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Ramm's overhead sliding door latch kit

Has anyone used this specific latch? Any feedback?

https://www.rammfence.com/horse-stalls/horse-stall-accessories/sliding-stall-door-hardware/top-door-latch-kit.html

Or another latch kit like this that can be added to existing stalls?

I’ve had sliding bolts, which are okay, but the drop down window interferes. This Ramm kit might be an interesting option that wouldn’t run into the drop down.

I have these and have found them very frustrating. I need to adjust them between winter and summer as the humidity changes and they still alternate between so tight that it takes two hands to open and then too loose, don’t quite shut so I installed a drop pin behind the door to guarantee it stays shut. As an additional feature they aren’t safe if you use an easy up gate and leave the door open, the horses mess with them. I’m afraid someone is going to get their jaw caught, so I’ve covered them up when I’ve used the gates for extra ventilation. In a new barn everything concrete and doors always closed they might work! I do like the fact there’s nothing to catch a horse walking into the door!

I do not have them, but I have encountered them once (though I am not remembering where at this moment). As someone who never used them before it took a bit to figure out how to get the stall open.

This is such useful feedback, thank you! It looks like a neat concept but I can definitely see how they could be finicky. I hadn’t thought about horses fiddling with them :-/

I’ve looked at pin latches, too, but can’t see those working in a way that horses can’t access with the drop down door open…

I put these in my barn when we built 15+ years ago and love them. Never had any issues. Absolutely love that there is nothing to stick out and get caught on like the side sliding closures.

Every once in a while, if someone (mostly DH) doesn’t make sure the door is fully slid closed the latch does not catch up top, but it has never allowed any of my horses to escape or even slide door open.

Never had any interference from the drop down grill that is the top half of the stall nor from a horse playing with them (and yes dear pony loves to grab his halter off the adjacent hanger and toss it to the floor when he is ready to go out).

I would put them in on any new stalls/barn in a heart beat.

One of my stalls has this latch (from the previous owners) and I learned the hard way that you need to be able to easily access the handle from inside the stall because it’s so easy to close/lock. :grin:

This wouldn’t be a problem for your use, but I did NOT consider this fact when I decided to make that stall into feral cat transitional housing so covered the stall bars with hardware cloth. The first time I went in to check on the cats I hastily slid the door closed to make sure they didn’t scoot out - I still remember the sound of the latch catching and I realized what I had done. :grimacing:

Thankfully I had my phone on me and my husband was home to let me out.

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