Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

My trailer is 78" wide and It's starting to look like I'm gonna use every inch. A nice wide galley is a plus but I'm having trouble sourcing a 78"+ hurricane hinge... during my search I came across this...

https://hagersupply.com/?page=products&action=view&manufacturerID=61&productID=780-157&linkID=16712&sku=780-157-SD-83-CLR&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_OzrBRDmARIsAAIdQ_LIXWiAd1pmcQtJ4DCZAB3NjT4bXKlAMRz1Pcnn7w9BBah2ANQlNYoaAsp0EALw_wcB



It's an aluminum commercial geared door hinge with a 400lb rating. The price isn't bad (a 6' hurricane hinge is about $100). They sell in in a 79" width which would be perfect to allow for some overhang of the galley hatch it's a continuous piece so no leaks provided the screws are sealed properly and some cosmetic cover strips are a plus too right

Any thoughts?

-Jes

We spotted those commercial geared style of hinges during our build and considered them seriously. In the end we went with the hurricane hinge, but I still think these hinges might work well. Most of them are anodized so they don't shed black streaks

Lots of these hinges have thrust bearings built in every few inches so the hinge pieces can't slide apart.
When I was building, the open galley hatch managed to slide an inch to one side and when I closed it I did some damage crushing the hatch against the wall. I was surprised how easily it moves like that. Now I have a screw in the ends of the hurricane hinges to prevent them sliding out of place. The built in thrust bearings seem better, but then again each little insert for the thrust bearing might be a water leak.

Lots of companies make and sell these hinges. To find them use the search term "continuous geared hinge".

Lots of folks use piano hinge or regular hinge with rubber sheet over the top to block the water. My conventional hurricane hinge leaked dew the first time I opened the hatch after it was installed. I used a 6" strip of rubber over the h-hinge. No problems since. I regret using the hurricane hinge because a piano hinge would have been less expensive and more robust. I had to use a rubber cover anyway.

Tt

I have used these hinges on 3 builds. They work fine, just be sure and allow for an over hang as there is a plastic piece that goes in the end to keep the 2 pieces from sliding apart.

Aguyfromohio wrote:We spotted those commercial geared style of hinges during our build and considered them seriously. In the end we went with the hurricane hinge, but I still think these hinges might work well. Most of them are anodized so they don't shed black streaks

Lots of these hinges have thrust bearings built in every few inches so the hinge pieces can't slide apart.
When I was building, the open galley hatch managed to slide an inch to one side and when I closed it I did some damage crushing the hatch against the wall. I was surprised how easily it moves like that. Now I have a screw in the ends of the hurricane hinges to prevent them sliding out of place. The built in thrust bearings seem better, but then again each little insert for the thrust bearing might be a water leak.

Lots of companies make and sell these hinges. To find them use the search term "continuous geared hinge".

Just for the sake of interesting, note the hinge on the left swings one way, while the hinge on the right swings the other. The one on the left has two 90 degree bends built in. One way, (hopefully) no water gets into the cap, the other way it will and must drain out the sides.

Tom

Good point Tom about the hinge geometry.

Like plain old cabinet door hinges, these are available in quite a few configurations of bends and offsets for concealed, half mortise, swing clear....

The hinge does not leak if properly installed and both part are essentially the same . The hinge will open and lay flat if you want or close completely like a butt hinge.

The only issue I ever had with water getting in was when the hatch was open while it was raining hard. The water running off the roof would pool as it could not shed fast enough and O would get a little dripping inside. I added the forever hinge and solved the problem.