LUBRICATING THE SHIPPING CONTAINER DOOR ROD BUSH

WHY IS IT NECESSARY?

If the door handles won’t pull out towards you when held at 90 degrees, there is a good chance that door rod bushes are ceased. This will make opening the doors significantly harder to open and close, that is if you don’t already have trouble with your hinges!

WHAT YOU NEED

Let’s get started. You will need: a ladder that will allow you to reach the top of the door safely, a couple of rags, and a can of Lanox Aerosol. This product is a heavy duty, anti-corrosion, anti-moisture lubricant that has excellent water displacement properties that lasts the longest relative to its substitutes; it’s available for around $14 at Bunnings. Leave the straw on the nozzle of the can so that it will squirt the lubricant where you want it to go. Though, if you do not have a straw, you will need to hold the can as close as possible to the job to force the lubricant in.

SOME CLASSIFICATION

Door Rod Cam: the extending pieces at the top of the rods that lock into the keepers.
Keepers: these are the extending pieces at the top of the container that grip the door rod cams to force the doors closed.
Bearing Bracket: holds the door rod bush against the door rod – it’s located flush with the top of the door with the door rod passing through it.
Door Rod Bush: like a bearing, it allows the door rod to move freely. These cannot actually be seen, but these are what we are lubricating. Note that not all containers will be exactly the same (e.g. some may have 2, some may have 3), applying common sense, this won’t provide a barrier to the process.

THE PROCESS

1. Start on the right door so that the lubricant will have enough time to penetrate through the bush by the time you finish the other door – this is because the right door opens first.
2. Make sure to take your time setting up your ladder in a safe working position (i.e. a flat, non-slip surface) in order to be able to reach the top of the door.
3. Safely climb to the top of your ladder
4. Give the cams a quick squirt with the lubricant so that they will be able to locate easier into the keepers.
5. Next, we want to lubricate the bush. Squirt the lubricant around the rod beginning at the top. Do this for five seconds, working down the rod until you have lubricated all the bushes thoroughly.
6. Clean the excess off with your rag to ensure the job looks professional.
7. Follow the same procedure on the left door.

Once you have completed the left door, you will be ready to open the container. Lift the handle catches up and out of the way, hold both handles at 90 degrees to door pull them out towards you at the same time. Use the reverse process to close the door – do not slam the door, the force of which is likely to bend components – aligning the cams into the keepers then push the handles in towards the door.

ADDITIONAL STEPS

Given the tools you have on your person, it’s a good opportunity to squirt the catches that house locks as well, theses can provide inconvenience when accessing the container if they are frozen. Additionally, lubricate the lock. Squirt some of the lubricant (approximately 3 seconds) into bottom of your lock (ideally with the straw) where the key fits in, then open and close it half a dozen times until it frees up and then place upside down for about 5 minutes to allow the lubricant to penetrate through. Then, wipe up the excess so that your hands don’t get covered in lubricant when access the container.

WHAT IF IT’S STILL HARD TO MOVE?!

If it’s a still tight when opening, place a piece of pipe over each of the handles (use one that will provide a snug fit if possible) that is approximately 500mm long to give you more leverage. Note that lubricating the door components first will eliminate bending components. Slowly open each handle about one inch at a time.

Once open spend some time working door rod back and forth by holding handle at 90 degrees until it’s moving freely. If your components have bent – or even the entire door – everything can be replaced with off-the-shelf components listed below:

DOOR HINGE LUBRICATION

WHY IS IT NECESSARY

Not only do the closing mechanisms need to be lubricated but also the doors themselves. If not maintained properly, the hinges may cease making it difficult to access your storage and possibly cause strain or injury when trying to open – they are notorious for causing back, neck, and shoulder issues.

WHAT YOU NEED

To maintain your hinges, you will need the same equipment as a above; a ladder that will allow you to reach the top of the door safely, a couple of rags, and a can of Lanox Aerosol. Leaving the straw on the nozzle will allow you to concentrate the product where you want – otherwise, you will need to hold it close to the job to force it in.

THE PROCESS

1. Make sure to take your time setting up your ladder in a safe working position (i.e. a flat, non-slip surface) in order to be able to reach the top hinge.
2. On the top hinge, spray your lubricant into the top section of the hinge (approximately 5 seconds), giving the bottom of the hinge a quick spray as well. This will allow it to disperse through the hinge.
3. Remove the excess with your rag – it’s a small detail but it makes the container easier to look at.
4. Repeat the above steps for the remaining hinges.
5. Open your door from a position that you are not liable to hurt yourself and rock it back and forth, starting with small movements. Gradually build up to bigger sweeps to work the lubricant into the hinges.
6. If the door doesn’t feel like it’s moving freely, you may follow the above steps this time lubricating the hinges from the inside of the door (leave the door open, do not do this from inside the container) as you may not have been able to reach the hinge from this angle before.
7. Follow the same procedure for the other door.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

If you are still unsure it is opening correctly, feel free to follow the procedure again. Remember, this container has probably had hundreds of ocean voyages through, likely, very rough conditions. This process is the same for most hinges in your home or office – just take more care and only use a quick spray as you don’t want to degrade painted surfaces.

Leaving the lubricant to properly disperse for a few hours or overnight can make all the difference! However, if the doors are still catching badly or will not close it is possible the doors are bent, or the body of the container has twisted. Feel free to call our business if this is the case and we will advise you on rectifying this problem.