Fixed door handle - replaced with compression latch


 
ALAN... Thanks for the original post... You pretty much revolutionized how we get our doors latched now. We all owe you big high five, or a cold counter-high six. You took the number one shortcoming of the WSM's and fixed it like a champ. Bravo!

PATRICK... Thanks for posting the link to the directions/diagram. As simple as that set-up was for most of you handy guys and gals, I would've never gotten them in the right order. I never know which side the lock-washer should go on, or the little skinny gasket thing? I'm sure I would've found a few ways to muck it up.

All-in-all, took maybe 10 minutes. That included peeling the protective film off do the CB door, cutting open the clam-shell package on my handy new $12 Neiko step-bit-drill-thingy, widen the hole just a bit (TWSS), and assemble the parts as in the diagram. I haven't put it on the WSM yet, and made final adjustments to the big tab/latch thing that holds it tight, but I'm sure that will be a piece of cake too.

Got the rotisserie from Cajun Bandit as well. Thought the shipping for just he door was a little high, but when thrown in with the Roto Ring and kit, ended up being pretty reasonable. Really quick shipment too... Delayed by UPS a day or two due to Snowmageddon-14, so would've been super fast under normal circumstances.

Got the Unknown BBQ hinge that we've seen on here, and it looks super nice. I'm going to make one super simple mod to that, which someone else brought up. They were talking about wanting to separate the lid from the mid-section, basically for portability purposes to take to competitions. I wanted the simple disassembly to be able to use the rotisserie. Once I got the hinge delivered (all of about 3 or 4 days, super quick!), I checked out the bolt that connects the two parts of the hinge. Jason has it stuck together with a lock-nut on a bolt, not tightened... I'm pretty sure it's a 1/4 bolt... And I ordered a couple lock pins from Amazon... Will post in the HINGE thread once I see how those work. Like i said, im not the most mechanical guy ever, so we'll see, bu I think they will be a great option for my purposes, and only cost a few bucks for the added flexibility.

Once I get all this stuff lined up, I'll post some pic's. have done several minor mods that I've picked up from this incredible forum... Really want to show them off to people that appreciate it as much as I do.
 
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Been in a winter slumber, just getting back online with TVWBB! Glad that so many have been able to use this upgrade - I wish I could say I thought of it but I got the idea from another TVWBB member. Some folks have been asking about the handle getting hot - I didn't use a gasket on the compression latch and it has never gotten hot for me. The only question I would have using it on a stock WSM door is whether the latch would eventually deform the aluminum door - I think the latch is rated to hold 150 lbs...
 
Here's what I did to the latch to make it more cool to the touch, I used my favorite hack material, Sugru. I also pushed some in to the writing on the latch. It's curing right now.
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Alan,

Thank you so much for the pictures of how you assembled it. I followed the instruction from the link that was on here and couldn't figure out why the latch was so far away.......once I saw that I had the blasted thing on backward (from your picture) I switched it around and it worked GREAT!! Cheers!

Tim
 
Hey guys. I've got a problem. I'm cheap. $30 seemed like a bit much (after shipping), so i went looking for an alternative.

McMaster-Carr is my go-to site for parts, and they came through on this one. I ordered this part from them after looking at the grip length, ect. that was listed on their site. One thing with McMaster-Carr is that you don't know what shipping is going to be until after you order. It ended up costing me $12.23 for the part + $8.97 for shipping (which is actually high compared to what they usually charge). The total was $21.20. Shipping costs will probably differ some based on your location, but I would be surprised if they were much more/less than that.

So imagine my surprise when this showed up (click for larger image).

That's a Southco 62-10-25 latch, which is very similar to the ones that you guys have been using. The major difference is the size of the handle. The grip length, etc. are acceptable for both this model and the one that you guys have been using.

Here's the one that I received: SouthCo 62-10-25
Here's what you guys have been ordering: SouthCo 62-30-15

The main difference between the two is the size of the handle. The handle on the one that I purchased is 2-3/16" long, whereas the one that was previously linked is about an inch longer. The grip distances are a little different, but both still work. The minimum grip on the one that I purchased is 2 mm (just over 1/16"), which will work perfectly fine.

Anyways, I hope this helps save someone a few bucks. I know it's not a ton of money, especially with how much we spend running smokers, but I don't like giving money away.
 
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Great mod! Got one on my 18.5. I have the new aluminum door if anyone needs one, free just pay shipping.
 
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