- Jan 27, 2016
- 244
- 116
Shared this over on TVWBB but figured some folks over here might appreciate it as well. A while back I had read a review on the acorn chargriller hinge fitting an 18.5" WSM for $13. Mind mind was blown at the price so I ordered it and I can attest it does in fact work. However I will say the all in price is closer to $35 (let me explain) which is still a steal. So yes the part is $13 but shipping is going to be about $10 and then you're going to need another $8-12 in hardware and possibly small drill bits to start the holes if yours are worn (mine were). Altogether it does take about an hourish to do this whole process and it is definitely preferred to have two people, i did it alone but that made the process a bit slower. You're going to also need A LOT of washers as you need to shim the bracket out away from the smoker in order to clear the lip.
That said it's not perfect. For starters the top two bolts do line up with my top grate and while its not a large difference it doesn't quite sit the way it did before the upgrade. we'll see long term how this works. Also as mentioned you need hardware. it gives you bolts and that's it no washers, no nuts, none of that so that's all up to you to buy as well. And the shimming is a pain. Today i went back to mess with it a bit. For my lid i have 3 exterior washers on one side and 4 on the other side to shim it correctly in place and on the body I have 5, yes 5 washers on the body which was a complete pain to install. However, this did get the hinge shifted back just enough to not interfere with the lip of the smoker at all. some ppl have simply bent the lip and called it a day but I couldn't get myself to do that when there was a right way it could be done.
The upside though is it is a hinge for cheap, and its a lot lower profile than the well known options and i personally like the dark color of it. Time is going to really tell on if this upgrade remains worth it or not, but i've been wanting a better solution than removing the entire lid for a while so here's to hoping. And thanks to everyone on this board for all the help, both with the hinge and finding ways to drill through the porcelain. couldn't have done it without you. i'll try and get some pictures soon. so others can see the finished product.
And before anyone panics, it was on the ground for assembly purposes. I'm awaiting my cylinder locks from Cajun Bandit.
Link to product and no i'm no affiliated: https://www.chargriller.com/products/hood-hinge
Pics are attached.
That said it's not perfect. For starters the top two bolts do line up with my top grate and while its not a large difference it doesn't quite sit the way it did before the upgrade. we'll see long term how this works. Also as mentioned you need hardware. it gives you bolts and that's it no washers, no nuts, none of that so that's all up to you to buy as well. And the shimming is a pain. Today i went back to mess with it a bit. For my lid i have 3 exterior washers on one side and 4 on the other side to shim it correctly in place and on the body I have 5, yes 5 washers on the body which was a complete pain to install. However, this did get the hinge shifted back just enough to not interfere with the lip of the smoker at all. some ppl have simply bent the lip and called it a day but I couldn't get myself to do that when there was a right way it could be done.
The upside though is it is a hinge for cheap, and its a lot lower profile than the well known options and i personally like the dark color of it. Time is going to really tell on if this upgrade remains worth it or not, but i've been wanting a better solution than removing the entire lid for a while so here's to hoping. And thanks to everyone on this board for all the help, both with the hinge and finding ways to drill through the porcelain. couldn't have done it without you. i'll try and get some pictures soon. so others can see the finished product.
And before anyone panics, it was on the ground for assembly purposes. I'm awaiting my cylinder locks from Cajun Bandit.
Link to product and no i'm no affiliated: https://www.chargriller.com/products/hood-hinge
Pics are attached.
