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Old 03-08-2013, 10:44 PM   #1
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Gas Struts under bed platform

Before we added a CW Mattress Topper to our bed in our TT, the factory installed gas struts that held the bed platform up while accessing the storage area under it were just fine... After adding the Topper, they will no longer hold the platform up due to the added weight.. Has anyone else experienced this problem and what did you do to correct it... Presently we have a piece of 1 x 1 wood to hold the thing up, but for one person to raise the bed and position the support is at best difficult... Ideas or suggestions
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Old 03-08-2013, 10:56 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Adony View Post
Before we added a CW Mattress Topper to our bed in our TT, the factory installed gas struts that held the bed platform up while accessing the storage area under it were just fine... After adding the Topper, they will no longer hold the platform up due to the added weight.. Has anyone else experienced this problem and what did you do to correct it... Presently we have a piece of 1 x 1 wood to hold the thing up, but for one person to raise the bed and position the support is at best difficult... Ideas or suggestions
Not sure if your struts are the same as the struts on our hatchback van, but when the temperature gets a little chilly here, the struts won't hold the hatchback fully open. When the temperature warms up, they hold the hatchback up just like they are supposed to.
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Old 03-08-2013, 11:26 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Adony View Post
Before we added a CW Mattress Topper to our bed in our TT, the factory installed gas struts that held the bed platform up while accessing the storage area under it were just fine... After adding the Topper, they will no longer hold the platform up due to the added weight.. Has anyone else experienced this problem and what did you do to correct it... Presently we have a piece of 1 x 1 wood to hold the thing up, but for one person to raise the bed and position the support is at best difficult... Ideas or suggestions
We've had the same experience and have basically done the same thing with a dowel. We only use that area for things we don't need to get all the time. Small price to pay for a good nights sleep.
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Old 03-09-2013, 12:17 AM   #4
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Our bed struts were also like that. I investigated the cost of replacing the existing struts to higher rated...from 60 to 100 psi for what I can recall. I decided to try to re-postion the strut further away from the hinge (on our the lower 2/3 of the bed lifts) to see if that was sufficient. I moved the lower mount 4" away from the hinge and the top mount 5". The bed now stay up on the struts without assistance. As I moved the struts further away from the hinge, the bed lift is about 1" lower than before but not an issue for me.

Here's a couple of photos...

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Old 03-09-2013, 12:32 AM   #5
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The mounting location of the top and bottom attachment points are important to get the full compression on the struts. I relocated the lower attachment brackets on a friends TT because the factory installed them so they basically hardly worked at all. Don't trust the factory to have done it right in the first place.

Not sure if I can explain it clearly without drawing. It's a case of simply measuring the compressed and extended length of the strut and positioning the brackets so the strut is nearly fully compressed with the mattress down. And you can position both upper and lower brackets forward or rearward as needed a bit by the same amount to get enough lift in the raised position. It's all about geometry.

We installed a foam mattress with memory foam topper and it is quite a bit heavier than the original mattress. Our struts held up the new mattress just fine. And our plywood platform is hinged at the head of the bed which means the struts are holding the full weight of the mattress + plywood and it works great.
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Old 03-09-2013, 09:28 AM   #6
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Interestingly enough, my DW immediately added the foam top and cover in our Cedar Creek..and honestly not thinking about the compression pistons I haven't had an issue yet. (Now when will that statement bite me in the backside?)
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Old 03-09-2013, 09:38 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by myredracer View Post
The mounting location of the top and bottom attachment points are important to get the full compression on the struts. I relocated the lower attachment brackets on a friends TT because the factory installed them so they basically hardly worked at all. Don't trust the factory to have done it right in the first place.
That's why I moved the top mount 5" but the bottom mount only 4" as the gas strut wasn't fully retracted with the original mounting.

Dave
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Old 03-10-2013, 08:43 AM   #8
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struts

Quote:
Originally Posted by Adony View Post
Before we added a CW Mattress Topper to our bed in our TT, the factory installed gas struts that held the bed platform up while accessing the storage area under it were just fine... After adding the Topper, they will no longer hold the platform up due to the added weight.. Has anyone else experienced this problem and what did you do to correct it... Presently we have a piece of 1 x 1 wood to hold the thing up, but for one person to raise the bed and position the support is at best difficult... Ideas or suggestions
You can get new struts at CW
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Old 03-10-2013, 09:19 AM   #9
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Dave has an excellent idea about moving the struts. Better leverage further out.

For the lazy guy that I am, I think I am just going to get a prop rod.
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