Cabinet Latches - keeping your things secure

 

RVs and travel trailers experience a lot of bumps when going down the road, from the occasional pothole to a major upset on an unpaved road. Naturally, this can lead to problems if things are not well secured. When cabinet doors and drawers are knocked open during travel, the contents get strewn everywhere resulting not only broken items but often broken cabinet doors and hinges as well. This is why installing the right cabinet latches is so important.

All RVs come with some kind of standard latch system for the cabinets and drawers. Until recently, Escape trailers used a mechanical roller catch like the one pictured below.

The newest Escape models use magnetic latches.  Drawers have their own mechanical latch built into the slider mechanism. All of these latches work by providing an extra measure of force to hold the door in place when it is completely closed. Once this initial force is overcome, the door swings freely. These work well so long as nothing too heavy can fall against a cabinet door, and the trailer isn’t shaken too much.

For many people, the OEM latches don’t provide enough holding power, or break. This is especially a problem on the lower cabinets, which tend to be where the large heavy items are stored. One fix is to use more than one latch on these doors, but often it is easier to simply replace them with a stronger latch.

These latches from Amazon are a very popular and affordable upgrade to the standard roller latches on the Escape. They are a stronger and more secure latch, and they also have adjustable tension. Full disclaimer, I earn a small commission from Amazon if you purchase using the above link.

Installing them requires some drilling (only on the back of the doors and the edges of the face frame), and the positioning needs to be fairly precise. When installing, ensure that the latch and the ball align when the door is closed. If the latch and the ball aren’t well aligned, either the door won’t close, or the latch won’t hold well.

Positive latches

Sometimes a regular cabinet latch isn’t strong enough, and a positive latch is needed.  Positive latches secure the door or drawer completely, and the door cannot be opened until the latch is manually released. Positive latches are common on boats, since boats can experience rough seas. Most trailers do not come with positive latches. If you plan on taking your Escape off paved roads, or you just want some extra security, you will need to do something to secure the cabinets when traveling. Some owners have used a variety of bungees, extension rods, and handmade solutions to do this.

RVModMaster provides a wide variety of positive latches that require no drilling, with options to fit almost any Escape. They can be installed and removed as desired or installed semi-permanently with screws.  They clip over the face frame, and have a manual toggle which positively secures the door while traveling. Use the following information to determine what size will work best for your situation.

Latch Fit Dimensions

Face frame thickness– The face frame of a cabinet is the part of the cabinet that the door or drawer closes against, and also the part that the hinges are attached to. Most cabinets (including those on the Escape) have a face frame thickness of about 7/8 inch (22mm). Upper cabinets on the Escape generally have a face-frame thickness of 1 ¾ inches but some have 1 7/8 inches face frame thickness.

Door/Drawer Overlap – When closed, the door or drawer will overlap the face frame by a certain amount. Cabinet doors and drawer fronts on Escape trailers generally have an overlap of just under ½ inch.

Free space behind the face frame – RVModmaster travel latches hook around the back of the face frame and require a minimum amount of space on the back of the face frame for the hook. Standard latches have a hook length of 1 3/8 inches. Some doors and drawers on some trailers will have an obstruction behind the face frame (common on the 21 classic). There are “short hook” latches for these situations, and they require only ½ inch of space behind the face frame.

Clearance next to the door – The toggle of the travel latch is positioned on a square post that sits next to the door, and there needs to be sufficient space next to the door without running into a wall or an adjacent door. The standard latch requires a little over ¾ inch of space next to the door edge(20mm). The mini latches are smaller, and require just under 5/8 inch (15m). Mini latches work particularly well to secure adjacent drawers positioned close to each other.

Door/Drawer thickness - For all latch types, the thickness of the door or drawer is just over ¾ inch (19.5mm). I have never seen an Escape trailer with any other door thickness.

You should always measure to see what version you need for any particular door, as Escape cabinetry can vary a lot. But here are some general guidelines.

Standard Latch – Fits most lower cabinet doors on most Escapes (Needs 1/2” or less Overlap, 3/4” Next to the Door, and 1 3/8 behind the face frame)

Mini-Latch – Useful for securing cabinet Drawers (Needs 1/2” or less Overlap, 5/8” Next to the Door, and 1 3/8 behind the face frame)

Standard Short Hook – Very useful when the face frame is next to a wall, common on the 21C. (Needs 1/2” or less Overlap, 3/4” Next to the Door, and ½” behind the face frame)

Mini Short Hook – Small, but fits nearly everywhere with minimal clearance requirements. (Needs 1/2” or less Overlap, 5/8” Next to the Door, and ½” behind the face frame)

Overhead 1 ¾ - Overhead cabinets on the vast majority of Escapes

Overhead 1 7/8 – Overhead cabinets on some Escapes (at least one 17b)

If you have measured your trailer and find someplace that none of these options will work, contact us and we can usually adjust the dimensions to fit.