Who sells the best Lift Off Hinges

[broncoboy71]

Thanks looking at replacing my stock hinges with lift off higes

 

[Broncobowsher]

Duff's by far. Forged pieces with ½" pins and full bronze bushings. I have had both versions at the same time and the other versions with the ¼" pins simply look, well I will be nice and not bash them...

 

[broncoboy71]

between duff and jeff Jeff has the stainless kit are those only 1/4 inch

 

[00gyrhed]

Check out the stainless hunges at all for fun offroad before you buy. They look to be 3/8 pins with oil impregnated bushings.

www.broncobob.com

 

[Broncobowsher]

Check out the stainless hunges at all for fun offroad before you buy. They look to be 3/8 pins with oil impregnated bushings.

www.broncobob.com

Those look like the stainless version of the ¼" pin hinges.
I have seen plain steel sanded down and clear coated. Looks just like stainless but a lot more painless to the pocket book.

The Duff's you could use as a recovery point if the rest of the body was strong enough to take it.

 

[744x4]

Also check out http://awildchild.com/door_parts.htm

 

[BroncoMark]

I bought a set of the Wild Child hinges and the fit and finish was pretty bad. I sold them at a loss and bought the BroncoBob ones, which is what JGB sells I think. They are really nice.

 

[Tito]

I ran BroncoBobs and was real happy with them, they are what the other vendors like WH used to sell but Scott Drake got in the game on them and that is who Toms and WH sells now. I just got a set and am anxious to put them on. Cant tell you long run but that SS sure is pretty and makes it real easy to deal with when painting or just shining them up.

 

[Sbolt19]

Hinge pin size is a BS deal. When you are talking the strength of the hinge for something that minimal, it is all a sales pitch. With a door that is as light, respectively, as an EB door is, and being hung by 2 hinges, the door weight & pin strength is a non factor. Besides that, when the door is closed it isn't resting on just the hinges, it has the a 3rd mounting point in the latch. If each one of these doors weighed 200+ lbs, then yes, the larger pin would have a good arguement, but you are neither hanging from the door, sitting on it, or anything else that requires that type of strenght. The 1/4" pins are fine.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Is that why the stock ones last so long and work so well ?

On the Bronco bob hinges , does the pin stay on the door hinge or the truck hinge. I don't think I'd want the pin hanging up on all my trash while I'm trying to load the kid and whatever in the truck. Duff's says theirs goes with the door.

 

[my77rox]

Ditto on that. I don't know about you, but I put a least a few more pounds of force on that door every time I use it to pull myself into my ride! :-[ Yes the Duff ones the pin goes with the door so it isn't hanging out there to grab on stuff (seems those pins really have an appetite for belt loops and back pockets!)

Is that why the stock ones last so long and work so well ?

 

[Broncobowsher]

Hinge pin size is a little bigger deal then you think. When you are lifting that chunk of solid cast iron we call a door onto the pins, trying to shoot double bullseyes getting both pins to line up it becomes a big deal. catch one pin and not the other and you have all the weght of the door balancing on the tip of one of those pins. It is a bit nerve racking trying to do it and keep yourself from screwing up.

Also consider that getting the pins in the holes you have the radius of the pin as your target for hit and miss. So try balancing a door and lining up 2 pins withen 1/8" tolerance or 1/4" tolerance to get them to slip on. Much easier to line up 2 big ol fat pins into 2 big ol fat holes instead of threading 2 needles.

Now once the doors are on the pins, the 1/4" pins are just fine. I have the wild child version I got years ago when it was your only choice other then cutting stock hinges to make your own. The bronze bushing is strictly a thrust washer to hold the weight of the door. The pin and bore are bare steel. Being Arizona rust isn't much of an issue, But other places it may be. The Wild Child hinges I mentioned, they are the same ¼" pin version that all the other venders sell.

As I mentioned before, I have held both in my hands. Not just looked at pictures, not talked to people who had them, but actual cold steel in my hands held them and studied them. If I had to pick one it would be the Duff. If I needed my lazy bling, go for the stainless. But if I had a little time and still wanted my bling, I would polish up the plain steel Duff hinges and clear coat it.

 

[Tito]

They all stay with the door that I know of.

And yes, I like my lazy bling

 

[Sbolt19]

Hinge pin size is a little bigger deal then you think. When you are lifting that chunk of solid cast iron we call a door onto the pins, trying to shoot double bullseyes getting both pins to line up it becomes a big deal. catch one pin and not the other and you have all the weght of the door balancing on the tip of one of those pins. It is a bit nerve racking trying to do it and keep yourself from screwing up

I beg to differ. I have had quick pins in my hinges for the better part of 10 years and have never had a problem getting them lined up. As a matter of fact, I can have my doors on and off in less than 3 minutes, by myself and I am not a big guy (5'8").

As to the strength of that 1/4" vs. 1/2" in our application, I asked my dad about that, who is the lead metalurgist/manufacturing engineer for the worlds largest pump processing company, and he said the arguement doesn't hold water. He said that if you were dealing with a large weight issue hanging off of the door non stop, then yeah, the larger pin would be necessary. But do you sit there and swing on your doors? I don't and I imagine that most everyone else doesn't either.

Sorry if I don't buy what you are saying, but I am going to accept what a professional engineer who deals with metals like this on a regular basis says...and not just because my dad said so ;D . Not that I am trying to offend you, I really am not, but I had the same arguement with him a couple of years ago when the Duff set first came out.

Here are a couple of crappy pix of my hinges when I did them.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Maybe I should have a few less beers in me when I am trying to get my doors on and off then.

As for engineers, I am the lowly technician that works for them and tells them (on a regular basis) that there paper design is crap and here is a more effective (and usually simpler) way of doing it that works in the real world.

 

[BroncoDawg]

Sam at Wild Child http://awildchild.com/door_parts.htm was the first to market lift off hinges and I have been running them for years. Maybe no bling, but they mounted up easily and have worked great. There are going to be alignment issues no matter who's you use and if they tell you different they are FOS, that's just the nature of hanging doors.
1/4 inch shaft size is plenty of strength and I can have both doors on by myself in minutes.
Everyone else stole Sam's idea and I like the idea of supporting the inventor.
My .02 cents,

 

[rcmbronc]

The pins don't do alot to the strength once the doors are installed since the pins are in shear after the door is installed. The only issue would be if when installing the door you only align one pin and miss the other one the smalle hinges would bend alot easier. Wild Child hinges are 5/16" pins. The one problem with them is the plate used for the hinge is slightly thinner than stock and tends to bend more. The original steel used by ford for the hinges does not appear to be standard hot rolled CS. I suspect the modulus of elasticity is higher. Therefore the aftermarket WC hinges flex a little bit more. I doubt it causes a problem though, not sure I have only used them on tube doors.

The Duff hinges and Broncobob hinges all look good too, I just have not seen them in person. I like the pin in door design of Duffs hinges, makes sense. That being said the WC hinges for the money are pretty economical.

That is just my opinion, and yes I am a mechanical engineer and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

 

[thegreatjustino]

Is that why the stock ones last so long and work so well ?

Most stock hinges lasted 30 years. I'd say that's a pretty good track record for any product......

Sam at Wild Child http://awildchild.com/door_parts.htm was the first to market lift off hinges and I have been running them for years. Maybe no bling, but they mounted up easily and have worked great. There are going to be alignment issues no matter who's you use and if they tell you different they are FOS, that's just the nature of hanging doors.
1/4 inch shaft size is plenty of strength and I can have both doors on by myself in minutes.
Everyone else stole Sam's idea and I like the idea of supporting the inventor.
My .02 cents,

The Wildchild hinges are crap. Thinner metal than stock, weld spatter all over the place, holes that are supposed to be tapped that aren't. I don't think anyone copied those great features %)

 

[bigmuddy]

To be fair the idea of lift off hinges was around before WC produced there own, so another idea stolen from a lone bronco guy. I personally would stay away from the WC hinges for the reasons stated here. I handled a pair and decided to pass.

Ben

 

[PsYcHoBrOnCo]

Well in Texas "Bigger is Better" 1 vote for Duffy! what is your choice? Grade 5 or Grade 8.....I'll take the beef every time.