Revolutionary new stable door mechanism!!!

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Hiy,
For my GCSE tech project I built a stable door mechanism, which has 2 latches and a single foot pedal to open both, leaving both hands free. It can also be pushed close without having to be re-bolted. I'm trying to sell the rights to the design. The mechanism can also be fitted to any existing door you have. Any feed back would be great!!

The links below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlVnsmpFm-0
 
You see, I personally think the idea is a good one, But i think that the design needs tweeking.. The latch hold doesnt seem very deep and i know from experience that some horses are quite good a flippin the latch up.

The design is very clever and would obviously make live easier.

How much is it doing to cost to make?
Whats the market price likly to be?

Loi x
 
Looks good but we have to put an old headcollar clip onto the top bolt on ours to stop him escaping so I think he would be able to open this by pulling the top bit up. Could you add a "lock" so it cannot be pulled up over the door when the horse is in?
 
looks excellent but i agree with the above points, some horses are right little houdinis and would play with that until they worked out how to liberate themselves! a friend had a horse who could undo 2 rope hooks on his door, let himself out, and then used to go around the yard letting out the horses he liked and not letting the others out!
really great idea, ten out of ten, i'd love it on my stable doors, which have a very strong spring and sometimes i really struggle to open!
 
I think it is a very interesting design, but there are a couple of things that would worry me.

As has already been said, the latchy bit is not very deep, and I know some horses would be able to figure out lifting the top bit, which then releases the bottom resulting in an open door, whereas with the traditional system, at least if a horse manages to open the top bolt, at least the kick bolt is still in place to hopefully keep the door shut long enough for someone to notice.

That said, I DO think it is potentially a great idea.

Good Luck.
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I'd want to see the catches on the wall streamlined a bit so that the horse couldn't tear itself on one if it rushed out of the door. Could the action needed to open the bolt by hand be changed: a twisting motion or something that the horse couldn't do? (Don't know how you'd do it though- leave that to the boffins!).

Good idea and good luck with marketing it.
 
Well done for being so creative but that is not a new idea unfortunately, i have seen versions of that in Canada and the USA and i think also one of the indoor stable people does a version that is inside the door so to speak. on the inside of the door there was a hole you put your foot in to open it from the inside so horse couldnt.
 
It's a good idea. I think horses would be able to get out fairly easily however and I'd have concerns about the jutting out bits when leading a horse in/out, especially if the horse is likely to barge or panic or iof the waether is windy and it blows shut too quickly towards the horse.
 
I think the opening from the inside, outwards needs tweeking, perhaps a handle of some sort? Just for easy escape if the horse goes phyco!
I think it's a brilliant idea, I would be careful about claiming it can fit to any stable door though!
 
Opening the door from the inside would worry me, it looks like littler fingers could get trapped?

Putting a handle that you could reach your arm over the door may work, but any potential houdinis may use that to their advantage..

Well done for trying though! Much better than the concepts I came up with at GCSE level!
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Good luck!
 
I put No on the poll BUT only because I know my horse for a fact would be able to open that. I think it is a great idea and I like the concept but along with what the others have said the catches need to be deeper and I dont like the way you push down to open it from the inside as this is to easy for the horses to do. If these little things changed slightly I think it is a great design. Well done
 
Don't know if this helps but at work we have the original horse proof stable door locks. They're original to the bulding as far as I know, 1886. And looks a little like this:
Doorlock.jpg

The central turny bit is sunk in and lifts up a bolt in the door frame and in 9 years I've never seen a horse open one the only down side is theres no kick bolt. Maybe you could incorporate this twisty action into your design? Sorry don't have a picture of it! Because they're full doors (bars on top) when I take photos they're always open!
 
No . my horse would be gone in 2 mins and have chuncks out of his side from the sticking out bits.
nothing wrong with a bolt at the top and kick bolts on the bottom.
Sorry you leave the Dragons Den Empty Handed.
 
Very ingenious!! But . . .

[ QUOTE ]
Well done for being so creative but that is not a new idea unfortunately, i have seen versions of that in Canada and the USA and i think also one of the indoor stable people does a version that is inside the door so to speak. on the inside of the door there was a hole you put your foot in to open it from the inside so horse couldnt.

[/ QUOTE ]

What she said.
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To be fair, they are usually in full doors and fit into an entire frame, not added aftermarket to a half door. Variations are quite common for sliding doors and not having any parts sticking out is a big issue since most barns are what you call "American barns" and have central aisles. I'll try to find some pics of variations on the theme.

I've also worked in a barn with the "turney" ones - they had a brass handle set in a "hole" that moved a bar set inside the frame of the door. One type moved a vertical bar that slotted into the floor, the other moved a horizontal bar that slotted into door frame. Both kinds were spring loaded so the door "caught" when it was pushed closed.

I'd agree that the catch has to be a little more "horse proof" (perhaps a housing of some sort?) and preferably the sticking out bits have to be either lower profile or covered/smoothed. As it stands it would be very easy to get tack and/or a horse snagged on either the door or the wall. I think this is the real trick for latches - horses are so darned good at getting themselves caught up!
 
clever idea but dont think i can see it been a top seller,latch not deep enough.

My horse and many others i know would open that easily,im all for the normal bolts and kick bolt and for my lad leadrope clip as he is a real hundini.

Personally i wouldnt buy it.

Very clever idea though,i would not have the brains to imagine something like that up.
 
I like it but it does need a little tweaking. I had thought too that such a thing was already available though.
 
Further Info: this is only a prototype mechanism and so is painted as opposed to galvanised. Because of this the latches have to be shallow as paint is sticky. On an 'actual' mechanism the latches would be able to be about twice as deep because a galvanised surface is much slippier.

Anyone who was wondering about the strength of the mechanism can rest assured, your horse would break the door before it broke the mechanism - I did a lot of calculations and tests to check this.....

Also I dont know if u can see on the video but there is a metal block over the top of the vertical bar which would help with any horse escaping issues.....

Thanks for the feedback!
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I'd have thought if you can use the style of hooky double catches that also sink a bolt into the floor as you get in double glazed doors these days (but chunky) you might be onto a winner as it could be set more flush inside a panel on the door and the other side where the hooks latch would again be a long bar all the way down the side with nothing sticking out. Maybe get a double glazed door to take to bits....
 
I know some others have made a few negative comments, and there are also some pointers for improvements, but I just want to say 'well done' - I think it's a great idea and you've clearly got a brilliant engineering/design future ahead of you!
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Good luck with getting the product produced and marketed.
 
Sorry but im not so sure this is 'revolutionary', ive been at a yard that has a similar latch on the stable doors except the top latch is upside down to yours so you had to lift the vertical bar (with the aid of a handle) to open the stable door.

There were one or two horses who could reach the handle and open the door by pulling it up with their teeth...

The first problem I noticed with yours is all you have to do to open the door from inside the stable is push down on the top of the vertical bar....any horse whose head reach over the stable door will open that with ease....

Sorry if I have repeated anything someone else has said, i havent yet read all the repiles!

Good idea though!!
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