Kitchen sink cabinet issues

[Jwestman]

Has anyone figured out how to keep the euro hinges from losing their screws with the resulting doors falling off? If so, please share the secret or a suggestion as to how to replace the hinges with something more stable. Every long over the road trip results in the under sink cabinet doors coming loose or in several instances falling off. Thanks for the help!! j

[Baby Zeppelin]

We have not had those particular hinges give us trouble, but after a couple of cases of the doors momentarily opening and the dishes we store there sliding out we've been tying the two door handles together.



That might also stop the movement that results in hinges coming loose.

[Jwestman]

We do keep them tied while running down the road. The screws seems to vibrate out anyway. Has anyone tried to replace the hinges witH something else?

[SuperTrouper]

Jwestman,

Check out this thread. Moving to Piano Hinges is on my to do list this weekend. I got the hinges and hardware from home depot. https://www.airforums.com/forums/f38...ml#post2358597 -

Brad

[Danecoyer]

And use a child lock on the handles while in motion

[soling917]

Check your tire pressure. The Goodyear Endurance tires do not have to be at 80 lbs., that pressure will shake things apart from vibration. Pressure can be looked up through the Goodyear web site for the gvw rating.

[emelaich01]

You can drill out the plastic inserts with a 1/4" bit to nearly 7/16 depth. Then get a 1/4" oak Dowell and cut/glue in plugs flush with the surface. Once dry, fit some coarse thread oval head machine screws into a slightly undersize hole for each plug. Did this a couple of years ago and no loosening problems since.

[s1000pre]

If particle board...you can try filling the existing hole with 30 minute epoxy. Once cured, re-drill the hole and screw on the hinge. Have some isopropyl alcohol handy! It does a fantastic job cleaning up the epoxy. Be very careful not to over tighten screws into wood. Take even more care not to over tighten into particle board!!! Any cabinets not having issues...take the hinge off and add a couple drops of super glue to hole. Once dry, reattach the hinge. ...this strengthens the existing hole.

[Kajendo]

We found that our torsion bars needed to be changed down from 12000 lbs to 6000 lbs. Far less vibration and less actual damage inside.

[Toasterlife]

I keep a new brillo pad handy. Pull out some metal strands and pack them in the screw hole using a toothpick then screw the screw back in. Generally holds very well. We have little bungees that we use to keep all paired doors closed while in motion. The under sink doors in the kitchen and also the bathroom. We also have a big bungee to keep the large drawer by the door under the dinette seat closed. We really secure the inside quite well every time we hitch up.

[guskmg]

12,000 # torsion bars? You must mean 1,200 weight distribution bars. The closer you ge tdown to the actual tongue weight the smoother the ride, but the less tension will lift less weight and too much reduction will cause sag between the TV and the TT.
guskmg

[Gulliver72]

Piano hinges from HD. You don’t even have to cut them. CHEAP.

[Hermes]

We solved the problem by adding magnetic door latches. You can get some which are quite strong. Not had a door open on a trip since these were added (on our first trip the tall clothes closet door with the heavy mirror opened and fell to the floor).

The recommendations about tire pressure also apply (still run at 65 psi even with the 80 psi max Endurance tires).

[Seabeckpuck]

Originally Posted by emelaich01

You can drill out the plastic inserts with a 1/4" bit to nearly 7/16 depth. Then get a 1/4" oak Dowell and cut/glue in plugs flush with the surface. Once dry, fit some coarse thread oval head machine screws into a slightly undersize hole for each plug. Did this a couple of years ago and no loosening problems since.

Agree on this route. Had a old-woodworker tell me once that wood into wood is the only way to hold the integrity on the panel down the road. Have done this on a couple of doors and things are tighter than ever!

[jwpaquette]

Originally Posted by Jwestman

Has anyone figured out how to keep the euro hinges from losing their screws with the resulting doors falling off? If so, please share the secret or a suggestion as to how to replace the hinges with something more stable. Every long over the road trip results in the under sink cabinet doors coming loose or in several instances falling off. Thanks for the help!! j

Had the same problem. Replaced the hinges and then I added a dab of wood glue to the fastening screws (including the one that ties/mates the two parts of the hinge together. Also - unscrewed every wood cabinet screw I could and also added a dab of glue to each and then screwed them back in. It was a pain but I saw over time that these things do wiggle their ways loose. Also - find fasteners (Velcro or something else that works for you) to secure doors and drawers shut during your travels. Had occasions where heavier items inside cabinets got enough momentum and pushed the doors open. I arrived with canned goods etc. all over the place. Also - don't forget to periodically check your plumbing connections (include sink drain pipes and traps). They too can come loose. I thought about lightening the pressure on the tires from the 80 that AS recommends and I figure that 80 was recommended for a reason and I will leave it at that.

[RJKSr]

We have never had a problem with the european style hinge screws working loose. We did have a nuisance problem when the hinge was accidentally bumped removing something from inside the cabinets. That would trigger the quick release and one would need to re-clip the hinge in place. We found a solution with plastic clips that can be installed to prevent accidental release of the hinge. We purchased Tiomos Clips, item 11289919 from Woodworker Express (www.woodworkerexpress.com). That has resolved that issue.

We did have a problem with the latches (grabber catches) that keep the doors and drawers closed. A few of the receiving catches cracked.

They use springs to retain the door or drawer closed and can crack if they accidentally get pushed in before the door side catch enters or they simply wear out. Airstream sell them individually, but they are expensive. These are also available on eBay and Amazon in packs of 4. We found a better deal due to S&H on eBay, but if you have Amazon Prime (search "grabber catches"),you can find them there too. They run about $10-12 for four and were relatively easy to replace. Ours were the 10lb rated pull. If a trailer uses a different latch, these would seem an easy replacement. Not sure how well multiple catches on a door would work to assure they stay closed. Some our drawers have two. We keep spare replacements in the trailer.

Others we have travelled with who have had issues with drawers and doors opening while traveling either overloaded their drawers or cabinets (too heavy) or had tire or suspension issues that caused higher than normal vibration. The latter caused other items to work loose such as handles.

[Kajendo]

You are quite right . The bars I am using are 10,000 Trailer weight and 600 tongue weight. I set the chains to approximately 1" deflection.

[WestieHouse]

Many good suggestions above. We had the hinge problem on our new 23’ FC and a woodworker/cabinet shop owner in Nova Scotia told me to insert toothpicks into the wood and then screw the hinges back on. It worked perfectly and we didn’t have a problem for the next 50,000 miles we drove that AS.

I also added magnetic child locks on other doors as a precaution.

On our new 25 FC RBT the nightstand draw came out as a result of a quick stop (and possibly aggravated by too many heavy books in the drawer). I installed a matching brushed chrome bar above the drawer on the top surface of the stand and now use a rubberized tie to secure the drawer while in motion. The bar also prevents objects from falling off the nightstand onto our dog at night (she sleeps on the floor between us and adjacent to the nightstand.

I’m still undecided about reducing the air pressure in our GY Endurance tires. We had many popped rivets in our 23’, but after 12,000 miles none in our 25’ with the Endurance tires.

I have spent a fair amount of time adjusting the Equalizer hitch and that makes a big difference, too. As does having the proper bars for your tongue weight as others have suggested.

[SPARKLE19]

Originally Posted by soling917

Check your tire pressure. The Goodyear Endurance tires do not have to be at 80 lbs., that pressure will shake things apart from vibration. Pressure can be looked up through the Goodyear web site for the gvw rating.

The best thing I have done, I think, was to make sure I had my tires balanced at a trusted tire shop. I observed the procedure and remounted and torqued the wheels myself. I keep the GYE tires at 75#. I have an integrated (Factory Ford) TPMS installed to ensure I can constantly be made aware of any problems in that area. I have had the rig cross country twice and have experienced no popped rivits or loose screws so far. The only other problem ,in this area, I can envision is the roads we travel—some are getting really bad.

[dayner]

Converted all doors to piano hinges. No more doors falling off in middle of nowhere.