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Old 05-30-2018, 01:49 AM   #1
tech740
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Adding Friction Hinge

I have a question about the friction hinges on main entry doors. Are they the same size as the non-friction hinge? Are all three friction hinges or just one or two? Is there something other than rivets I can use to re-secure the hinge to the camper? I am thinking that I would like to add these to our 322qbs. I found them on lippert's website. Thanks for any information.
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Old 11-21-2019, 04:56 AM   #2
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I am removing mine, they have pretty much destroyed my primary door and started on the secondary door. I am removing mine to install the Non Friction Hinges. I have been in contact with Keystone about the repairs but no decision yet. My dealership has indicated that outside the 1 year warranty and the extended warranty does not cover those items.
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Old 11-21-2019, 06:45 AM   #3
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Interesting. I can see how they add resistance to the movement but it they were placed appropriately at the factory the should not cause issues when closed. I could see if too tight they would cause excessive wear when moved and maybe not fold all the way. I have since changed 5th wheels and have them in both doors. They work great. They maybe one of the only things in the new rig that works great.
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Old 11-21-2019, 07:17 AM   #4
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All I can say is that my doors have progressively gotten more and more difficult to close. The door starting hitting the frame and we took it to the dealership several times to have it corrected as we didnt know how. They always said it was fixed but it never was. The door hitting the frame got worse and worse until we stopped using the main door and started using the back door. Now it is starting to hit and get hard to close. Then we realized the door panel is starting to pull out of the vertical part of the door frame away from the hinges due to the force required to overcome the tension in the hinges. Now I can see the foam in the door thru that crack. We are in contact with keystone to determine what can be done as our local dealership said it is not covered in the extended warranty. We will either drill out the resistance or replace the hinges and fix my door or replace it. Not sure but not very happy with this situation. The camper is not even two years old to have these types of issues. But this is our first camper. Pulled them for many years camping with family but this is our first.
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Old 11-21-2019, 07:21 AM   #5
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Hope they get it resolved for you. That is why I am a pain in the ***. As soon as I have an issue I call and get it on the books. Then I don’t let up till it is fixed and make sure it is documented inside the warranty time.
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Old 11-24-2019, 12:11 PM   #6
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Well I have contacted my dealership, they told me to contact keystone. I have corresponded with keystone twice and explained to them that my trailer has been in the shop twice for door adjustments which didnt feel like they were resolved. They said it is outside the one year warranty and said we might try to contact the door manufacturer, lippert. I expect that to no go over well either but I will give it a try. I am really disappointed to have paid so much for a trailer and to have fundamental issues like that so soon. And the manufacturer be unwilling to recognize the design flaw.
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Old 11-24-2019, 02:38 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisB View Post
Well I have contacted my dealership, they told me to contact keystone. I have corresponded with keystone twice and explained to them that my trailer has been in the shop twice for door adjustments which didnt feel like they were resolved. They said it is outside the one year warranty and said we might try to contact the door manufacturer, lippert. I expect that to no go over well either but I will give it a try. I am really disappointed to have paid so much for a trailer and to have fundamental issues like that so soon. And the manufacturer be unwilling to recognize the design flaw.

Contacting Lippert is your best bet. If it is in fact a design flaw then LCI is responsible not Keystone. Friction hinge doors are installed on lots of different brands not just Keystone.
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Old 11-24-2019, 03:20 PM   #8
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I am not that happy with our friction hinged door. PITA! Chris
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Old 11-25-2019, 09:50 AM   #9
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in theory the hinges are probably a good thing but if they don't make sure the resistance is correct it puts too much pressure on the door frame where the hinges attach and eventually will pull the door apart. especially after it begins to get difficult to shut. requiring more and more force. this has happened to ours and beginning to happen to the back door. we will resolve this one way or the other. we cannot continue to use our trailer like this. either the manufacture will take ownership of it or I will. we already have two more camping trips in the near future.
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Old 11-25-2019, 11:16 AM   #10
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Maybe Chuckster knows but it seems that they shouldn't get harder to operate. Ours have actually loosened up a bit from how they were new. They still hold the door in place but the door is a little easier to operate.
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Old 11-25-2019, 11:50 AM   #11
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Sorry maybe my wording confused the issue. The hinges dont require more force than they did originally. However due to the excessive force required the door is not designed to deal with that much torque. Therefore the door starts to weaken and separate from the frame. This makes the door wider and starts hitting the door jam. First on the top corner then on the bottom and ultimately the striker will not clear without sufficient force to overcome the new width of the door. This forced us to stop using the door only to repeat the same pattern on the back door. With us returning the trailer twice and complaining to the dealer about it, while no progress was made. I asked how it was adjusted and just figured they didnt want to tell me so I would have to keep returning or give up. All the while bever considering that more and more damage was being done to the door. I hope that maybe explains it a little more clearly
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Old 11-25-2019, 11:53 AM   #12
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Maybe a dumb thought? Has anyone tried lubing them with PTFE dry lube?
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Old 11-26-2019, 11:30 AM   #13
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I didn't mean to take over the post. However, regarding lubrication, it is possible that lubrication might have helped in this situation. But we picked the trailer up like this, and assumed the door was just tight and designed to be that way. The dealership blamed some of the misalignment due to the rig being only on the front two supports in their parking lot and we took them for their word. Never anticipating that they might be trying to pass the buck or bide their time to avoid responsibility for the issue. We keep the rig about an hour away from our home and likewise the dealership. so minimum time to get the rig and take it to the dealership is a two hour venture. Now, we are in the predicament of repairing our door and removing the resistance to keep it from happening again. However, I highly recommend that anyone who had the friction hinges to keep a close watch on the door frame at the hinges to ensure catching problems before they get to this point. all along we were just assuming it was an alignment issue when actually that was just a symptom of the real problem, which was too much resistance in the hinges. there are plenty of posts with suggestions for different types of lubricants. Some have suggested drilling Dimples and I don't know if all are made the same but mine actually have a knurled pin pressed into the side of the hinge against the barrel which we will soon be removing. I hope this can help anyone else before the door begins to fail and come apart.
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