Replacement spring bands for Larges gotten any better?

RRP

 my sprung, rusted, old and  twisted band needs to be replaced. I called my HUGE local ACE and they had none and it would not be until this summer before they placed an order! HUH? I then asked if the ACE distribution center for the whole mid-west (a mere 50 miles from here) had any and after the helpful person checked the answer was still no! Guess I’ll just place an order with the CGS tomorrow.

For some reason  this iPad is fighting me…what I wanted to ask …after researching   Here it appears those newer   larger  bands are crap,. Has  the  quality improved? Or should I just try to salvage my old band 

Jstroke

Ron is it truly rusted out, or simply bent at the tabs and “warped” and twisted? I just touched mine up and found a random orbital sander worked better than a right angle grinder with a wire brush. Gave it good going over and then a few coats of rust oleum. Not brand new, but good enough for another few years. 

RRP

Well, Sir - since I already figured it was goner I was careless removing it and of course the springs took over and I'm not sure I can even get them off..though I read a cool Harley Davidson trick of using pennies to expand the coils ...IF I can even get them off that hinge! Got a hint how to do that? 

BTW I'm not opposed to cleaning up and salvaging this unit if I can get get those springs off! It really isn't that twisted so I believe I can resolve that issue

Think it over, but I have GOT to get to bed!!!

fishlessman

RRP said:

Well, Sir - since I already figured it was goner I was careless removing it and of course the springs took over and I'm not sure I can even get them off..though I read a cool Harley Davidson trick of using pennies to expand the coils ...IF I can even get them off that hinge! Got a hint how to do that? 

BTW I'm not opposed to cleaning up and salvaging this unit if I can get get those springs off! It really isn't that twisted so I believe I can resolve that issue

Think it over, but I have GOT to get to bed!!!

fully open the dome to relieve pressure on the springs, you can easily pop them off prying with a screw driver with the dome open. i dont like the new band at all on my large, doesnt open as much as the old band and theres a big air gap in back now. the old bands fit tight with no gasket

dbCooper

@RRP - I installed the new style bands on my large several years ago.  Can you explain why you have the impression they are "crap"?  Mine are of good quality.  Dome alignment is easier than the old style and no adjustment has been needed since installation.  Old ones would get out of alignment regularly.  Your dome opening will be reduced with the new style, that takes some time to get accustomed to.

The penny hack should work for your springs, but I've never tried it.  My method was to remove the nut from the stud the top of the spring connects to, open the dome, then slide spring off the stud.

I also purchased the bands from CGS as none were available locally.

Langner91

The new bands are nice.  Not sure who feels they are crap, or why.  The amount they open, maybe? 

As @dbCooper says, the open dome angle is different.  I had to give up my "claw" to extract a hot platesetter, but now I just use the eggspander basket anyway.

I am one who strongly recommends the Harley spring trick.  With the dome closed, or slightly raised, you can stick pennies in the spring easily.  That keeps it the same length as you open it and makes removal easy.  You will, however, drop a few pennies during this operation.

1voyager

I replaced the warped old bands with the new ones under warranty. (Warping was due to doing a clean burn. Shame on me.) The old ones worked fine but I got the new ones because several Eggheads said they fixed the underbite issue. They didn't. During installing the new bands I discovered that the base is out-of-round, so nothing can solve the underbite problem. If I align in the front, then it scrapes and leaks in the back.

My large Egg still has the underbite and now has reduced the dome opening. If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't bother with the new bands.

RRP

Thanks for all the replies - but I guess I didn't get my point across - I said "I already figured it was goner I was careless removing it and of course the springs took over and I'm not sure I can even get them off".

So the hints about closing it etc don't help my problem as my old bands are laying wide open and "floppy" on my deck - NOT on my egg. 

At this point I think I will give @dbCooper's advice of removing the studs and go from there! Thanks "Coop"!

TideEggHead

My old bands warped so I had to get the newer ones about 2 years ago. I have a slight overbite but it’s not a big deal. Not sure about quality being better or worse but I do feel the dome is more stable with the newer bands.

BigreenGreg

Why has someone not already responded “if I had Ron’s money, I’d have half a dozen spare bands ready to go”?

RRP

BigreenGreg said:

Why has someone not already responded “if I had Ron’s money, I’d have half a dozen spare bands ready to go”?

Hey - if I was as rich as the endless jokes here claim then why would I even bother to replace a band? Wouldn't I have just had my servants kick that BGE to the curb and buy a new egg? You know like when my car gets dirty - trade it in for a new clean one!

Dobie

After a few years my original bands got out of whack and were a PITA to keep adjusting and developed overbite. I bought the new style and they work great, doesn’t open as wide but when fully open the springs are not under tension and can be easily removed by hand. Alignment is great and I’ve had no issues. 

pgprescott

Langner91 said:

The new bands are nice.  Not sure who feels they are crap, or why.  The amount they open, maybe? 

As @dbCooper says, the open dome angle is different.  I had to give up my "claw" to extract a hot platesetter, but now I just use the eggspander basket anyway.

I am one who strongly recommends the Harley spring trick.  With the dome closed, or slightly raised, you can stick pennies in the spring easily.  That keeps it the same length as you open it and makes removal easy.  You will, however, drop a few pennies during this operation.

Who knew all that time and money you spent wrenching on HD’s would actually translate into some other form of useful information. Nice hack sir! So simple yet I’m not sure I would have ever thought of it by myself. 👍🏻

Buckwoody Egger

This is a good combo of text and video. 

https://www.nibblemethis.com/2021/04/faq-replacing-bands-on-large-big-green.html

It’s on my todo list

RRP

Looks like fixing vs. going with a replacement is either a crap shoot or a coin flipper at best! 

The biggest complaint I keep seeing is the new bands do not open as wide. Can anyone tell me about how much less? I really think that might be the real tie breaker for me. TIA

BigreenGreg

It’s noticeable Ron, but not enough to be a problem. 

RRP

BigreenGreg said:

It’s noticeable Ron, but not enough to be a problem. 

Thanks - but can you give me even a guesstimate? 2" 4" 6" 8"

fishlessman

dont know how much and did not know until i installed.  look at the above forum banner of the new egg and band. you can see how it doesnt open as high and drops back and down at the hinge area

fishlessman

the old bands almost make the egg tippy when the dome is open, the new bands make it more stable

RRP

fishlessman said:

dont know how much and did not know until i installed.  look at the above forum banner of the new egg and band. you can see how it doesnt open as high and drops back and down at the hinge area

I just had a real head slapping idea...I'm going up to my Ace and check it for myself to see if I can live with it!

Langner91

Ron,

Old:



New:



See how much the new dome is still over the base?  

This blog says every accessory still fits.  That is not true, the "Claw" doesn't fit.  Everything else probably does.

1voyager

@RRP - I'd say somewhere between 3 - 4 inches. It's so much of a difference that I had to shorten my homemade elevated grate in order to reach food in the back. Same with the raised pizza stone.

fishlessman

RRP said:

fishlessman said:

dont know how much and did not know until i installed.  look at the above forum banner of the new egg and band. you can see how it doesnt open as high and drops back and down at the hinge area

I just had a real head slapping idea...I'm going up to my Ace and check it for myself to see if I can live with it!

i believe this is the only cook i may have dad difficulties with, i dropped this settup in all at once fully setup with meat. new dome and i probably would need to put it in stacking it in the egg on grid at a time

MaskedMarvel

Hard to tell, but the new bands may not be compatible with certain table setups?

fishlessman

BigreenGreg said:

It’s noticeable Ron, but not enough to be a problem. 

its more noticeable if your egg sits on the feet on the ground. looking down you dont see as much

RRP

Langner91 said:

Ron,

Old:



New:



See how much the new dome is still over the base?  

This blog says every accessory still fits.  That is not true, the "Claw" doesn't fit.  Everything else probably does.

Now I see a new potential issue! It looks like the distance needed when measured say from the back of the base to the furthermost edge of the dome when raised may be the deal breaker for me. I'm going to ACE and do some measuring, but based on what you had said and @fishlessman as well I don't do any stacking cooks so I'm not worried about that. Also with my old style spring hinge that hinge assembly sticks down so far when opened I had to modify my table to account for that problem - but this new hinge won't have that problem! 

PS I'm so glad I am retired so I can fret over these BGE band issues rather than working a job!!! LOL

Legume

That new band is how my XL opens, slides back a little while it opens.  My XL is from 2013 or so, the shorter lid.

Dobie

The new bands have tabs that prevent the dome from falling out if they get a little loose too. I don’t miss the originals at all but it’s rare I use a second grid.

RRP

Dobie said:

The new bands have tabs that prevent the dome from falling out if they get a little loose too. I don’t miss the originals at all but it’s rare I use a second grid.

Those clips were designed years ago by a retired railroad mechanic egger form IA named "Char-Woody" or C~W for short. He gave the clips and the idea to Ed Fisher as a token of their friendship!

Dobie

They were a good improvement 

RRP

Dobie said:

They were a good improvement 

That went back 23 years ago, but Ed never saw they need, but George from Primo liked the idea and adopted it years and years ago. Then along came somebody at BGE perhaps not even knowing the past and adopted what PRIMO has been doing for all those years! Actually those clips are pretty cheap insurance against fallen, busted NON-WARRANTY dome replacements!