McKinney TCA3386 Square Corner 5 Knuckle Full Mortise Hinge, 4-1/2" by 4-1/2", Heavy Weight

The TCA3386 measures 4-1/2 x 4-1/2 inches with square corners, which is the standard commercial hinge size on a 1-3/4 inch door. If the existing pocket is a square corner 4-1/2 x 4-1/2 cutout, it's a direct swap. Round corner mortises (radius cutouts left by a router template) need a radius corner hinge instead, not this one.

Order the TCA3386 with the NRP option, a non-removable pin. On an outswing door the barrel is on the exterior, so a removable pin is a way in. NRP sets a screw into the barrel that blocks the pin once the door is closed. McKinney also offers a Safety Stud Feature on this hinge, which interlocks the leaves so the door stays put even if the pin is defeated. NRP is selectable when you order.

The TCA3386 is built for square edge doors; McKinney directs beveled hinge side doors to the TCA4386 or TCA4786. If you are looking at another brand for that opening, the BEST CB223 is a stainless steel concealed bearing heavy weight pivot reinforced hinge made specifically for beveled edge doors. For a square edge door at heavy weight, the BEST FBB212 is the steel ball bearing pivot reinforced equivalent.

The TCA3386 is a stainless steel concealed anti-friction bearing five knuckle heavy weight full mortise hinge in 4-1/2 inch by 4-1/2 inch with square corners. The closest peer is the Dormakaba CB199 full mortise concealed bearing heavy weight hinge, which matches on the full mortise mounting, the concealed bearing design and the heavy duty rating. The BEST CB223 is also stainless steel with concealed bearings at a heavy duty rating, but it is a pivot reinforced hinge built for beveled edge doors rather than square edge, so it belongs on a different opening.

That calls for a wide throw hinge rather than a standard 4-1/2 inch by 4-1/2 inch hinge like the TCA3386. The Hager WTBB1168 is a 4-1/2 inch by 6 inch full mortise ball bearing wide throw hinge, heavy weight with five knuckles, so it keeps the heavy duty class and the five knuckle count while the wider leaf pushes the door further off the frame.

McKinney offers electrified options on the TCA3386 line. If you are sourcing the transfer hinge separately, the ACSI 5BB1 is an Ives five knuckle ball bearing full mortise hinge in 4-1/2 inch by 4-1/2 inch with a concealed electric through-wire, four wire at 28 gauge, from the 1100 Series. It matches the TCA3386 on size, five knuckle count and full mortise mounting, so it drops into the same hinge prep as the non-electrified hinges on the opening.

The TCA3386 can be ordered with a non-removable pin, which keeps the pin from being driven out on a door where the barrel sits on the exterior side, and McKinney also offers a safety stud feature on the line. That covers the outswing case directly. By contrast the BEST 1900R is a steel full mortise concealed bearing standard weight hinge with a removable pin at a medium duty rating, which is the configuration you would not want on an exposed outswing opening.

Fastener sizing for the TCA3386 is 1/2 inch #12-24 machine screws for metal frames and doors, and 1-1/4 inch #12 wood screws for wood. That's the prep to plan for: hollow metal frames take the machine screw into tapped holes, wood doors take the wood screw. Order the screw type that matches what you're fastening into on each leaf, a metal frame with a wood door uses both.

The TCA3386 is stainless steel, which is the one to run on exterior doors, pool and locker rooms, kitchens, and coastal sites where a plated steel hinge will eventually rust through. McKinney's steel equivalent is the TCA3786, same concealed bearing heavy weight hinge in a different base material, fine for dry interior openings. Base material is the only thing that changes between them.

Electrified options are offered on the TCA3386, so power transfer through the hinge is available rather than needing a separate door loop. If you want a pre-configured electric through-wire hinge in the same 4-1/2 x 4-1/2 five knuckle ball bearing size, the ACSI 5BB1 carries a concealed electric through-wire with 4 wires at 28 gauge, which is enough for a typical electrified lock plus a monitoring circuit. Count your conductors before choosing, request-to-exit and latch monitoring push the wire count up fast.

The TCA3386 uses concealed anti-friction bearings, meaning the bearing sits inside the barrel rather than showing as a visible race between knuckles, and it carries the door's weight on a bearing surface so the hinge doesn't wear and sag under a heavy door or constant cycling. Plain bearing hinges have no bearing at all, metal rides on metal, which is acceptable on light doors with low traffic but will bind and wear on a heavy door with a closer on it. Hager's 1279 and 1541 are plain bearing hinges if the opening is light duty.

Not on its own. The TCA3386 is a conventional full mortise hinge, the leaf stays in line with the frame, so the open door still blocks part of the clear width. To recover those couple of inches you need a swing clear hinge, which offsets the leaf so the door swings entirely out of the opening. The BEST CB248 is a full mortise concealed bearing swing clear hinge for square edge doors, and the Hager 1260 is a swing clear full mortise hinge in a heavy duty five knuckle plain bearing design.

A plain bearing hinge is a different service class. The TCA3386 is a concealed anti-friction bearing heavy weight hinge recommended for high frequency or heavy wood and metal doors in public buildings with heavy traffic. The Hager 1279 is a full mortise plain bearing commercial hinge with five knuckles at a medium duty rating, and the Hager 1541 is a stainless steel five knuckle full mortise plain bearing hinge for residential use. Both leave out the bearing race that carries a high cycle commercial opening.

The TCA3386 is a heavy duty hinge intended for extra heavy doors or those exposed to high frequency use. On a lower traffic opening, the BEST 1900R is a steel full mortise concealed bearing standard weight hinge with a removable pin at a medium duty rating, and the Stanley Security CB1960R is a full mortise concealed bearing standard weight hinge also rated medium duty. Both keep the concealed bearing design and the full mortise mounting, so the door prep concept is the same while the weight class is lighter.

Not without new prep. The TCA3386 is 4-1/2 inch by 4-1/2 inch, while the Don-Jo BB74540 is a full mortise ball bearing hinge measuring 4-1/2 inch by 4 inch in satin chrome at a standard duty rating. The half inch of leaf width difference means the existing mortise and screw pattern will not line up, so the 4 inch leaf is for openings already prepped that way, not a drop-in for a 4-1/2 inch square hinge.

Two: 626 satin chrome and BSP black suede powder. Satin chrome is the one that matches most commercial lever and closer hardware already in a building, so for a fleet of openings already running 626 trim, that's the match. BSP is a powder coat, worth choosing when the rest of the opening is dark finish.

Ball, steeple and hospital tips are all available on the TCA3386 beyond the standard flat button. Hospital tips are the ones to specify in healthcare and behavioral health settings, they're sloped so nothing can be looped over the top of the barrel. Ball and steeple are decorative choices for openings where the hinge is visible.

Three per leaf is the standard on a commercial door up to 7 feet 6 inches tall, and a fourth is added for every additional 30 inches of height. The TCA3386 is a heavy weight hinge, which is what carries an extra heavy or high frequency door, but hinge count is driven by door height, not by weight class. All hinges on one leaf must be the same size and hand, so order the full set in one finish rather than mixing in a replacement.