closet door and drawer latches

[TommyG1]

Have a 2016 Berkshire XLT: anyone having problems with the drawer and closet door latches constantly breaking. forest river parts charges about 7 - 8 dollars each. They are cheap plastic latches that I am sure cost nowhere near that.. if anyone knows a source would be helpful
Thanks

[SeaDog]

welcome to the forum its a great place to get your questions answered. many folks have complained about the quality of the latches.

[TommyG1]

Thanks! really annoying... they are really cheap

[CRL1]

I believe that if you search this forum you will find post where people have bought better latches on Amazon

[btritschler1437]

Try this website for a better latch https://wheelingit.us/2012/11/24/eas...rawer-latches/

At the Tampa RV show in Jan. I talked to the Berkshire division about the latches. He said they are now using a better brand then before and have better luck with them..

[TommyG1]

GREAT ALTERNATE !!! I have seen those before.. Know of a furniture hardware company that sells those... when I get the name will post it for all
Thanks

[Maingler]

They have upgraded to a new supplier. They are a special build southco latch that are built much better. They are more expensive than the original latch you have on your unit.

[fredhardy]

I keep 5-10 spares in my toolbox. Get them on Amazon for a decent price. I think I have replaced every one at some time in my 2014 Berkshire.

[Hi Rider]

I've replaced latches on one drawer twice. Then I realized I had too much weight in the drawer. I removed broken latch, saw name of manufacturer and found replacement on Amazon.

[feedfold]

I removed latches completely and made 2 - 3/4" x 1 1/2" x bottom track length" boards to lay in track as we go down the road. Take them out of track after we level-up. Works great when parked with no latching and unlatching or crashing into latches (don't scratch my arms on either), installed felt pads in various places of doors to where they meet walls.

John Dickman
34QS 2016

[NMWildcat]

I will never understand why some folks want to replace latches that don't work with the same exact latch.
Go to a hardware store or search the internet for better latches for drawers and cabinets. One of the first things we do with any new unit is replace all the catches with better quality and higher poundage of pull weight. Saves us the frustration of doing it one at a time when they break or keep opening while traveling. I have also replaced the soft close drawer slides for a friend with much better quality ones. All from the local hardware store. Upgrade!

[Oscarvan]

The reason they break is misalignment due to the screws getting loose and the catch moving, or the thing being poorly installed to begin with. Pushing, or worse, slamming up against a misaligned latch will put stress on the wrong part of the piece. I've had to adjust a few, but haven't had one break yet. Knock on genuine simulated wood.

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by Oscarvan

The reason they break is misalignment due to the screws getting loose and the catch moving, or the thing being poorly installed to begin with. Pushing, or worse, slamming up against a misaligned latch will put stress on the wrong part of the piece. I've had to adjust a few, but haven't had one break yet. Knock on genuine simulated wood.

Sometimes they are misaligned, loose, or installed incorrectly. But OEM latches are cheap and low poundage pull weight. Meaning it doesn't take much for them to open going down the road and create all kinds of surprises. So replace them all at once with higher quality, higher pull weight, and you will save yourself frustration. I think we spent less than $100 replacing cheap latch hardware in ours. And we don't have to use childproof locks and bungie cords to keep everything closed when going down the road.
Or keep adjusting, replacing, and using bungie cords. Either way works.

[GoneSouth10]

The latches are rated by "opening force" in pounds (e.g., 5 pounds force; 8 pounds force, 10 pounds force, etc.). When my closet latches broke, went straight to Amazon and ordered one or two levels up. The difference in force is the beefiness of the spring mechanism inside the catch, so the dimensions are all the same - just replace your existing with the upgraded "force" catch. You can use the same screw holes (put a dab of glue on the screw before putting it back in to just tighten it up) and the same "hook" - no re-drilling, alignment issues, adding backing board, etc.

Here's the 10 pound version: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That's $6.85 and less than 30 minutes to swap out all four on the closet doors, soup to nuts!! They work like a charm . . .
For the drawers, just order a 10 pak and replace as needed or save it for that rainy day project while camping.