Replacement Hawk Exterior Handle

[FAW3]

My Hawk slide in unit sits on a flatbed and as such is a bit of a step up from the ground. The OEM exterior handle I thought could be improved a bit as it is rather thin and slopes "inward" at the top & bottom. This placement and design creates a risk of a finger entrapment if your hand slides down...especially if you're wearing a ring.

I got this from Amazon for $14.00US:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WLDBWN5/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1A5DP2OSA0WGG&psc=1

Handle is stainless steel, well made and polished. Installed it feels good in hand and is substantially thicker and easier to hold on to. It sticks out a bit more and you have more room where it comes in close to the exterior wall. Nuts and washers are included.

You will need to redrill the existing holes with a 5/16" bit slightly offset to clear the door frame trim. The new handle has a mounting flange that covers the holes well. The handle is through bolted with nuts on the interior wall. Use caulking to seal the exterior holes. When drilling you want to cover the interior drill point with tape to prevent chipping. The bolts will protrude about 1/2 inch and can be capped with the black plastic thread caps that come with the handle (you may wish to shorten them with a hacksaw as I did).

Photos:

 

[Jon R]

This placement and design creates a risk of a finger entrapment if your hand slides down...especially if you're wearing a ring.

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Good catch. I never liked the pinching feel of it but had not thought about the ring risk. My dad was an ER doc and I grew up hearing stories about all the ripped off fingers he saw due to people climbing on things with rings on. I don’t wear rings for this very reason, but my wife wears them. You have motivated me to change out my handle.