Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hi,
We've been lurking for a while as we build our tear and generally a search of the board usually finds the answer to most of our question. But we've been stumped on where to find the hardware for the locking t handle for the galley hatch. We can find t handles galore but not the latch bits. Do you build this part yourself?
Thanks!
Juli n Bill

...have you tried Austin Hdw or Grant's L'il Bear site or So-Cal TD's or the Teardrop Fixit Shop or...
madjack

p.s. I got that and much more from Austin Hdw(check links section at top of forum)

We purchased our handles w/ locks from RW Johnson. The locking t-handes were $8.50 a piece. Also, Johnson's is a great source for bendable
alum. edge.
Larryl

Thanks for the replies. We can find the locking T handles no problem, it's the rest of the assembly, the latches. The two rods that go out to the edge and secure the hatch to the body of the tear. And the mechanism that works them.
Juli n Bill

...Austin hdw has all the "bits"
madjack

Here is one way to build your own. I used a center pivot from a garage door, purchased from a local hardware store

The square rod from the locking t-handle inserts into this pivot. I connected this pivot to door sash pins by stranded wire cable:

The door sash pins can be purchased online from McMaster-Carr or from several other vendors.

http://www.mcmaster.com/ look in window hardware, page 2700 of the onlne catalog. They are listed as Window Spring Bolts.

These bolts insert into striker plates that are inserted into the side walls. The strikers were make by welding a small piece of 3/8" ID tubing onto a fender washer.

This set-up worked to allow for locking of the hatch, but it did not apply enough force to fully seat the weatherstripping. Therefore, we added some overcenter latches to the bottom corners of the hatch lid to pull the hatch tight.


These chrome beauties were purchased from West Marine http://www.westmarine.com, the link is from a piece of chain and the webbing was sewn to get the exact length (by trial and error) we needed for proper function.

I hope this helps.

Try this They have handles and locking cab locks as well.
Bruce

...J&B, when you go to the Austin site(you did go didn't you) order their catalogue, they have such a large selection of goodies that trying to chase 'em all down on the net can be trying/frustrating. With the catalogue in hand it very easy to flip around and compare options and lookup things you didn't even know existed
madjack

Thanks to everyone, we got some great ideas and resources. We'll let you know how it goes with the hatch.
Michael thanks for the detailed explanation of your hatch latches, we are building a modenaire style also.
That's a good idea about the catalogue, Madjack, thanks.

I went to an RV supply house and bought a rod type system for a truck topper and cut the rods down in length. I had an original tear and the single latch in the middle of the hatch would tend to pop loose, plus I had to deal with the latch on the floor of the galley area. The topper latch allows the rods to shoot into the sides and hold it firm. More secure also when locked. I also used a couple of rubber battery box type hold downs to help really compress the weatherstripping. Doug Hodder

WOW Austin hardware is a great source site and very good prices, have you had any problems with shipping or quality?

gman wrote:WOW Austin hardware is a great source site and very good prices, have you had any problems with shipping or quality?

Austin, has great quality and I had no problem with shipping.

...I give Austin , they have been very helpful to me in my build with excellent service/product
madjack