Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill
Just a note. There was a word of caution in (I think) the RVTravel newsletter not long ago about replacing those gas struts with bigger ones. I believe it said that the structure of the bed (or the frame???) might not be strong enough to accept the point load of heavier struts, and in some instances had broken. I don't recall that it had a solution, but perhaps adding a third strut, supported at some distance from the others, might be a good approach, rather than beefing up the existing ones.
I don't have an Elkmont, I don't have a liftable bed, and I have no experience with air struts other than the ones that support the tailgate in my car. So take this thought with a large dose of salts. Actually, you might consider looking up the last few issues of the newsletter, to see if you can spot the article. If I find it, I'll post a link here.
Bill
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That makes sense. I would imagine that those things just screw into particle board. If they do, the screws may rip out chunks of the particle board.
To prevent that (if that's the issue) you may want to consider gluing and screwing a 1'x1' piece of 1/4" or 3/8" plywood into the particle board with several screws. Then mount the struts onto the plywood. Plywood holds screws much better than particle board.
The other option may be to drill all the way through the particle board and use machine screws and nuts.