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Old 11-27-2021, 11:19 AM   #1
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2021 FR3 30DS Overhead Cabinet Doors

Our 2021 FR3 30DS has 7 overhead cabinet doors that open from top down

This seems to be a poor design as it appears a lot of pressure could be placed on door hinges

I am thinking of flipping the hinges so the cabinet door so it opens up (bottom towards the ceiling) and installing a gas strut to hold door open

Has anyone had any experience in this ?

Any input would be appreciated

Thanks
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Old 11-27-2021, 11:33 AM   #2
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I have not seen an FR3 interior but this cabinet design seems very strange.

On the Sunseeker and Forester line, upper cabinet doors open upward with hinges that hold the cabinet door up and also do automatic slow closing. My point is, depending on the cabinet door weight, you may be able to get hinges like those instead of messing with struts.
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Old 12-02-2021, 08:06 AM   #3
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I have a wolf pup 16TS and they open from the bottom up and are very annoying because you have to hold the doors up while getting something out with one hand. That hinge is a great idea, I'll have to look into it.
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Old 12-03-2021, 09:36 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by pnkdmnd View Post
I have a wolf pup 16TS and they open from the bottom up and are very annoying because you have to hold the doors up while getting something out with one hand. That hinge is a great idea, I'll have to look into it.
I was annoyed just the same. Did some research, gas struts, hold open hinges and all that just seemed like too much work. Not enough juice for the squeeze. So I added this hold open to the ceiling. Wife loves it and it works very well.

Baggage door catch

Cheap and fast with minimal effort - just how I like it hah
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Old 12-03-2021, 10:01 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SContheroad View Post
Our 2021 FR3 30DS has 7 overhead cabinet doors that open from top down

This seems to be a poor design as it appears a lot of pressure could be placed on door hinges

I am thinking of flipping the hinges so the cabinet door so it opens up (bottom towards the ceiling) and installing a gas strut to hold door open

Has anyone had any experience in this ?

Any input would be appreciated

Thanks
My 2018 FR3 28DS has three cabinet doors that open up with spring struts to hold them open above the jack-knife sofa.
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Old 12-03-2021, 10:28 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by rk06382 View Post
My 2018 FR3 28DS has three cabinet doors that open up with spring struts to hold them open above the jack-knife sofa.
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In my situation, i dont have a solid wall like you do here, so i wouldve had to add a block or something to be able to mount the other end from the door. Couldve been done, but too much engineering for the problem at hand. And wouldve been a $35-50 upgrade or more instead of $8.
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Old 12-03-2021, 10:31 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by jcrevs View Post
I was annoyed just the same. Did some research, gas struts, hold open hinges and all that just seemed like too much work. Not enough juice for the squeeze. So I added this hold open to the ceiling. Wife loves it and it works very well.

Baggage door catch

Cheap and fast with minimal effort - just how I like it hah

Thank you!! I will check into those!
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Old 12-03-2021, 11:33 AM   #8
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Thank you!! I will check into those!
You'll still have to flip the hinges around of course. Opening down - what a dumb idea! Sometimes I look at things and wonder how the hell a designer could come up with it and say yeah that's perfect!
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