Replacing trailer door hinges

[RunningCharlie]

I’m buying a 2000 Sooner Revolution, which unfortunately had a rear door get caught by the wind and break all three hinges. What’s my best bet on replacing them? I was looking at the following:
https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Door-Hinges/Polar-Hardware/PLR3408-PS.html

However, I’m not entirely positive that the mounting holes will match up. I don’t pick up the trailer until next week but was hoping to get the hinges on the way. Am I better off contacting Sooner and trying to get replacement parts directly from them?

[jherold]

I would contact the manufacturer just to be safe. They may need the Vin number to get the correct hinge. Featherlite did when I ordered hinges for my old trailer.

[Foxglove]

Absolutely contact the manufacturer! My opinion --since you asked --is these can be replaced using the same holes. If it were me (who lives in the trailer capital of the world, Elkhart, IN) I’d run it over to the closest repair shop (actually, I’d probably take it to Merhow, my trailer’s manufacturer since the factory is only 7 miles from my farm) --anyway --some place the fixes trailers like semi trailers or similar and have the experts put the door on —I think it could be done with a larger bolt or washer or both on the inside --BUT make sure the repair does not protrude into the inside —I THINK these bolts are capped inside with a smooth receptor bolt --but don’t know for sure. Anyway --an important job that an expert should do, I think.

[LCDR]

Sooner obviously is your best place to get the right hinges, but I cannot imagine they manufacture their own unique hinges in-house. If you haven’t seen it, here is a link to etrailer’s reply to someone looking for door hinges to a Sooner trailer, different model than yours that indicates that at that time Sooner had a long wait for backordered hinges. Do the hole placements and dimensions they listed match your broken hinges?

https://www.etrailer.com/question-553611.html?srsltid=AfmBOorR7Fy3gJSlJYgWRXT3921JMnI_NLAxgwH20hSEvAcELNO0BHDX

[Equibrit]

Every hinge on etrailer has dimensions listed. Measure and compare. (It does look like your hinge strap bolts have unequal spacing, which etrailer hinges do not). I think Sooner was swallowed up by Featherlite.

[Obsidian_Fire]

https://www.horsetraileraccessorystore.com/Hinges_c_530.html

you could call them and see if they have the size you need, or which one would fit.

I had this happen to me also, I think I used etrailer to find my replacement part.

[endlessclimb]

Agreed to replace like in kind. I’d put the biggest and thickest washers you can get/fit on both sides to prevent this happening again.

[Equibrit]

If you want to use existing bolt holes, you need to do some accurate measuring before buying new hinges. I’d replace all four because they are aluminum and their weak spot is the bolt hole. You could go for replacing all 4 with a larger hinge and different hole spacing, but you’d have to be careful with the size of the frame mounting plate.

These look promising; https://www.horsetraileraccessorystore.com/Strap-Hinge-8-in-SteelZinc-or-Aluminum-_p_611.html

[Leather]

@Equibrit

I think Sooner was swallowed up by Featherlite.

I bought a 2015 Sooner a few years ago and dug into the history a bit because I was confused as to why the trailer title called it an Exiss.

Sooner was bought by Universal Trailer Corporation back in 2003, which already owned Exiss.
In 2006 Featherlite and a UTC subsidiary merged.
In 2020 Exiss, Sooner, and Featherlite spun off from UTC.

So it’s clear as mud.

But regardless as others have said I doubt Sooner made their own hinges, so you might be able to find them online somewhere or call up Sooner and they can probably point you in the right direction.

[Foxglove]

Word of caution on on-line buying: I bought four of the tie ring one uses to tie horses to the trailer or hay bags inside. Took them to the local trailer fix people --the repairman cautioned me that I had bought aluminum --that the ones currently on my trailer were steel. He said it was possible the aluminum would crack or break. They looked identical to me. I had him install for hay bags --so far, so good —but I would not want to tie a horse to the trailer using them.

I think I bought from Amazon, not sure:

[LCDR]

IIRC the aluminum tie rings are designed to be frangible. They break at a certain pressure if a horse panics and really lunges backwards as a safety feature, or if there is a trailer accident to reduce the possibility of a neck fracture.

They are also used to reduce the likelihood of the tie ring pulling through the skin of the trailer under significant force.

[RunningCharlie]

Thank you to everyone for all the feedback! I looked on the Sooner website and was able to get in touch with a trailer dealer who distributes parts for them. Hinge straps are on the way!