From Plant to Farm, strip doors have earned their niche in the agricultural world.
first becoming popular in the late 70's strip doors had a slow start with hesitant operators concerned over whether their livestock would spook or have difficulty moving through the hanging strips. Many opted for expensive, often elaborate, automatic doors or no door at all rather than invest in an untested product. Today we know strip doors are an effective low cost alternative that protects livestock and facilities from cold drafts in the winter, dust, insects, and nuisances such as starlings and other birds. Their common use on Hog Barns, Free Stall Barns, Horse Barns, and Dairy Facilities among a host of other agricultural applications is a testament to the strip door's utility.
Getting livestock and horses used to strip doors
Getting livestock comfortable with using strip doors may seem like a challenge at first, but it really ins't. To get your animals comfortable you simply need to mount the strip door hardware to a stable lintel or jamb and hang all the strips except for the ones in the middle, there should be a gap a little wide enough to pass through without touching. Over time begin adding strips one at a time until all the strips are hung; often in less than a week livestock effortlessly move through the door.
Strip Door Construction
For most operations 16" wide strip material (.160 thick) mounted with a 3/4 overlap is ideal. The weight of this strip provides superior insulation over thinner material and is less affected than lighter material when when there is wind. As an alternative to 16" material 12" material with a full overlap works well on doors with a height of 12' or less. The strip door mounting hardware is designed to be installed with ease, while also making the task of replacing the strip door strips a easy and fast.
Additional Hardware
Strip Doors can be mounted on optional sliding hardware or framed in around garage doors for added versatility. This is an ideal option for doorways where tractor traffic and other equipment which may be carrying dirty loads or have parts that will catch on the strips are passing through. There are no special tools needed for installation of the rolling hardware and it is compatible with existing strip doors using universal steel mounting hardware.