diff --git a/swift/common/utils.py b/swift/common/utils.py
index 2c8bd1d622..a71a9128ae 100644
--- a/swift/common/utils.py
+++ b/swift/common/utils.py
@@ -776,7 +776,7 @@ def readconf(conf, section_name=None, log_name=None, defaults=None):
     return conf
 
 
-def write_pickle(obj, dest, tmp):
+def write_pickle(obj, dest, tmp, pickle_protocol=0):
     """
     Ensure that a pickle file gets written to disk.  The file
     is first written to a tmp location, ensure it is synced to disk, then
@@ -785,10 +785,11 @@ def write_pickle(obj, dest, tmp):
     :param obj: python object to be pickled
     :param dest: path of final destination file
     :param tmp: path to tmp to use
+    :param pickle_protocol: protocol to pickle the obj with, defaults to 0
     """
-    fd, tmppath = mkstemp(dir=tmp)
+    fd, tmppath = mkstemp(dir=tmp, suffix='.tmp')
     with os.fdopen(fd, 'wb') as fo:
-        pickle.dump(obj, fo)
+        pickle.dump(obj, fo, pickle_protocol)
         fo.flush()
         os.fsync(fd)
         renamer(tmppath, dest)
diff --git a/swift/obj/replicator.py b/swift/obj/replicator.py
index 01c0da056f..f58bace4b8 100644
--- a/swift/obj/replicator.py
+++ b/swift/obj/replicator.py
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ from eventlet.support.greenlets import GreenletExit
 
 from swift.common.ring import Ring
 from swift.common.utils import whataremyips, unlink_older_than, lock_path, \
-        renamer, compute_eta, get_logger
+        compute_eta, get_logger, write_pickle
 from swift.common.bufferedhttp import http_connect
 from swift.common.daemon import Daemon
 
@@ -105,9 +105,7 @@ def invalidate_hash(suffix_dir):
         except Exception:
             return
         hashes[suffix] = None
-        with open(hashes_file + '.tmp', 'wb') as fp:
-            pickle.dump(hashes, fp, PICKLE_PROTOCOL)
-        renamer(hashes_file + '.tmp', hashes_file)
+        write_pickle(hashes, hashes_file, partition_dir, PICKLE_PROTOCOL)
 
 
 def get_hashes(partition_dir, recalculate=[], do_listdir=False,
@@ -157,9 +155,7 @@ def get_hashes(partition_dir, recalculate=[], do_listdir=False,
                 modified = True
                 sleep()
         if modified:
-            with open(hashes_file + '.tmp', 'wb') as fp:
-                pickle.dump(hashes, fp, PICKLE_PROTOCOL)
-            renamer(hashes_file + '.tmp', hashes_file)
+            write_pickle(hashes, hashes_file, partition_dir, PICKLE_PROTOCOL)
         return hashed, hashes