Gas Struts For Drop Down Bed

Folkranger

Folkranger

Joined
May 2, 2014
Posts
2,429
Likes collected
5,016
Location
Washington
Funster No
31,281
MH
Hymer B 584DL
Exp
17 years + 35 tugging
We are now using an A Class drop down overcab bed and finding it very heavy to lift into place. I know that it's lighter without bedding but we keep ours up there. The old style with the strap allowed a bit of licence to stow it a tad lower but this click in type is totally unforgiving. Part of the issue is the comression of bedding against the roof but the total weight of the bed works against this too.

Just wondering if anyone else has done anything like uprating the gas struts. Also if the struts were more powerful and eased the job of lifting, would they also make pulling it down more of an effort.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
I don't think compressing the bedding up against the roof is a good idea, it'll prevent air circulating and I doubt stronger gas struts would held much to achieve this.
Is there no way to fix a little lower ? not familiar with the click type
 
Upvote 0
Figaro said:
I don't think compressing the bedding up against the roof is a good idea, it'll prevent air circulating and I doubt stronger gas struts would held much to achieve this.
Is there no way to fix a little lower ? not familiar with the click type
Click to expand...
There are adjusting blocks which give about +/- 10mm but that's just so the furniture is aligned. There's not a lot of bedding compression but it just adds to the overall burden. We've been doing this with this van for a year now and there are no negative issues. I just want to make it easier if possible.
 
Upvote 0
i think you should also start worrying about all the extra weight any uprated struts would add, also is there the potential to be gassed if the gas struts start to leak ......??

or i suppose you could just do it the way you want to or feel it would work best for you and ignore my advice/comments ;);)

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
Lenny HB said:
Have a word with SGS they will make struts to any pressure required and will advise on suitability also they are not very expensive.

<Broken link removed>
Click to expand...
Thanks Lenny. Just hoping someone who has done this might be able to comment on what was involved and how successful it was. Not found anything on the forums.
 
Upvote 0
MisterB said:
i think you should also start worrying about all the extra weight any uprated struts would add, also is there the potential to be gassed if the gas struts start to leak ......??

or i suppose you could just do it the way you want to or feel it would work best for you and ignore my advice/comments ;);)
Click to expand...
You want to give me any advice, I'm a good listener.
 
Upvote 0
I changed mine and got them from SGS, I am handy and do most of my own work including electrics and mechanics.

The struts were one of the worst jobs I have ever undertaken. With the bed down you needed to compress them, not a chance! I used climbing prussik rope and it just snapped when I released the car jack I had used to compress them.

Had to do it through the gap with the bed fully up.

It is much easier though now they are done, £60 for the pair.
 
Upvote 0
MisterB said:
i think you should also start worrying about all the extra weight any uprated struts would add, also is there the potential to be gassed if the gas struts start to leak ......??

or i suppose you could just do it the way you want to or feel it would work best for you and ignore my advice/comments ;);)
Click to expand...
The struts are uprated with the gas charge, they aren’t bigger or heavier and have so little gas in them, it will make no difference if they leak which they shouldn’t anyway.
 
Upvote 0
Googlebot said:
I changed mine and got them from SGS, I am handy and do most of my own work including electrics and mechanics.

The struts were one of the worst jobs I have ever undertaken. With the bed down you needed to compress them, not a chance! I used climbing prussik rope and it just snapped when I released the car jack I had used to compress them.

Had to do it through the gap with the bed fully up.

It is much easier though now they are done, £60 for the pair.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a job I would not now do. I've done almost everything myself rather than pay others but now I'm finding things harder than I used to.

Did you change yours because they had deteriorated or to make good ones better? My van is relatively new and so I assume the struts to be as good as new, just a bit underpowered.

Was there any worsening in the effort required to drop the bed?

Was there any tendency for the bed to rise by itself? Ours will do this if the mattress is removed.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
MisterB said:
i think you should also start worrying about all the extra weight any uprated struts would add, also is there the potential to be gassed if the gas struts start to leak ......??

or i suppose you could just do it the way you want to or feel it would work best for you and ignore my advice/comments ;);)
Click to expand...



i do sometimes question peoples sense of humour, in particular my own LOL !! i thought it was funny and extremely witty (in particular the wink, wink)......

motorhomers being gassed and robbed and being advised that their vans will become incredibly overloaded by the addition of anything other than fresh air often pops up just when they are least expected, a bit like the Spanish Inquisition (the Monty Python version!)
 
Upvote 0
Folkranger said:
Sounds like a job I would not now do. I've done almost everything myself rather than pay others but now I'm finding things harder than I used to.

Did you change yours because they had deteriorated or to make good ones better? My van is relatively new and so I assume the struts to be as good as new, just a bit underpowered.

Was there any worsening in the effort required to drop the bed?

Was there any tendency for the bed to rise by itself? Ours will do this if the mattress is removed.
Click to expand...
One of mine had failed, couldn’t raise the bed easily and wife couldn’t at all. Required a sideways shove. They were 7 years old.

New struts transformed it, raises with one hand and stays there. Lowers with one hand, will stay down except the last few CM.

It will raise on its own with no bedding on just about, but if you take off the mattress it’s difficult to lower, but why would you?


MisterB said:
i do sometimes question peoples sense of humour, in particular my own LOL !! i thought it was funny and extremely witty (in particular the wink, wink)......

motorhomers being gassed and robbed and being advised that their vans will become incredibly overloaded by the addition of anything other than fresh air often pops up just when they are least expected, a bit like the Spanish Inquisition (the Monty Python version!)
Click to expand...
Sorry, missed that. Oops. 😂
 
Upvote 0
Googlebot said:
The struts were one of the worst jobs I have ever undertaken.
Click to expand...
I concur with that Googlebot. :(

I had help with ours from a big strapping chap, and we both struggled. Fortunately, I have a couple of extending cargo load bars, which we used to prop the bed in the up position, with him lying on top ready to line up the struts, as the I finely adjusted the cargo bars.

I didn't have a good experience with replacement locker struts from SGS, so didn't use them for the bed struts, but did source them elsewhere. Each bed strut is pressurised to 1300 Newtons, so it's no wonder you struggled to compress them Googlebot. ;)

The result is that not only does the bed rise much easier, it also now wants to stay up, and not come down around our ears every time we roll over a sleeping policeman, as it did before. :doh:

Cheers,

Jock. :)
 
Upvote 0
I replaced my roof struts on the bongo (sgs)
Used rachet straps to compress with bits of carpet at the ends to prevent ends poking through. One at a time!

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
I used SGS struts and had uprated ones, went from 1700nm to 1900nm and don’t get the bed bouncing down so much on rough roads.
we store extra bed sheets under the mattres.
This is on a 2001 B584 with strap
 
Upvote 0
How do you find out which struts are needed are there markings on them ?? one side of my overhead bed dips down loosely, don't want to drop the bed down just yet to have a look in case I can't get it back up.don't suppose coming through Italy helped.
 
Upvote 0
I have fitted new struts to my drop down bed as well, it transformed it! Just got someone to hold the bed up and change one at a time, no need to compress them.
 
Upvote 0
Have a wor
Busman said:
How do you find out which struts are needed are there markings on them ?? one side of my overhead bed dips down loosely, don't want to drop the bed down just yet to have a look in case I can't get it back up.don't suppose coming through Italy helped.
Click to expand...
Yes, part number and pressure marked on them.
 
Upvote 0
The gas used in the struts is nitrogen, it's nearly 80% of the air we breath daily, so isn't gonna cause a problem if it leaks. A bigger issue would be the tiny amount of oil that's encapsulated in the struts getting onto furnishings from a leaky strut ?
 
Upvote 0
Strangely, after posting this yesterday a year old post was resurrected today with the following video of the entire process.
It doesn't look too difficult but I'm not sure that it isn't even easier on the newer Hymers.



 
Upvote 0

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Join us

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Back
Top