SouthCo Compression Latch, (Cajun Bandit Door).


 
TonyUK

TonyUK

TVWBB Guru
Good Morning.

I've had a SC Comp Latch malfunction this morning whilst smoking a 6lb Lamb Butt. The latch will rotate but it won't compress. Not wanting to force it and break it, I have wired the door to the middle section with SS tying wire. Works ok, but I can't use the door.

IMG_2301.jpg

My question is, is the SouthCo latch the same one for all three sized WSMs? I've looked on the interweb and can only find one size of the latch, so I'm guessing the latch is used for all three sizes of doors.

Edit: I have the 14.5" WSM.

Thanks in advance.
 
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TonyUK said:
Good Morning.

I've had a SC Comp Latch malfunction this morning whilst smoking a 6lb Lamb Butt. The latch will rotate but it won't compress. Not wanting to force it and break it, I have wired the door to the middle section with SS tying wire. Works ok, but I can't use the door.

View attachment 103060

My question is, is the SouthCo latch the same one for all three sized WSMs? I've looked on the interweb and can only find one size of the latch, so I'm guessing the latch is used for all three sizes of doors.

Edit: I have the 14.5" WSM.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
I never open my door, I put a gasket on it and haven't open it since.
 
My equipment is so old, I have to relevant “fix” for this problem. I think you have managed the critical part of the cook with flying colours and can only recommend contacting MFR.
Being an aftermarket closure, size may not make a breath of difference.
Oh and, I frequently need to open the hatch on long cooks, a 14 has less fuel capacity than my 18 so, for extended cooks I have to refuel.
 
TonyUK said:
That was my thinking too. But I'm not sure, so I hope someone who knows for certain can chime in.
Click to expand...
Hey, header says Cajun Bandit, did you get it from them? Drop them a note, they strike me as understanding folk. Maybe they can help.
 
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TonyUK said:
Which I did, as you suggested, & CB have responded with the correct part number.
Let's see if JOSE has them in stock.
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Very cool, sometimes I can come up with a reasonable option even from 5 hours away!
Did they say anything about different product numbers for different size doors?
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
Very cool, sometimes I can come up with a reasonable option even from 5 hours away!
Did they say anything about different product numbers for different size doors?
Click to expand...
Indeed. The interweb is a grate tool at times.
No they didn't, as I only requested info for the 14.5" door. (PN: 62-10-15).
JOSE (UK) does not stock them. SouthCo (UK) do have them, as do the a bbq outfit I use now and again. On sale for £14.00.
 
When I did it you had to buy the latch separate and drill out the hole on the door. Your latch looks different than mine. I know it can only compress in one orientation and sometimes the whole latch would get twisted when I turned it instead of just the shaft and it wouldn't compress. I would just take it off and try to get the gunk out it of it. Maybe it's just gunked up and needs to soak in some degreaser and get relubed up.
 
MartinB said:
Simplicity made difficult.
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Indeed Martin. But I was in the middle of a cook and didn't want to leave a gaping hole where the door was and the fire take-off out of control.
The back nut had come loose so the shaft had rotated and the locating dowel was misaligned. (This was after the cook and the cooker had cooled down). Took it apart, cleaned it all up and re-assembled. All good, plus I have a spare, purchased for half price.
 
TonyUK, I am familiar with Southco latches because I design ambulances for a living and we use different styles of their latches in the ambulance industry. I do not have a Cajun Bandit door (wish I did) but I'd say it's safe to assume that the latches are the same across their size offerings. I say this because the door thickness and drum thickness should be the same across all (3) WSM. The problem is, there's not (1) compression latch size offered by Southco. They size offerings are dependent on the thickness of material that it is compressing. This thickness measurement is referred to as "grip". In this case the thickness of the door is likely around 1/16" and the thickness of the drum is close to 1/16-3/32". This would put the grip at 1/8-5/32".

Take a look at this page (I believe this is the latch you need). If you click on "Trade Drawing" it brings up their old CAD drawing of the latch and there's a chart that breaks down the size and finish offerings. Keep in mind that these dimensions are metric (mm). Your grip thickness is of 1/8-5/32" is approximately 3-4mm. Your latch appears to be a black powder coated latch. This would make the part number 62-10-25.

Hope this helps,
Eric

https://southco.com/en_us_int/62-10-25

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Last edited:
Eric Fravel said:
TonyUK, I am familiar with Southco latches because I design ambulances for a living and we use different styles of their latches in the ambulance industry. I do not have a Cajun Bandit door (wish I did) but I'd say it's safe to assume that the latches are the same across their size offerings. I say this because the door thickness and drum thickness should be the same across all (3) WSM. The problem is, there's not (1) compression latch size offered by Southco. They size offerings are dependent on the thickness of material that it is compressing. This thickness measurement is referred to as "grip". In this case the thickness of the door is likely around 1/16" and the thickness of the drum is close to 1/16-3/32". This would put the grip at 1/8-5/32".

Take a look at this page (I believe this is the latch you need). If you click on "Trade Drawing" it brings up their old CAD drawing of the latch and there's a chart that breaks down the size and finish offerings. Keep in mind that these dimensions are metric (mm). Your grip thickness is of 1/8-5/32" is approximately 3-4mm. Your latch appears to be a black powder coated latch. This would make the part number 62-10-25.

Hope this helps,
Eric

https://southco.com/en_us_int/62-10-25
Click to expand...
Thanks for that Eric. (y)
I did view a lot the CAD drawings on the SouthCo website. And a lot of them are of very similar specs.

I contacted the merchant that I bought the (14.5" / 37cm) CB door w/latch from and they had it in stock at a reduced price. Trigger pulled.

The latch is PN: 62-10-15. It is the exact same latch I already have. Maybe different countries have slightly different PNs, (I know this to be often the case in my line of work, & it can be confusing). This one is made in Poland, so it may be a different PN for a US made latch. (??)

IMG_2350.jpg
 
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