WSM Lid Hinge options


 
Here's the one I put on my 22.5" WSM. Hinge was $5.00 from HD. Took 10 minutes to put on- works perfectly fine for me. Opens and closes awesome. Nice slim profile so my cover fits on it. Only drawback is it's bolted on- I know some folks like to be able to remove the lid to use on other kettles, and though I could remove the 3 bolts, it's not convenient for that. But, for me, it's fine. I've had this WSM for 6 years and have never used the lid on anything else, so that wasn't an issue for me.

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Tom Marsnik said:
Here's the one I put on my 22.5" WSM. Hinge was $5.00 from HD. Took 10 minutes to put on- works perfectly fine for me. Opens and closes awesome. Nice slim profile so my cover fits on it. Only drawback is it's bolted on- I know some folks like to be able to remove the lid to use on other kettles, and though I could remove the 3 bolts, it's not convenient for that. But, for me, it's fine. I've had this WSM for 6 years and have never used the lid on anything else, so that wasn't an issue for me.

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I really, really like this. How has it been holding up? Seems like a lot of torque on the hinge when open.
 
If you don’t have a hinge get one it will save lidfrom getting banged around when you lay it down anywhere Any kind of hinge
 

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I simply set my lid on three small logs spaced radially at 120 degrees apart. Didn't even cost a cent to design but my patent is still pending.
 
Unknown BBQ on both my 18 and my 22. Very stable and secure on both, never felt like either wanted to tip or was top heavy.

Charlie
 
I have Hunsaker hinges on an 18 and a 22. I didn't use the clip since I also have the Canjun Bandit cylinder locks and the hinge is placed above a leg. The lids open fully and don't fall when I'm working inside. I can easily rotate the exhaust to any radial position I want without disconnecting anything. The lids can be quickly removed without disconnecting anything also. The factory covers also fit over these Hunsaker hinges.
 
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Scott Fischer said:
I have seen 1 commercial hinge made for the 14.5, do you think the Akorn hinge would fit it?
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Late to this party but yes. I installed one on mine and it works great. You have to shim it though.
 

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I've seen the seal on my 22" kettle change over time. Using the hinge it no longer sits flat as it did when I installed the hinge. Probably because the metal is thin and easy too deform, and grill temperatures are high. If I pull the pin out it'll sit flat otherwise all kinds of smoke comes out of it when I put the lid down while grilling. Notice while grilling it doesn't matter to me so I haven't worried about it.

My intuition says the hunsaker hinge is superior because of this it doesn't need to be pinned to work. It's basically a guide that holds the lid up when you want it up but it's free-floating at least up and down when you lower it

On my wsm where seal is important.... I'm still not convinced to hinge is a good thing to put there. That and i also need to access the back side to spritz food evenly etc. And having a lid there simply interferes. Just a hook to hang the lid on is sufficient.
 
Hi all, I just got the Unknown BBQ hinge and tried installing it on my WSM 18. drilled all 6 holes, but i may have drilled the bottom piece a smidge too low. the lid doesn't sit tight on the body due to the tension on the hinge. Any tips on how to fix?
 
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