Broken Door

babybacks · July 28, 2010, 09:27:09 AM

I've had my Bradley original stainless for about 3 1/2 years. Last weekend, the plastic on the bottom right of the door cracked off, and now the door is dangling by the top hinge. I had to make an emergency fix using a couple bungee cords to hold the door tight so I could cook the weekend ribs.

I contacted Bradley yesterday, and the entire door has to be replaced as the broken plastic piece only comes with the door, and is not sold separately. At $59.99 plus shipping, it seems a little pricey. As I've already had to replace other parts on the smoker, I'm not sure if I'm ready to pour more money into it, and I'm considering purchasing a new (possibly different brand) smoker.

Has anyone experienced this problem, and if so found a quick, less expensive fix?

DTAggie · July 28, 2010, 11:04:40 AM

I am on my third door on the OBS. First two cracked in same place as yours. Fortunately I am still under warranty. There was a post on a good repair about a month ago. Someone (can't remember who) purchased some hinges from Home Depot and did a permanent fix.

pkcdirect · July 28, 2010, 12:08:10 PM

My Bradley Stainless Steel has the top hinge broken and I too would like a good solution other than buying a whole new door...

babybacks · July 28, 2010, 12:52:08 PM

Quote from: DTAggie on July 28, 2010, 11:04:40 AM
I am on my third door on the OBS. First two cracked in same place as yours. Fortunately I am still under warranty. There was a post on a good repair about a month ago. Someone (can't remember who) purchased some hinges from Home Depot and did a permanent fix.

3rd door? While still under warranty? Wow, perhaps I am lucky mine lasted 3 1/2 years. I searched around, and believe I found the thread you mentioned (thanks for the heads up):

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=13282.0

I also like the idea of the latch on the left side. With a latch (and hence a tighter door seal), hopefully that will help improve heat retention inside the smoker. I think I'm going to go this route, this should at least get me through until I can save up enough for a new smoker (most likely not a Bradley, I'd like to get something that will last more than a few years). I'll try to post some pictures when I finish it.

babybacks · August 03, 2010, 01:45:28 PM

Over the weekend I added a new hinge. Since the top hinge was still functional, I elected to put a single hinge on the bottom and continue to use the current setup for the top. Although this does seem to put a little awkward pressure on the top hinge, I think it will work for a while. And for less than $2 at Lowe's, and a few minutes of work, I'm smoking again.

My fix looks similar to the pictures starship posted here (thanks to starship for the great idea): http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=13282.0

caustic casey · September 29, 2010, 09:12:07 AM

I had a problem with the top hinge. For some reason, the hinge pin no longer seated into the hole in the top hinge. I took the plastic cap off the door and shaved away the plasic surrounding the pin with a sheetrock knife. Seems to be holding now...

ToeNail · July 05, 2011, 07:31:16 AM

I have two smokers. One original and one stainless. Both doors are broke. Both will not retain much heat. Lucky to get 200 out of them.

babybacks · July 06, 2011, 05:49:33 PM

@ToeNail

That really sucks. I'm a firm believer that the Bradley smokers were not made to last, having made several repairs over the past few years. They aren't difficult to fix when broken, but it can be costly in terms of parts and time spent.

The fix I put on my Bradley described in this post is still holding well, so that might be a cheap way to fix up both of your smokers.

That being said I received a Weber Smokey Mountain for Father's Day, and it's been fun to try my hand at slow cooking over charcoal. Fun to get a deep smoke ring and a different flavored product. I still plan to use the Bradley if I plan to leave for several hours during the smoke, but it's use will certainly be reduced.