Anyone thought of using some double doors on the back?

[dentedvw]

We are going to be getting out bus this spring, and starting the modifications immediately. One of the key considerations for us is the ability to load our stuff through the back, especially our motorcycles, kayaks, etc. The kayaks would be no problem, of course, but the motorcycles are a different matter entirely. Not to mention loading up a couch. Hey, gotta have someplace to read, right?
One of my ideas is to cut the back off of an ambulance, and create a new rear entrance using the double doors, because I haven't seen any other slick way of dealing with this type of situation.
The way I see it, we will need to do some welding, some sheet metal work, etc to make it fit just so. Of course, some of the ambulance doors I have seen are a bit short, so that may need to be addressed as well.
It's obviously going to need to shut real tight, to prevent water and dirt and dust and exhaust from entering the bus from the rear, so simply making the entire door is definitely out, in my case. I need something to start from.

Anyone else considered something like this?
Definitely looking for suggestions.

 

[C00LR]

DANG SMITTY!!! It was enough of a PITA to get my Sportster in the kitchen door by myself, let alone a full dress one!!

 

[JKN7777]

Dbl doors at rear of bus

Hello, first timer here.
I have a 99 International parking shuttle bus. It has a fiberglass rear cap and a 5 ft rear window. My thought was to use double barn doors from a trailer. Do you think I could find them? Nope. I finally found a company in Nampa Idaho that will make the size you want.

I decided to go with 6 ft tall by 5 ft wide. The quote was $667...best I could find with hinges and bar closing latch. They will make them in two days. Now I have to wait to pull the trigger...getting the engine repaired. One thing at a time.

 

[sportyrick]

They should look real professional and you couldn't make them for that and look that good, nice job of turning over rocks until you found what you needed.

 

[BeNimble]

What I'm doing on my Nautibus is making the entire rear wall hinge up, like a rear hatchback. The rear wall is solid, so seems to me it is just a matter of hinges on top and some seal, be done in a couple hours..lol I'm doing this because I will have a fold down deck as well, and you could do that too, and use it as a ramp when folded down all the way to the ground. Let's see if I can find a pic..

So something along these lines..a traditional box truck with a fold down rear wall doesn't work when the back wall is not just a flat slab.

 

[Tall Grass]

What I'm doing on my Nautibus is making the entire rear wall hinge up, like a rear hatchback. The rear wall is solid, so seems to me it is just a matter of hinges on top and some seal, be done in a couple hours..lol I'm doing this because I will have a fold down deck as well, and you could do that too, and use it as a ramp when folded down all the way to the ground. Let's see if I can find a pic..

So something along these lines..a traditional box truck with a fold down rear wall doesn't work when the back wall is not just a flat slab.

We want more:Thanx:

 

[miltruckman]

My bus has the ambulance doors and they are really nice to have. I got off easy though as the military had the bus upfitted with them as they converted it to an ambulance. Otherwise it is a regular TC2000 school bus body.

Bill

 

[BeNimble]

Ran across this video, so thought i'd share.
https://youtu.be/IyZ05MivwPc?t=284

 

[Elliot Naess]

You asked for suggestions.

 

[sportyrick]

Cut a foot out of each side and added another door for 60" wide, still only 53" tall, 3000# lift gate seven foot long to load bikes.

 

[Native-SKO]

That is a nice set of doors you have there. We are using our bus as a moving van and I did contemplate doing something like that. In the end, I just raised the door to 6'2" so I did not have to stoop to go through it.

 

[BeNimble]

Found another example of a hatchback conversion of a bus (motorhome)

 

[JamesKS]

Cut a foot out of each side and added another door for 60" wide, still only 53" tall, 3000# lift gate seven foot long to load bikes.

Fantastic solution, great work!