Hatch Pivot Pin

[Phil W]

Hi Jim & Lyn,

G'day all,
Just been talking to Eelezy (G'day mate!) whose on his way north and he had what could have been a really serious issue on his tvan. One of the hinge pins for the rear hatch - the one that holds the tent - broke. Fortunately he discovered it before serious damage occurred.
SO .. I checked one of mine which are a LOT older than his and the one I checked is seriously worn. I've replaced it with a bolt temporarily until I hear from Track about replacements.
Mines an 05  but I think Eelezy is about a 2013 or thereabouts.
You can remove them with the hatch closed. I needed a little jack pressure under the bottom lip of the hatch just to get the alignment right for easyish removal. Don't remove both at the same time!
And yes this is the pin at the top of the hatch behind that piece of metal that no-one knows the reason for at the very top. The pin has an Allen key head.
Hope I didn't steal the best bits of you story Chris!
Cheers
Jim

This is in response to your post above.  I noticed similar problem with the pin on the off side of my TVan. It is a 2014 model & was surprised to see how much the hole had flogged out. There is so much movement that the rounded part on the hatch is digging into the fiberglass on the body of the van. I was thinking of getting a mate to make me a stainless steel bush to take out the movement of the bolt. Guessed it would be cheaper than getting the 2 new pivot parts from Track. The bolt does not seem to be worn. Still to pull the bolt out and check it.
Cheers,
Phil

[peter_mcc]

You can get the bolt as a spare from TT - I've got one in the spares box "just in case" (along with spare catches).

[Smallfry]

yep, it's part of my checklist for start & finish of trips & after gravel roads

[Jim and Lyn]

Gday Phil,
Sorry for not replying sooner.
I'm amazed that the hatch ' hinge' has flogged out! That pin must have been wonky for a fair while!!
Instead of a bush you might be able to get step bolts of the new diameter or even have them turned up. Their are plenty of suppliers on the net. The really critical measurement is the length of the stepped section.
Just be aware that releasing the bolts while the gas struts are attached could case you someseious issues!!
Cheers
Jim

[dave]

I have two (maybe three) trains of thought that may contribute to premature wear of the pivot pins.

One: over time your struts can become 'lazy' which could then allow the hatch to 'flop about' more on corrugated roads placing more stress on the pins that may not be as pronounced if the struts were taking more weight.

Businesses that specialise in struts can quite easily add gas to old struts to rejuvenate them provided they don't have obvious oil weeping from the seals. Take your van to their premises so a test can be done after adding a little mount of gas at a time as gas cannot be removed if it's over pressurised. If this were to happen you'll need to start over again with a new strut.

Two: I tend to have the over-centre catches very tight also in the hope of reducing hatch movement.

And finally a disclaimer three: doing either or both of the above may not have any influence on the wear of the pivot pins. [emoji85]

[Phil W]

Thanks for the reply's guys.
Glad you told me about disconnecting the gas struts, Jim. One disaster prevented...
The step bolt might be an option. Another problem is that the gap on each side is different. Track , (I assume it was them) have put in an unequal number of washers on each side. I will pull the bolt out after getting a couple of spares from Track.
Once again guys, thanks for the suggestions and a Happy New Year to you all.
Phil

[Jim and Lyn]

I think the washers provide a bit of vertical adjustment and/or ensure you overstress the hinges and fibreglass by over tightening and pulling them towards each other. When tightened the hinge should bolt up without putting any bending stress on the assembly.
Cheers
Jim