[Bob Z]

Another vote for Ainley. Ron and Jane are great and can make it anyway I you want. I had a single and sold it and got a double with winter covers and top storage. To clean it, which is not very often, I just tilt it forward and hose it out. Wouldn't trade it for nothing.

 

[2tall]

I have an RTK that I love. When I called to complain about the cheesy door, they sent me one of the new versions for $25 including shipping. Good product, good company. It is light weight, easy to clean and plenty big enough for my 75# chessie for a day. The 70# lab loves it for a weekend. This is the intermediate size.

 

[Renee P.]

The doors are great.

Also, it doesn't show in the photo, but the crates are secured to the floor anchors by a nylon load tightener strap.

Thanks, I will order a new one.

 

[DaveHare]

Old School Airborne Crates, Bon Remembers
Them. Only Way To Go!!!!!
Dave Hare

 

[Jennifer Henion]

My friend said the thread has been helpful, thanks for all of the replies!

 

[luvmylabs23139]

Like Bon says, you're gonna have to be more specific about the need.

I have Ruff Tough crates. The crates are pretty much indestructible but the doors are cheesy.

Plus if you need locks on the crates, you need to go to metal.

If you get in a crash, the wire crates will collapse and they will not protect the dog.

A massive tree fell on my Explorer in the driveway. I can only say that the old midwest side by sides held up more than any plastic crate could have.

 

[luvmylabs23139]

Crates helped hold the roof up. New ones not so sturdy as they open on both ends. T

 

[Renee P.]

A massive tree fell on my Explorer in the driveway. I can only say that the old midwest side by sides held up more than any plastic crate could have.

Have you seen the Ruff Toughs? They are solid plastic crate, no pieces, nothing to fall apart. They have some demos on their website in which they throw them out of the back of moving pickup trucks and drop 60 lb weights on them from 2nd story buildings, a 350 lb guy standing on them...and they hold up quite well. I just looked at the demo videos again, when I ordered my new door, and see that the old cheesy doors actually stay in during the simulated crashes.

I have three different kinds of crates including one like yours, they all have their pros and cons.

 

[Renee P.]

View attachment 16429

Crates helped hold the roof up. New ones not so sturdy as they open on both ends. T

That is impressive! Though I fully expect the roof of my vehicle to be stronger than anything in it!

Edit: Do they still make them like that? The wire crate I got from Petco looks identical to the crates that I see from Midwest.

 

[luvmylabs23139]

Have you seen the Ruff Toughs? They are solid plastic crate, no pieces, nothing to fall apart. They have some demos on their website in which they throw them out of the back of moving pickup trucks and drop 60 lb weights on them from 2nd story buildings, a 350 lb guy standing on them...and they hold up quite well. I just looked at the demo videos again, when I ordered my new door, and see that the old cheesy doors actually stay in during the simulated crashes.

I have three different kinds of crates including one like yours, they all have their pros and cons.

The tree came down from higher than a 2 story building and weighed thousands of lbs not 60!

 

[luvmylabs23139]

That is impressive! Though I fully expect the roof of my vehicle to be stronger than anything in it!

Edit: Do they still make them like that? The wire crate I got from Petco looks identical to the crates that I see from Midwest.

ONe of the crates was completely intact but we could not get it out of the crushed Exporer. The other was in decent shape but again could not be removed from the crushed Explorer.
They no longer make this crate as it was. Now they open on both ends so they are not as strong. I searched high and low for the old ones but no luck. Also the new ones are black. Even the old ones had crappy plastic pans in them that spit and cracked with very little use.
The plastic pans in all midwest crates no matter what the wire gage have gone way down hill in the last 10 years. My almost 11 and 12 year olds crate pans are still uncracked while the younger dogs pans have been destroyed. Those side by side crates were not used on any regular basis but both had cracked, wrecked crate pans.

 

[Renee P.]

The tree came down from higher than a 2 story building and weighed thousands of lbs not 60!

Yikes! I'm trying to figure out how it came from higher than a 2 story building. Did it fall from a cliff, or something?

 

[PalouseDogs]

Pardon my skepticism, but I think it was the vehicle's frame that kept the crates from being totally crushed. I think that if that tree had fallen on those crates outside of the vehicle, the crates would have looked like a few pieces of baling wire sticking out from under the tree.