anyone replaced door hinges?

Karlton

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2017
Messages
172
Location
Southern Idaho
Howdy - It appears the upper Lippert hinge on my 2017 Hawk door is failing as it is very resistant to being opened and closed. I'm concerned that it will fail altogether on a trip and I won't be able to open the door.

As the door is riveted to the frame I'll have to drill out the rivets and possibly move the hinge and reinstall. Can I reattach the hinge with screws in place of rivets? Or can I use a larger rivet in the holes I've drilled out? Ideally, I won't have to move the hing and can reattach to the original location.

Thanks!
 
I'm really not sure. The door had swung freely for 3 years and then this winter it became a little difficult to open and close. Now, I can feel the hinge sticking and popping when I open and close the door. I wrote Lippert and they responded saying that a hinge replacement is recommended. I ordered some Boeshield T9 as others had suggested it worked well for camper hinges.
 
I ran onto these instructions for replacing Lippert six-leaf hinges this morning. It recommends using self-drilling screws so it appears screws should work for yours.

Lippert RV Entry Door Hinge Replacement Pub T!-260 (pdf)

You probably won't want to grind off the old rivet heads as you might mar the surrounding area with the grinder. The rivets are aluminum and you should be able to easily drill them out. Use a center-punch to make a divot for the drill bit (so it doesn't just wander off the rivet head). Ideally the drill bit would be the same size as the rivet pin and the rivet heads will come off and you can push the pin on through. (If in doubt, start small and increase bit size until the head comes off).

Searches for Lippert hinge repair in RV forums show some recommendations to drill out the rivets and then replace those rivets with pop-rivets (aka blind rivets) after the repair/replacement. You'd have to choose a pop-rivet material and rivet length to get it right.

It appears replacement hinges don't have holes in some of the leaves. Installation requires drilling your own holes to match the old hinge. Also- note that the instructions say to replace one hinge at a time.

You might also want to call FWC Service (and/or Lippert) and discuss before proceeding. They may have suggestions on what screws to use and you can discuss where to get the exact replacement hinge you need. You might also look on the hinge for any part numbers to search.

As I write this, I'm reminded of a repair I did on my door several years ago. I don't think it applies to your situation as the binding is probably internal to one or more hinge leaves. But it may be useful to someone searching for hinge-repair/replacement info.

This video has the idea.... put a washer in the hinge.

How I fixed my saggy RV door

It didn't quite work the way this guy shows as the stainless lock washers I found were all too thick. But I did find thinner regular stainless washers. I cut out a slot just big enough for a force fit on the pin. This fixed the problem of my screen door sagging enough to touch the threshold.

PS- As I went to post this I noticed you had posted the Open Roads Forum one. I decided to post anyway.

PPS - If you do replace the hinge and get part number info, please post that info. Future searchers will thank you!
 
I completed the replacement of the one seizing hinge today. Appreciate the tips, Old Crow! I was concerned about misalining the door as I had to move the hinge because the pre-drilled holes in the new hinge that attaches to the door did not match the holes for the FWC hinge. Thus, I had to move the hinge down, which left some unsightly holes in the frame and door. I think I'm going to use a bit of caulk and fill the holes with white screws. Hope I don't have to do this again as I'll be running out of room given they have to be moved to replace.

Used this hinge as a replacement.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072R7C5GW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
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