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Hi Gang,
Improperly aligned hinges is the most complained about hinge problem can be a continual source of irritation. Take the extra steps to see that they are, in fact, aligned correctly. They MUST be straight and not bent, even ever so slightly. Most cases of a "tight" hinge is because it has been mounted incorrectly. It was straight when purchased but was slightly "bowed" / "bent" when finally screwed into place. Check your work - it doesn't take much to cause a "sticky" hinge.
These particular aluminum hinges are "extruded" and from experience I know that the mfg. tolerance is all over the place. Improper handling of these soft al2 hinges can easily bend the hinge very slightly that is not apparent to a casual inspection.
Since 1988, I have never had one of my 3,000+ hinge kits fail - period.
If you are having continual problem, look at the hinge itself -or- the alignment.
As Chris mentioned, "Teflon lined pins stop/slow down wear but still have play." As long as the Teflon is intact, there will be NO wear. If there is "slop" it is because the hinge is out of spec, not the kit I supply. The kit was carefully designed to match the specifics of the hinge and incidentally was approved by Burt Rutan to be used on all of his airplanes which coincidently use the same hinge we are talking about here. Not enough space here to tell you of the hoops necessary to "please" Burt, but it is no cake walk.
Reaming is sometimes necessary, because the hinge is damaged, bent or out of specs (most common). What ever you do, DON'T make the hole much larger than the Teflon / wire insert. It is not supposed to slide in without a bit of interference and the my wire was manufactured with a 4 foot radius bend to allow internal compression. This keeps the assembly from easily sliding out of the hinge. My kit also come with a certified metallurgical certificate, you positively know what you are getting.
What ever you do, be careful about it and check your work 3 times.
Call me if you want to talk about it. 954.979.9494
Warm regards,
Gary
FXE (Fort Lauderdale Executive)
http://www.uslan.com/hinge-kit.html
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