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Industrial Hinges

Heavy duty steel hinges used for swing heavy doors. Often weld-on fitting with ball bearings.

Weld On Hinges

Heavy duty steel hinges used for heavy steel framed doors and gates.

Lift Off Hinges.

Hinges that allow a door the be lifted off the frame when it is opened. They do not require the removal of screws or loose pins.

Like most things in hardware there is a huge range in hinges. There are plenty of separate categories but there is so much overlap that I hesitate to even try to separate domestic from industrial. Manufacturers don't help much either as it is common to see items marked "industrial strength" etc. that are clearly not, and aimed squarely at a domestic DIY market.

Industrial Hinges : A weld on ball bearing hinge

The hinge above is definitely industrial strength. It is a face fixed Weld On Hinge to a large electrical sub-station. At the same time I have used identical hinges on some garden gates that I fixed a few years ago.

• These hinges can be face fixed like the one above. This way the gap between the door and jamb can be changed as needed. When the same hinges are edge fixed then they make quite a large gap. Either way it does not matter much as they are not made for fine cabinetry :-)
• They are also what is known as Lift Off Hinges These hinges allow the door or gate to be completely lifted off without undoing bolts, pin or other hinge fixings. The advantages of this are clear. For example, the doors of this sub-station can be lifted off and stored elsewhere while maintenance work is being done on the equipment. The doors are no longer in the way or in risk of being damaged by cranes or equipment.
• The hinge above has a further refinement. It has a single ball bearing inside the top leaf. It is about the same diameter as the pin and it is (presumably) held in place by grease during construction. To tell you the truth I am not too sure if this hinge is fixed the right way up. If the door is lifted off the ball bearings may drop out and get lost. On the other hand if it is the other way up water may run into the joint. The times that I have used these I have fixed them with the ball at the bottom and liberally packed them with grease. Note! The term Ball Bearing Hinge does not refer to hinges like this. It refers to heavy duty butt hinges that have a ball bearing race to take the load between the leaves of the hinge.

Another couple of heavy duty steel hinges, the type that are made up in a small fabrication shop out of available steel materials, steel pipe, flat plate and stock bolts and washers. Not sophisticated but doing the job of carrying a heavy gate or door.

Industrial Hinges : Stainless steel weld on hinges Image provided by Hafele Australia Pty. Ltd..

Above we have some more hinges that are lift off and weld on. In this case they are made out of Stainless Steel and they would be seen in corrosive environments and also in places where food is prepared.

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