Door Latch Broke

[ck4588]

Hoping someone has found a replacement after-market latch that will work

I bought a PitBoss Vertical Smoker Pro Series 4. I have had it in my garage for about a month awaiting my deck to be finished. Went to move the smoker onto my grill and the door latching mechanism popped off. It appears that a small bolt inside broke. Called PitBoss they said they would gladly ship me a new latch but they are currently on back order and could not provide an estimated time of arrival. So..... I have a broken smoker and have never even plugged it in. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Steve In Pa]

Hoping someone has found a replacement after-market latch that will work

I bought a PitBoss Vertical Smoker Pro Series 4. I have had it in my garage for about a month awaiting my deck to be finished. Went to move the smoker onto my grill and the door latching mechanism popped off. It appears that a small bolt inside broke. Called PitBoss they said they would gladly ship me a new latch but they are currently on back order and could not provide an estimated time of arrival. So..... I have a broken smoker and have never even plugged it in. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

That’s a bummer. I’m not suggesting that you do this I’d be looking for a McGyver. A non meltable strap with a crank tightener comes to mind as a temporary thing until the latch comes in.

 

[ck4588]

That’s a bummer. I’m not suggesting that you do this I’d be looking for a McGyver. A non meltable strap with a crank tightener comes to mind as a temporary thing until the latch comes in.

Pitboss rep actually suggested using a bungee chord....... Every after market latch I have found that would work is out of stock

 

[Mike From R.I.]

Maybe try 8-gauge solid copper wire, make some sort of hook with it to keep the door closed, but easy enough to remove so you can open the door and tend to what you're smoking.

 

[Fl Smoke]

My latch broke and the replacement part has been on back order for longer than I have had the smoker. I found dam near the exact latch in Lowes except for the end of the latch on it is too rounded to fit. Looks identical to the OE latch minus this issue, I thought about trying to bend or cut the latch but due to the fact that the OE part is not great I would assume the same of this clone so I decided to pass on that. What other aftermarket options have you found? I wish I could return the smoker at this point, I am sick of waiting for this part. I attached something I found on another site and I wish that this was the latch on our smoker. Can anyone verify if this might fit?

 

[Steelheader1974]

I ordered a latch a couple weeks ago from pitboss and it came last Thursday.

 

[Fl Smoke]

I ordered a latch a couple weeks ago from pitboss and it came last Thursday.

Thanks for the heads up. I called them this morning but was on hold for around 30 minutes. Finally left a number for a call back and its been a few hours now. Glad to know I can tell them that they are apparently in stock.

 

[Fl Smoke]

They are saying its only in stock in Canada and they cannot ship to the US. Being your in Buffalo, NY your in the US so I am hoping I can resolve this with them now.

 

[Steelheader1974]

They are saying its only in stock in Canada and they cannot ship to the US. Being your in Buffalo, NY your in the US so I am hoping I can resolve this with them now.

Yeah hopefully. They did tell me it was backordered when I did call a couple weeks ago.

 

[jtleng]

Yeah hopefully. They did tell me it was backordered when I did call a couple weeks ago.

Ace Hardware has one that is built better than the original for $5, always had a gap in the seal and the original latch fell apart. this one is much tighter and seals the door perfectly. Great in a pinch if you really want the original and still waiting for it.

 

[Steelheader1974]

Nice I’ll have to pick one up to have on hand. Thanks for the info.

 

[!Asher2705]

I bought the window lock from Ace Hardware but it's just a tad too small. I think I am going to get some pliers and slightly bend the pc. That is on the door toward the latch so it will catch the latch. If any of that makes sence.

 

[Cowboy1955]

Hoping someone has found a replacement after-market latch that will work

I bought a PitBoss Vertical Smoker Pro Series 4. I have had it in my garage for about a month awaiting my deck to be finished. Went to move the smoker onto my grill and the door latching mechanism popped off. It appears that a small bolt inside broke. Called PitBoss they said they would gladly ship me a new latch but they are currently on back order and could not provide an estimated time of arrival. So..... I have a broken smoker and have never even plugged it in. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Check at lowes or homedepot
They should have a latch

 

[achillez01]

Pitboss rep actually suggested using a bungee chord....... Every after market latch I have found that would work is out of stock

Remember that the door just needs to be secured enough that the seal is in place. I originally tightened my latch down so hard it chipped away at the assembly. Pitboss said the door does not need to be tight, just sealed.

 

[help23]

Same issue here but my 4 series didn't even come with the latch, just 2 handles. Been 2 weeks and support says they have the latch but not the door heat filter and won't ship the latch without the filter.