Replace hinges on access door for easy removal

Linkaroonie
Never seen those before - cool idea!

I found that these hinges are too thick to work well in this application. The thickness of the factory piano hinge is fairly small (around 1/4" or so) and these hinges are more like 3/8"+ thick. I found that they could be slightly modified to decrease the thickness, but the pins that allow for them to release are a limitation.

So after looking around some more, there is a second option that looks like it will work. Sugatsune makes both the spring loaded hinges from the OP as well as "Lift Off" hinges. These are basically just a pin that's retained on one side of the bracket but not the other so they can slide apart.

75mm RH lift off hinge

75mm LH lift off hinge

The irony here is that I need left hand hinges to work but the LH 75mm version is over 2x the cost of the RH for no reason. Anyway, I bought a couple smaller ones to experiment with and found that I can clamp these up and bend them slightly so they close flush. In the stock config, there is around the same gap as the OP hinge. These modified ones will work great. I'll install 3 for the 24" door though 2 is probably enough.

I installed the hinges tonight and am very pleased with how it turned out! The only issue I had was the stainless steel screws. I had 2 of them snap on installation leading to a significant waste of time trying to remove them.

I have some pics, but since I can't attach them on this forum, I can't post them.:?

I’ve successfully replaced the pivot pin in a piano hinge with a slightly smaller piece of stainless steel rod with a finger pull on one end. With the finger pull looped back on the rod it’s inside the door when closed and maintains security.

Open door, pull rod out, voila! Door is off.

If you have a full length clearance on one side, that could work. My stairs and the bumper bracket flank this door. I had originally concidered that as an option but it would not work here. As installed, I can't remove the door when closed nor does it rattle. When open, it does not feel like it will fall off, but with a 2" push to the left it slides free and is released.