Thread: Gas Struts
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Old 07-07-2023, 11:29 AM   #67
rickst29
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Reno, NV
Posts: 1,318
Lightbulb Front shell is done, seems to work VERY well. I added only one strut. (??)

(1) Fully effective with an unbalanced installation.

With just ONE of the longer struts installed on the street side, assisting the forward lift bar, I now have "pretty good" balance for raising and lower the front shell when lifting from the front curb side corner, and lowering (pushing towards the rear, then allowing the shell to settle downwards.

I tested after installing only one strut on the street side. I was very surprised to "feel" that the shell motion was fairly balanced, from street to curb, with a balancing "curb side strut" not yet added.
- - -
The initial "lift" effort is down to perhaps 40 lbs (I can still do that much with only one hand). The forwards motion at the end of lifting is now slightly over-emphasized, but stops, unassisted, very near the pin-insertion location.

It is slightly more effort than before to initiate the push-down, perhaps now also about 40 pounds - but in a horizontal direction with more upper body stress. Still pretty easy, but not as easy as before.
- - -
I had expected either the lift, or the drop, to to be unbalanced and uneven with only one strut installed. But the heights above the front corners and the rear corners (above the lowered rear shell) are nearly equal through the entire range of motion: The front-most lip stays nearly level when lifting (up and out) or lowering (inwards and then down).

Maybe one of my 16-year old front-most torsion bars bars has weakened more than the other, and the single "90-lb" strut assist brings the tow front corners into better balance. But I guess that both torsion bars are still roughly the same (both somewhat inadequate), and I did not inspect the opposing box mount box mount of the strut-assisted torsion bar. I do have the option to now slightly loosen the torsion adjustment screw on that corner, removing just a bit of strength from the current "all-in" screw position.

I shall also slightly reduce the torsion bar "strength" for the lift bar at the street-side rear corner of the front shell. With the front-most street side lift bar now assisted to carry its fair share, the front shell lift bar behind it (street side), is leaving 7 - 8" of height when dropped, before using the foot stirrup to clamp it in,0 (before using the foot stirrup to clamp it al the way down, and I understand roughly 5 inches to be a better balancing point.

(2) Plans for the opposing front-most lift bar mount.

I already built and installed the complete lower mount for the front-most street side, but adding a second strut using that mount will almost definitely create too much lifting force (i.e., too hard to lower the shell and push all the down into the locking hooks). I can leave it installed, ready for a future add on of more lift power.

But my rear shell is also extremely difficult to lift (it has a 26 lb solar panel on top, perhaps I should have used a flex panel there.) If I remove the current lower strut mounting from the front to use on the rear unchanged, it would need to be installed street side - and its mounting screws would almost certainly pierce one or more of the "H" or "C" fresh water pipes (for the tub, or for the drain valves).

To set the the correct angle of descent on the curb side (towards the rear instead of towards the front), I can either buy a new L-Bar mount for the base of the TM, or move the existing one and drill new holes. Moving the existing one and adding holes wiil be less work, I plan to do that within a few days.
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TM='06 2619 w/5K axle, 15" Maxxis "E" tires. Plumbing protector. 630 watts solar. 450AH LiFePO4 batteries, 3500 watt inverter. CR-1110 E-F/S fridge (compressor).
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