Door question

[reaperman1]

Ok guys, try and follow me here. I have an ongoing issue with my Boxer door sagging to one side. The Boxer has a large door that is 28" long x 14" tall and weighs exactly 25lbs (according to my luggage scale). So its rather big and heavy. The constant sag causes the knife part of the stove that comes in contact with the door gasket from being centered.

My theory as to why the door has an issue staying level can perhaps be explained by the hinge pins. There are only 2 hinges on the door, top and bottom. As shown in one of the photos is the threaded OEM pin. The pin or round part, is exactly 1/2" long. Here is the reason I think the round pin itself is too short for the door hinges. The loop on the door and on the stove itself are exactly 1/4" thick. Together, the two loops combined are 1/2" and are mated together by the hinge pin.

Now when you subtract the height of the two washers used on the hinge system. The thicker washer on the of the top of the loop and the other washer in the center where the two loops join together. Your subtracting that much pin length away from what goes into the bottom hinge loop. This loop is the one welded onto the stove. To me, the round part should extend the entire distance to the bottom of the hinge loop. The way it presently is, it only sits half way into the loop. Being there are only these two short hinges that hold the door, I think it would hold better if the pins extended the full length of the hinge rather than only half way into the lower hinge section.

Keeping the hinges tight with the bottom nut it hit or miss. When you tighten a nut it tightens everything. So the door opens hard because it doesnt slide easily on the washers due to everything being tight. And keeping the door tight only works for a short amount of time because the nut will work itself loose and the door sags once again. Am I on the right track here or way off? I've never saw any kind of hinge pin that didnt run the entire lenght of the hinge itself. One photo below shows just how little the pin will is left to drop into the bottom loop compared to the upper loop. Plus a thin washer still needs to be inserted between the two.

 

[VirginiaIron]

I think you are on the right track! The door probably did NOT sag when new, so there is accumulated/accelerated wear at the locations that do not have full support with the length of the pin and extending that length into the unworn portions should restore the symmetry of the door opening.

Find a longer replacement part if possible.

Would a longer shouldered high quality bolt work? You could always dress up the appearance if it does.

 

[VirginiaIron]

Actually, you probably do not need the washers taking up the length of your bolt/pins at the top of if your hinge/pin bolts. A washer might be needed aesthetically to balance the length of the bolt/pin and the spacing between your hinge tangs. A washer might be needed in a hinge location with compression as a consumable to avoid wear on the hinge tangs. You could also investigate thinner, high grade washers to help lengthen the OEM bolts.

 

[reaperman1]

I think the washers are there for the hinges to reduce friction. Although a nut and bolt for a hinge system is something Ive never saw and Ive worked in the construction industry for over 35 years. I have tried a different things, threaded bolts dont work well as a smooth pin would be better suited. I tried two 2"x1/2" cotter type pins. One half inch is the width of the smooth part of the oem pin. But the hinge loops are a bit wider, enough for pin slop. The heavy door puts alot of strain on the opposite end of the door where the latch is. Then the latch pulls the door downward again when closing and securing it.

On the bottom of the door, on the latch side, is a small angular protruding tab. That tab is probably to help guide and secure the doors height (see pic below). But a level door actually sits above the tab making it useless. I would think there should be a flat spot on that tab at the point where the door would be level and true with the hinges. As the photo shows a level door rides above the metal tab making it basically useless. BK didnt make it easy to access the hinges. I've came to the conclusion I will most likely cut into the stoves surround. I will remove about 1.5" of steel along the hinges from top to bottom. That will give easy access to the hinges and allow adjustments as needed which is frequent. When I'm finished it wont even look out of place.

 

[Rebarn]

That washer on top doesn’t let the hinge bear on the entire shoulder bolt. It also serves no purpose. Before you start cutting metal I’d take the washer off and try that first. If the holes in the hinge plates are egg shaped then drill out and get new bolts or pins to fit.

 

[VirginiaIron]

That washer on top doesn’t let the hinge bear on the entire shoulder bolt. It also serves no purpose. Before you start cutting metal I’d take the washer off and try that first. If the holes in the hinge plates are egg shaped then drill out and get new bolts or pins to fit.

I prefer the word machine over the word drill . LOL; Consequently, the use of a measuring tape/calipers, file and/or an inspection mirror should make one feel somewhat like a degreed engineer or machinist. Don’t forget the hacksaw to cut an over length pivot device.

 

[VirginiaIron]

You might not be able to change the movement of the hinges, but you could utilize that wedged ledger by adding enough material where the door rests on it for support. A simple layer of flashing or steel might work. Steel could be pinned or secured with set screws, flashing could be trimmed to incorporate ears that can be bent into place.

 

[reaperman1]

I had the door off last week. It gave me a good opportunity to clean the glass and look over everything. The hinge loops are round and not worn. I put a very thin washer on the top instead of the factory thicker one in hopes of driving the pin further into the hinge loop. That really didn’t do much. I think I’ll try and find a 13mm cotter key pin if I can. Because the hinge loops are a bit larger than the 1/2” hinge pins. And that’s part of the issue. A door this heavy should have a hinge longer than 1/2” and possibly a 3rd one too.

I haven’t found the perfect little wedge to place on the tab you colored green yet. But in the past I have used a quarter to prop the door up. But the quarter sits at the same angle as the tab so only a bit of the door sits on the edge of the quarter. I need to find something that is flat on top and the same angle as the tab. I wish I knew the angle so I could cut a piece of steel at work. I kind of got used to the door after 3 seasons of messing with it. But what it does is makes the door gasket wear at an angle to the door frame (knife). The gasket on the latch side of the door rides near the top is the gasket rather than the center where it should.