S & L Door Control

We have a customer in NYC that sends us Rixson floor closers to repair from time to time. This one is a Rixson L27 LH 90 degree NHO 1/2” extended spindle. The door that sits on this closer is very heavy.

At some point the lower guide arm (long piece on top) broke. Leaving the smaller piece below it to become loose within the unit. Once this arm broke all spring tension was lost and the door was no longer under control.

Adding insult to injury, one of the pins that attaches the pistons to the crank shaft also broke. Well, it is not broken per se, it has come apart. This unit is approximately eight years old and they used copper or brass to braze or solder the fitting—it didn’t hold. The pin became dislodged and loose within the unit.

If you have read this far, the most interesting thing to me is the three ball bearings (left side of the pic). All three are sheered in half. In my many years of experience I have never seen this with a Rixson closer.

I can readily replace the control arm. The ball bearings aren’t an issue either. However that spindle is a rarity for me. I did not have a replacement available. Rixson would not sell a replacement either. This seemed to be a dead end.

Luckily I was able find a solution. I didn’t profit from it, but hopefully something good will come of this.