Bay door rubber hinge life span

[richard5933]

Anyone know how durable the rubber hinges are and what their lifespan is? Specifically, I've got a few that are showing signs of wear and have either some cracking or a bit of splitting at the ends. My fear is that they will suddenly let loose while going down the road. I want to replace them when necessary to prevent loss of a door, but I also don't want to needlessly replace them when there is lots of life left.

As an editorial, I sure wish they incorporated some type of nylon cording or reinforcement in the rubber to keep them together longer. Seems like they make them intended to fail.

Richard

[gg04]

Not sure..Replaced ours 18 years ago when we built this bus..still look new..rdw

[Utahclaimjumper]

 The bay doors on your 06 will NOT "fall off going down the road". As long as the latch is closed it will not come off, only when pulling the handle up will it release if the hinge is bad.. If this happens just adjust the door in the opening and latch it closed, it will lock into the opening until you unlatch it again.>>>Dan

[luvrbus]

Jefferson Bus in OKC OK has the best rubber hinges,the hinge rubber Luke sells do not last long no fault of Luke 

[pennuja]

Jefferson Bus in OKC OK has the best rubber hinges,the hinge rubber Luke sells do not last long no fault of Luke 

Funny you say this, the ones I got from Luke last year already are splitting... I will try Jefferson next time.

[DoubleEagle]

Jefferson Bus in OKC OK has the best rubber hinges,the hinge rubber Luke sells do not last long no fault of Luke 

I put some rubber hinges on from Jefferson in 1996 on my first Eagle, and they are still crack free. The previous ones were 22 tears old and had some cracking, but still held. Considering the misery that would result if the hinge failed while on the road, it really seems prudent to change them if you see cracking. By the way, it is not a one person job unless you are very patient and strong; use tire mounting lube to slide it in with.

[chessie4905]

We need to get one of the companies that make polyurethane items to make some hinges and see how well they hold up.

[richard5933]

That's enough information for me to decide that it would be best to change the rubber out now. Drats - was hoping to get through the year on what's there now. No sense in asking for problems so I'll put in new.

I just called Ed at Jefferson, and apparently they don't have any rubber hinge at the moment. Since they're closing shop I wasn't sure but thought I'd try.

After trying to buy from MCI directly, I found that IBP had some so I ordered from them. No way to tell how long it will last, but I'll report back once it's in the doors for a while.

Richard

[gg04]

Ours came from IBP still like new.

[richard5933]

Ours came from IBP still like new.

I asked the guy at IBP about their hinge rubber, and he said that when they sent the pattern to be molded they spec'd a UV block be added to the mix to help extend the life and to protect against damage from the sun. Sounded like the rubber in the hinges ages quicker in direct sun, just like tires. Should have guessed that. Glad to hear that they took steps to help protect the rubber. Should have my new hinge material in a few days.

Richard

[luvrbus]

I asked the guy at IBP about their hinge rubber, and he said that when they sent the pattern to be molded they spec'd a UV block be added to the mix to help extend the life and to protect against damage from the sun. Sounded like the rubber in the hinges ages quicker in direct sun, just like tires. Should have guessed that. Glad to hear that they took steps to help protect the rubber. Should have my new hinge material in a few days.

Richard

Lot of people here in the desert southwest use foil tape over the rubber hinges to cut the UV out

[RJ]

Richard -

Another alternative is to pick up a few of the stainless steel hinges that Ed Gallent sells (edannbus@aol.com).  Use one on each end of the baggage bin door with the rubber hinge in the middle, and it will be a LONG time before you'll have to replace the hinge material again.

FWIW & HTH. . .

[richard5933]

Got the new rubber from IBP yesterday and installed it on two of the large bay doors. It looks pretty much the same as the stuff I got earlier from Luke. Let's see if it lasts longer with the UV protectant in it.

Anyone know how to best take a slight curve out of the top of a large bay door on a 4106? The bottom of the door seems to close smoothly and lay flat against the bus, but the top edge has about a 1/4" curve in it. When it was off I sighted down the length of the rubber hinge channel, and the two ends are bowed out from the bus about 1/4". The bulk of the door is straight. From what I can see through the insulation panel on the inside of the door, it has been repaired at some time (the markings and anodizing on the aluminum covering the inside are not OEM). My guess is that someone oops with the bay door at some point - maybe that's why they painted the lower section of the bus? Trying to hide bodywork?

If it's possible, I'd like to get it a bit straighter so that the rubber isn't stressed like it is right now. The last 6-8" on each end is pulled pretty taught and will likely not last too long on this door.

Thanks
Richard

[RJ]

The last 6-8" on each end is pulled pretty taught and will likely not last too long on this door.

Richard -

You've just described exactly why your rubber hinge has been failing!

Perhaps investing in some of Ed Gallent's stainless steel hinges on each end of the door would extend the life of your new rubber hinge significantly.

Food for thought?

FWIW & HTH. . .

[luvrbus]

If you take a pair of vise grips and stretch the hinge they won't do that ,forget about the Dawn soap GM tells you to use talcum powder I have good luck using talcum powder or tire soap I have never used dawn soap