Tailgate or Barn Doors?

Within the next year (hopefully), I'll be looking at getting a Suburban (probably '96-98). I've thought about this over and over, and I really prefer a Suburban over a pickup. BUT - I think I like the tailgate models, better than the barn doors. Yes, with the barn doors, you can reach farther into the truck without jumping in, but I tend to haul long stuff from time to time, and I think the tailgate would be easier to leave down, than trying to tie the barn doors shut so they wont flop around going around corners. That's my opinion as of right now. Any more thoughts? Thanks in advance!!

Bryan

go tailgate, that way, you wont also have the door jams of the barn doors in the middle of your rear view mirror obstructing your view.

I chose tailgate over barn doors because the tailgate has a rear wiper for the window.Makes it alot easier to look out the back window when it's clean.
chuck's

Oh for sure! Tail gate, which I have on my 1995. Looks better by far, but do have to wonder if the other would have better wheather stripping. Gets pretty dusty back there I knowticed when cleaning it. And gotta go with the guy who mentiond that the rear wiper is pretty handy. :grinyes:

Barndoor all the way. I've had both and the barns are the ticket! You'll notice the jam for the first 2 days you drive it. After that it just dissapears. Barns are light and easier to open, especially for the kids, wife, etc. Dogs seem to be able to jump in the back easier with a barn (they like the carpet for traction/landing). I've never had a rattle, leak or a burned out window motor with the barn doors. I cannot say that about the tailgate.

barn doors rock. have you got any bungies?

I've got barn doors on my 97 and they do look a lot better than the gate except for the exposed hinges that rust and make the doors sag. Does anyone know of a fix for this, short of buying new hinges? I'm going to try to take them apart and put some brass bushings in them to firm up the sag. The factory bushungs were like some sort of cloth thing with brass and grease on them, they lasted about two years in my northeast Ohio winters (I do wash my Burb every week and it now has 110k miles and still looks new except for the hinges).

For function I would go with the gate. Hauling is easier and it's nice to be able to put the gate down and sit there even in the rain because the window acts like an awning. And oh yeah, NO EXPOSED HINGES!!!!!!

But for ease of use with kids and wives, the panel doors are best.

Until you drop the tailgate on the jackstand and dent the bugger. Where do you live that your hinges rusted? I'm in Idaho with snow and raod salt/sand etc and I have a pristine '94. No rust.

I'd have to say Barn Doors all the way especially if you tow anything. I've had the tailgate style and you can't open it without it getting dented up by trailer jack, with barn doors you can open them up with trailer still attached.

Tail gate of course! Afterall, they don't call it BarnDooring do they?

I would go with a Tailgate style. I have the Barn Door and I haven't gotten used to it. I Have an Astro Van as well with the tri-door (forgot the real name) and wish that Subs came with that one.
theres my .o2 :sunglasse

I had an 86 with a tailgate and I cussed everytime I had to open it. If something was right behind the 3rd seat you had to drop the tailgate and climb in. I'm 6 ft. tall and even standing on the receiver hitch I couldn't reach things right behind the seat. My 97 has the barn doors and they are the greatest thing since sliced bread and bottled beer. :biggrin:

I have barn doors on my 98 but wish I had the tailgate sometimes, especially when there is motorcycle behind me, although barn doors make loading and unloading easier for me. I wish the Burbs could have the door set up like the Excursion..lower barn doors with a tailgate style window on top.

I had an '87 with Barn Doors and now I have a '93 with the Tail Gate. I love the way the '93 looks, but my wife hates putting in and taking out groceries. The wiper doesn't matter either way to me since I never had a problem with rain "covering" the back windows (I live in So-Cal so no snow). The big blind spot in the middle of the Barn Doors was *always* a pain. As for the trailer jack - I'll find out how that works out next weekend when we take the trailer for it's first trip with the '93.
But, back to the original topic. For looks, go with the Tail Gate all the way. For overall practicallity, go with the Barn Doors.

my mind is set on the tailgate. i like the look a LOT better, and i think the functionality is better than the barn doors. i'm looking right now for a burb, and i'm not even considering any with barn doors. thanks for everyone's input though!

Hi,
Can you get a New Body Style with the liftglass?
I had an OBS with the tailgate and the liftglass on my NBS is soooooo much better.
Don't have problems with the trailer, either.
Take care, Eggert :bananasmi

Barn doors are the way to go for function, but tail gates look better and provide the wiper. I am 6' and can't reach to the back of the seat with the barn doors, the tail gate puts you that much further away. I am guessing a lot of tailgate owners climb in and out to get things.

Barn baby, barn!

of course wife wants wiper to clean off ever-present dirt but she's four eleven and could never even climb over to get in with a tail gate.

Tail gate would be great like you say for really long stuff like lumber but no fun for lifting bags of concrete into the back.

When we're on a long trip and need to get something out of the back, the barn's make it easy to get to all the luggage and we put the big cooler back there for easy access during stops.

We got used to the center column quickly and typically use the side mirrors more than rear view.

Next 'burb of course not an issue cause its a hatch. Great for pre-game hatch parties.

have an 86 with gate and a 94 with barn doors. go with the doors for practicality, easier to get in and out of. and open and close. tailgate can get real heavey if you use it alot. wife love the barn doors.

My wife insisted on tailgate, couldn't stand the jamb in rearview mirror. Back then barn doors were almost impossible to find in California (exactly the reverse of Texas, where there are NO tailgates).

I wish I had the doors when loading mountain bikes in the back. But the power tailgate window is IDEAL for clamping surfboards securely when heading to the beach.

Maybe the ideal solution would be a tailgate like the '60s Ford wagons had that would flop down OR swing from one side?

Personally I have and perfer barn door. The wiper would be nice on the tailgate model, but my major objection to tailgate was my back and reaching into over the tailgate. It always seems that I have heavy items to load and unload. On my 98 model I take the back seat out and lay down the middle seat and I never had anything that the doors had to be kept open. I'll use my roof for bigger or longer items.

Barn Doors all the way.

You'd be surprised what you can haul, even lumber with barn doors. I've had plenty of lumber in my '94.. just remove the 3rd row seat, fold down the 2nd as well as the passenger front, and viola.. lumber, rolled carpet, you name it. If I had the tailgate, I'd still be at Menards loading patio stone.

you guys all know deep down that the tailgate is the ONLY way to have it. Barn doors are a pain to see around.

My '95 has the "barn doors", don't have to crawl up on a tailgate to reach inside, and if I had a tailgate, it would interfere with access when I have my trailer hooked up. As it is, my doors open with just enough clearance that I can access the rear when pulling my trailer.

To all you guys that can't see "around" the post, that's what you have
those big reflective things on your doors for.
(I think there called MIRRORS) I hope you use them on the freeway no-matter what kind of doors you have.

having driven both i concur on the barn doors. whoever made the comment, "I guess tailgate owners have to crawl into the back for everything" was right.

i have a tailgate now and it looks good, but i want to be able to go real quick and open 1 door and be able to get to everything. right now i have to open the hatch, drop the gate and climb in. I'm 6'4 too...

As far as the barn doors blocking my view, i can't see with the rear tv monitor down anyway, lol

barn doors are the way to go , the tailgates are heavy and to big for children to operate. the only thing with the older barn doors is the strap that keeps the door from smaking the body , if the strap breakers a nice dent will follow.

My '87 didn't have to have the strap to keep it from denting the car. The design of the hinge itself keeps the door from opening all the way against the body. Now, it is true that I never TESTED the hinge design without the strap, so I suppose I could be mistaken ;)

Tailgate. The center pillar of the two barn doors block alot of rear view, just what you want in a big Suburban. The rear wiper is great too.

A Suburban is a truck. If you ever had a pick-up with a topper, or a panel van, you would know how to use your external mirrors. Have you
tailgate boys ever pulled a trailer? Why don't you guys just get an SUV
rear wipers are for girls.

A Suburban is a truck. If you ever had a pick-up with a topper, or a panel van, you would know how to use your external mirrors. Have you
tailgate boys ever pulled a trailer? Why don't you guys just get an SUV
rear wipers are for girls.

I, honestly, could go either way (having owned both).
As for towing, my 1993 has the tailgate and the gate comes all the way down no problem while towing my 24' travel trailer.

I guess what I was saying is that when towing most anything you use the outside mirrors. You don't use the rearview mirror through your back window, 'cause the only thing to see is your load.
So in a truck you should always be using your outside mirrors.

Barn doors for sure,

When I purchased my 2003 I passed up several great burbs because they had tailgates. I use mine to tow a boat, or my travel trailer and when towing all you can see anyway is your load, if you are concerned about the door jamb use your side mirrors. When not towing I could see all I needed to see from the rearview mirror.

RDH :smokin:

I've had both tailgate (77' K5) and barn doors (91' 'burb). I think both have their advantages, but my experience with a tailgate was bad. The window track rusted and the motor quit working. I've only had the Suburban 5 months it has barn doors,my uncle has a 98 or 99 with a tailgate wouldnt trade for anything. My Jeep cherokee has a wiper on the hatch I'll admit it is handy for wheelin'.

I'm on my 3rd Sub and I'd have to say barn doors.

My mom always asked if I was raised in a barn for some reason.

I hate my barn doors. The visibility is terrible because of the piece in the middle.

I've had both....for me I don't care. If you have wife....my wife liked the barn doors cause it was easier for her to get things out of the back. With the tailgate it was a far reach

I'm with you on the subject. I got the tailgate, another plus point is just having the glass open and tailgate shut that way your not loosing anything that might fall out.

We have a 99 with Barn Doors and and just bought 05 with a tailgate.
And like the tailgate better. This is the newer style tailgate that opens completely upwards or you can just open the glass. I think if you have a choice between newer style tailgate and barn doors, the newer tailgate style is the choice. But if you have to decide between barn doors and the older style tailgate, which you have to reach over to get anything out of the back, Barn doors are the choice

Barn doors. I have them on both my suburbans. 87,94. had a gate once on a jeep. had problems with motors. Also with barn doors one does not have to crawl to get at stuff that is in the back just out of reach. the extra two feet are bit of an inconvenience. but I wish I had wipers on the barn doors.

Tail Gate - Have it on my 96 Suburban. On the plus side:
1) Allows you to haul things with the gate up or down.
2) Great place to sit stuff as you go fishing, camping, tail gate party, etc.
3) Rear hatch button

On the downside:
1) If stuff shifts up to the front, like groceries you have to send in one of the kids to retrieve it, or close the tailgate climb on the bumper and reach for the item in question. This is especially what the wife or kids have to do.

I have a 99 with barndoors and like another member has said after a couple days you don't notice the post in the middle anymore they are very easy to load BUT because of the shape of the doors when they are open they curve in at thetop and I have whacked my head more than once on the blasted things OUCH
why couldn't GM have designed the tail gate to swing or fold down like the old stationwagons or at the very least dutch doors like the Astro's

Barndoor barndoor barndoor I wont buy one without barndoors.:grinyes:

ok - being the originator of this thread, I must confess that earlier this year, i purchased a 2000 Dodge ram 3/4 ton pickup. I still like the thought of a suburban, but with us building a house (currently), a HD pickup suited our needs much more than a suburban would have. Now I'm going to *duck* because i'm sure to get crap admitting that on a GM forum... thanks for all of your input though!

YB

Ok, major cajones for even mentioning brand x let alone admitting to purchasing one on a chevy forum....
As to the barn door/tailgate question I vote for the bar doors. Currently I have the tailgate and as previously mentioned the most obvious issues are with reaching things inside. There is one other reason I don't favor the tailgate though. We were on a family trip with the burb stuffed to the rafters, I had closed the tailgate and climbed inside the truck when I was "distracted" by one of the kids, once the crisis was over I proceeded to drive off (You guessed it with the window down) 15 miles later a different child said "Dad, is there some reason you have the back window down?". We retraced our steps but never did find the gear that had migrated out the back on an adventure of its own. No doubt someone else is currently enjoying the 100s and 100s of dollars worth of gear we lost in that incident.

Hi, I agree that the OBS tailgate was lame, I had a 95 Suburban with it. It should just have flipped down, that was a dumb design.
This problem is solved on the NBS, my 2001 Yukon XL has a liftgate just like a minivan. It has an alert "CARGO DOOR AJAR" when either the liftgate or the flipper glass is not closed. The liftgate works great and has enough room to open when towing my 38 ft camping trailer. GM discontinued the barn doors a year or so ago.
Take care, Eggert :bananasmi

I have had 2 barn door Suburbans and I would rather have tailgate. The main reason is I can't find after market tail lights that will work with the barn door model that is not $200.

Tailgate for me, barn doors look too much like a van and the upright bit in the middle would annoy me no end.

Not to beat a dead horse here, but go tailgate. If you haul stuff even occaisionally, you'll appreciate just popping the window up and away you go. I have two 'Burbs; one with barn doors and one with tailgate. I can afford two so I got one of each. Problem solved. Just have to convince the Mrs. to let me put that big block in the red one...................:evillol:

I've had both - I prefer barn doors - so much just depends on typical usage.

The gate is great! When the damn thing works. I have a gate and swear i would love the doors,but I like the look of the gate.The barn doors make it look just like that barn doors,farm truck.

I gotta vote for barn doors. It's simply too stinkin' hard to reach things in the cargo area with a tailgate.

i have a 97 suburban with barn doors and my mom has a 99 tahoe with a tailgate so ive spent time in both and i personally like the tailgate much better. i think the tailgate looks sportier, and it has the rear wiper which really comes in handy. the only complaint ive heard about the tailgate is that you cant reach as far into the car, but i personally dont care, and it really doesnt stick out that far anyway. but on the other hand the barn doors are just fine, they just dont look as good and occasionally the gap in the middle of the window gets annoying but you really do get used to that.

Unless you excpect to haul long items on regular basis, barn doors are the way to go I have had both and replacing the window motor isn't fun, the wife couldn't close the tailgate (too heavy), and barn doors look better.

I owned two Suburbans, a 1990 and 1992, prior to getting a new '06. Both of my older models had the barn doors. In my opinion, far superior to the tailgate in those models. However, the '06 has the split lift gate. You can open the entire door from the bottom, or open it 50/50 using the button under the glass. The liftgate is a big improvement over both the barn doors and the old-style tailgate. The liftgate is the only door available now.

Barn doors. Easier to get to things when towing.

Sandman

I have had 2 barn door Suburbans and I would rather have tailgate. The main reason is I can't find after market tail lights that will work with the barn door model that is not $200.

This one works with barn door.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/00-01-02-03-06-SUBURBAN-TAHOE-RED-CLEAR-LED-TAIL-LIGHTS_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3286Q2em14Q2el13 18QQhashZitem250267117018QQitemZ250267117018

Christophe Salvaing

They don't call it tailgateing for nothing! Tailgate is the way to go!

Have 89 with barndoors and like them, but the tailgate is way better.

Have a 73 bronco and the tail gate comes in very handy esp offroad or when hooking up a trailer.

Colby

This thread is nearly 4 years old. Please start a new poll/thread if anyone wants to continue the discussion. Also please limit polls in threads to 90 days.
Closed.