New hinge kits for your FlipPac will be available shortly from Sway-A-Way

There was mention of this in the "FlipPac parts" thread, but I wanted to be sure everyone saw this :)

I have been helping Sway-A-Way who makes the replacement torsion bars for the FlipPac on re-designed replacement hinge sets.

I have fitted the prototype blanks on my FlipPack and will be excited to get the real deal when they are ready... still about month out - maybe a nice Christmas present and will be in time to get them installed before the Spring camping season.

They have taken most of my suggestions and the hinges will be very beefy... very little chance of ever breaking one again I would think. The originals used almost 1/2" (total) of shims to make it fit tight in the frame tubes. The new kit will eliminate those shims with added material on the hinge. It will be a tight fit and you will need to clean up the inside of your frame tubes very thoroughly and if there is a weld seam in your particular FlipPack frame tubes you will need to file that down. The other option I suppose will be to file down the hinges to make a perfect fit.

The issue I had on my broken one is you have nothing at all to grab onto to get the old one out... I ended up boring a 3/4" hole in the opposite end of my lid to and using an 8 foot rod to punch it out. Not a huge deal but of course I will have a small fiberglass repair to do later - no biggie.

When I get a set I will do a photo/video how-to :)

Between a good torsion bar and hinge set many new FlipPacs should be able to live again... I just wish we could find out what company made the tent portion...

Photos: Hinge prototypes, Old hinge shims, removal of old broken hinge

Cheers!

HingeProtoInstalled_02.jpgHingeProtoInstalled_Open.jpgHingeShimx1200s.jpgBrokenHingeRemoval.jpg
 
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mattsavage

Observer
very nice...

Awesome, thanks for taking the lead on this!

On a side note, anyone have a hookup on the bushings the torsion bar rests on, inside the hinge?
 
Hey Cactus, any word on these? I’ve tried to get ahold of them and never gotten a response. I just picked up a flip pac with a broken hinge and was hoping to get some ordered so I can get out and use it.
Thanks
 

sturgil

New member
He Guys, please hold off until I get one put together... The blanks they sent me aligned great, however when the finished ones arrived I think the machine shop errored on a critical measurement. I will post a build and how to when I get a set that are corrected.

Shoot, Just put in for a set before seeing this post. How bad is the error on the final sets?
 
Also, let me clarify: Down at Sway-A-Way they have done an install with the hinges the way they are and say it fits, it just squeezes the gasket more.... and yes, I can see that it will work but it will squeeze the foam gasket an extra almost 3/16"... maybe that is not a bad thing I just do not want to stress my FlipPac...
 
UPDATE: I talked to Sway-a-way again today, they have 3 full installs with this batch of hinges.... Even though it will compress the foam seal more than stock I am going to give these a try :) When I get it going I will post pic's
 
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glasscob

New member
I just ordered a new torsion bar from Sway-a-way. Thanks so much for the tip. Wondering if I need the hinges too (only the torsion bar failed, not the original hinges). Also, I'm not a DIY kind of a gal (too old? knees too rickety? too weak? no tools? no patience? all of the above!!!) so I'm wondering if the install is easy enough that my local camper place could do it for me (they do not normally work on flippacs but at least they've heard of them). Any tricks or tips to share with them would be most appreciated...
 

sturgil

New member
Did the install two weeks back and I couldn't be happier with the results. My torsion bar broke on May 5th and the drivers side top hinge had some hefty cracking.IMG_3723 copy.jpgIMG_3726 copy.jpgIMG_4212.JPGIMG_4211.JPGIMG_4210.JPGNothing about installing the hinges or the torsion bar was intuitive but everything went together smoothly in the end. The hardest part was hammering the old Hinges and shims (scrap metal?) out without doing any real damage to the flippac. To get the top vertical, I got ontop of my neighbors roof and hoisted the thing up while two guys on the ground put the torsion bar in.
 

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austintaco

Explorer
Are these the instructions included with the hinges or did you make them? Just curious. I ordered the torsion bar when they first came out 2 years ago, but I have yet to replace it. I tried to loosen the bolts on my hinges years ago to do an adjustment to the lid and they felt like they were frozen. Without a replacement option, I didn’t want to screw myself if I snapped the bolts. Did you have any issues with the bolts being stuck?
 
Glad to see these are working out... I was worried about the extra tight fit when it clamps shut (the new SAW hinges are on-center different by .18" and make it clamp the front tighter - a variance from the prototypes I was sent vs the final production units)... but if it is working without stressing the shell awesome, I will be installing mine shortly... just back in town form a lengthy vacation!
 

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