the wheels were slipper plastic vs metal wheels on the square track. The round track setup is very quiet and smooth. I envisioned the metal wheels on square track being noisier. I bought my track, wheels and hardware at Tractor Supply.

Any reason you are going with 2" thick boards for the door? It will be very heavy. I used 1" thick rough cut with 1" trim, and it is very strong. One word of advice is to let the wood dry completely before building the doors. If too wet, it will shrink and you will end up with gaps between the boards. You could also use tongue and groove boards or shiplap to avoid this problem.