Replacing 5.0 Hatch over bed?

[occer]

Maybe someone who wants to up grade their hatch cover to the new design will sell you their old one that’s in good condition.

 

[Suregrip391]

I wish someone would make a metal lid! Is that a bad idea?

 

[iamunique127]

It’s not just the lid that deteriorates and becomes brittle. The whole unit is made of the same plastic. When I replaced my lid I had to be super careful I did not break the surrounding plastic. The lid is easy to replace if you can find one in stock somewhere. My wish is a replacement made of better material whether it be plastic or metal.

 

[Luvnlife-ESC]

I wonder if you could paint the lid with some kind of UV resistant paint to make it last.

 

[Luvnlife-ESC]

Like this

 

[Shiny]

Thanks for the ideas. For now, I will wait for Heng's to answer the phone again and will confirm they at least expect a shipment sometime in the next few months as opposed to abandoning support. If they are optimistic, I can probably get by for a few months more.

As to the quality, it does seem reasonable to expect something more durable, but apparently the market for these is more about low cost.... seems to be the way of a lot of RV suppliers (and the manufacturers buying the stuff).

Personally, a more UV-stable plastic would not add much cost as a raw material. In our case, and as others mentioned in this thread, I'm not sure the failure occurred because of UV degradation. The crack originated at a rivet, which makes me think the stress concentration and/or overstress from the rivet was a factor... basic design stuff...

 

[Shiny]

It’s not just the lid that deteriorates and becomes brittle. The whole unit is made of the same plastic. When I replaced my lid I had to be super careful I did not break the surrounding plastic. The lid is easy to replace if you can find one in stock somewhere. My wish is a replacement made of better material whether it be plastic or metal.

I'm confused about this. I thought ours had an aluminum frame, both upper and lower, with the lid just seating against the upper frame with a foam seal. Maybe a picture would help explain?

 

[iamunique127]

I'm confused about this. I thought ours had an aluminum frame, both upper and lower, with the lid just seating against the upper frame with a foam seal. Maybe a picture would help explain?

Maybe ours is different because it is an older 2015 model but mine is all yellowed brittle plastic. I don’t have a photo of it.

I did paint the new lid with Krylon paint and I apply 303 Protectant to it a few times a year now, too.

 

[R&ESask]

I have a 2023 that has a crack right at the rivet. I have never liked the cheap plastic used so when I saw the clear hatch on the green two-tone at the rally I was interested. I talked to Dustin from Escape about it. The escape hatches have been very hard for them to consistently source, that is why they have so many different sizes. The large marine hatch put in the two-tone one almost immediately unavailable. It was 800mm wide. They now have a similar replacement which is 500mm wide. Unfortunately, this is a smaller width than I have so it won’t work for me. I have been searching for similar marine hatches but very few come with the screen, sun blocker, and light in the inner panel. If anyone comes across a source, please share it.

 

[GinoandLinda]

I have a 2023 that has a crack right at the rivet. I have never liked the cheap plastic used so when I saw the clear hatch on the green two-tone at the rally I was interested. I talked to Dustin from Escape about it. The escape hatches have been very hard for them to consistently source, that is why they have so many different sizes. The large marine hatch put in the two-tone one almost immediately unavailable. It was 800mm wide. They now have a similar replacement which is 500mm wide. Unfortunately, this is a smaller width than I have so it won’t work for me. I have been searching for similar marine hatches but very few come with the screen, sun blocker, and light in the inner panel. If anyone comes across a source, please share it.

Thanks for that. That probably explains why ETI has not replied to my inquiry about it.

 

[Jeremy Kessenich]

If anyone comes across a source, please share it.

Here's one in 3 different sizes:

 

[R&ESask]

Thank you. Forgot how much more stuff you can find on amazon.com than .ca. Look exactly like the one at the rally.

 

[Jeremy Kessenich]

The thing that is stopping me from doing it is it doesn't appear you can open it part way, or a little, it seems it's all or nothing. I'd love to hear I'm wrong. Not a fan of the original hatch at all.

 

[Shiny]

Heng's responded and said the repair parts are still active, but they do not expect any for 2 to 3 months.

They also shared a listing of part numbers and actual lid dimensions that causes me to correct my earlier post. I need PN 90008-C1 as shared by others in the thread, not 90088-C1. I was misled by one of their distributors, so another refresher on "get my info from the source"!

Apparently Heng's calls this a 15 x 22 hatch, even though the opening is 17 3/4 x 25. Adding to the confusion, Heng's did sell a 17 x 24 hatch. I have no idea if ETI ever used it...

Having the lid dimensions spelled out, I drove to the storage lot with my ladder and confirmed.

You can see the crack that runs through the rivet. I am optimistic this will hold until Heng's gets their parts.

 

[Suregrip391]

What do I actually measure to get the correct lid? The length and width of the plastic lid? Just the lid or the frame it covers?

 

[Shiny]

I measured the lid itself, lip to lip and it matched the 18" x 25-1/4" shared by Heng's.

If yours is different, post it here and I'll see if the document Heng's sent me can identify it.

 

[Suregrip391]

Sure, we have a 2020 5.0TA and wanted to have a new lid on hand some day. I’ll measure the lid itself and report back. Thanks!

 

[Suregrip391]

I’m not sure who made this one so hopefully the pic helps? It’s 17 7/8” x 25 1/16”

 

[Shiny]

Looks identical to ours... and the measurements are also in line with Heng's 18" x 25-1/4".

Given we both have 2020 5.0s, probably a safe bet we have the same hatch. Per the Heng's listing I received, the lid is PN 90008-C1.

 

[Suregrip391]

Shiny, Thanks very much!