Another hinge review - Chargriller acorn

[RyanS_MN]

A while back I had read a review on the acorn chargriller hinge fitting an 18.5" WSM for $13. Mind mind was blown at the price so I ordered it and I can attest it does in fact work. However I will say the all in price is closer to $35 (let me explain) which is still a steal. So yes the part is $13 but shipping is going to be about $10 and then you're going to need another $8-12 in hardware and possibly small drill bits to start the holes if yours are worn (mine were). Altogether it does take about an hourish to do this whole process and it is definitely preferred to have two people, i did it alone but that made the process a bit slower. You're going to also need A LOT of washers as you need to shim the bracket out away from the smoker in order to clear the lip.

That said it's not perfect. For starters the top two bolts do line up with my top grate and while its not a large difference it doesn't quite sit the way it did before the upgrade. we'll see long term how this works. Also as mentioned you need hardware. it gives you bolts and that's it no washers, no nuts, none of that so that's all up to you to buy as well. And the shimming is a pain. i still might mess with it a bit before my first cook but i'm at 3 exterior washers on the lid and 5 yes 5 on the body which as you can image was a total pain to install.

The upside though is it is a hinge for cheap, and its a lot lower profile than the well known options and i personally like the dark color of it. Time is going to really tell on if this upgrade remains worth it or not, but i've been wanting a better solution than removing the entire lid for a while so here's to hoping. And thanks to everyone on this board for all the help, both with the hinge and finding ways to drill through the porcelain. couldn't have done it without you. i'll try and get some pictures soon. so others can see the finished product.

 

[MichaelM]

Pictures?

I'm not going t change the one I have but I am planning an outdoor grilling station and will be adding more Weber pieces. I'm interested in what you did..

 

[RyanS_MN]

Pictures?

I'm not going t change the one I have but I am planning an outdoor grilling station and will be adding more Weber pieces. I'm interested in what you did..

Yes as promised some pictures. Also don’t panic about it being on the ground it was just for assembly and I have Cajun bandit cylinder locks on order.

 

[MichaelM]

That's pretty cool. Lower profile is nice. Washers aren't the ideal situation, but likely work well enough once you get them arranged properly. Looks like it opens a little more than the unkownbbq. Can you release it completely to remove the lid? And, is it spring loaded?

 

[RyanS_MN]

That's pretty cool. Lower profile is nice. Washers aren't the ideal situation, but likely work well enough once you get them arranged properly. Looks like it opens a little more than the unkownbbq. Can you release it completely to remove the lid? And, is it spring loaded?

Yeah i wish there was a better way to shim it out, i think if i could have found some proper bolts i could have just added some heck nuts rather than a large amount of washers, but the bolts they provide have locktite so trying to do that seems like it'd be a headache.

Currently i cannot quick release the lid and its not spring loaded, it really is just a simple metal hinge design. However you could swap out the 2 bolts that keep the hinge together with something like a cotter pin to make it quicker release. To my knowledge this hinge hasn't been experimented with too much yet, so I'm sure the optimal setup is still just getting discovered.

Like i said some people originally were just bending the lip so they didnt have to shim, now some of us have figured out shimming it back just a bit means you dont have to, so now i think it's going to come down to what's the easiest and quickest way to shim, and what other edits can you do before you remove the cost benefit. I went this route because $35 vs $70 ($50 plus shipping) meant i could get this hinge plus body cylinder locks for $5 more than the unknown would have cost shipped.

 

[Larry D.]

I would fabricate four spacers from aluminum bar stock, curving the side that contacts the WSM to match the curvature of the body. But then, I have a Dremel fixation.

 

[MichaelM]

I would fabricate four spacers from aluminum bar stock, curving the side that contacts the WSM to match the curvature of the body. But then, I have a Dremel fixation.

Could also use JB Weld Steel Stick to easily easily create a contoured spacer perfectly matched to the shape of the hinge and the hood. Pretty easy to work with, hard as steel and heat resistant once it is cured and paintable too. And, you can use a dremel to do final shaping!!

 

[RyanS_MN]

I would fabricate four spacers from aluminum bar stock, curving the side that contacts the WSM to match the curvature of the body. But then, I have a Dremel fixation.

I'd say something of this sort would be the best solution. I finally got to test it out today on 2 racks of ribs which i can say turned out the best of any ribs i've made to date, but I have a few updates.

The Good - it works, plain and simple its a breeze to just tilt back the lid versus finding a spot to pick it up and rest it to.
The Bad - not really a today thing but getting it adjusted to fit properly was a pain in the butt.
The Ugly - there's some marring on the inside of my lid from me tightenting and untightenting to get the fit correct, and i noticed a bit on the outside of my lid today. You won't spot it, immediately and most cookers aren't looking like showcars anyway, but its there and i'd presume may shorten the overall lifespan of this cooker in particular.

So would I do it again? Depends. I'd still give it a 7/10 as really the only issue comes with trying to shim, and if someone comes up with a proper solution, i think it'll be a real contender. but right now there's only a handful of guys who have tried it so thats why the results aren't too consistent. But man using this thing with a hinge was way way easier.