Exterior Gas Strut Roof Lift Assists

I had the struts installed by the new 4-Wheel dealer in Portland. Cost me about $420. But they probably estimated a little low on labor. I found that the Eagle 40 inch struts were harder to find (to buy myself) and definitely more expensive than the shorter ones. I have a 25 lb. solar panel on the roof and without lifts, the panel would be too heavy for me. I don't recall them using sealer. Be careful to make sure your screws are not too long. If too long they can go right into the mattress. (an error made by the Dealer which I had to fix. To be fair, my rig was their first attempt)

part number: C16-31896 front (30 lbs)
part number: C16-31895 rear (20 lbs)

Be aware that even with lifts the initial 6 inches or so, you have to put some muscle in it. The reason is that the lifts are initially pushing OUTWARD (not up) and you have to have a little up of an upward angle before they actually "lift". It was worth it to do. Also, when lowering the roof, it keeps it from slamming down.

Chris
 
I have a Fleet with two 100w solar panels, one in rear and one the middle, both are about 20 lbs.

I had 80 lb internal struts. The rear was very difficult to raise with foam on my head and the front was not to bad. Coming down it was very difficult to keep both from not slamming down.

Last week I had the southern Calif dealer install the front and rear external struts. I think they are 40 lb, but not labeled. They are Suspa C16-32561 which I can’t find reference to on the Suspa site or in any searches. They are also not labeled like my other ones that say “80 lbs”.
Raising - the rear is about 25% easier to lift than with the internal struts but is still quite heavy and still requires the foam/head technique. The front is about twice as hard as when I had the 80 lb internal struts - it was quite easy with the internal, and now requires foam/head. They also told me you are suppose to lift the front first, but that does not make sense to me and I have never done it that way.

Lowering - the front came down hard with just the internal but now comes down nice and easy. The rear is ok the first part and then I can no longer hold it and it slams down.

So, with the internal struts the back was very hard and front very easy to lift, both came down hard. With external struts, the back is a little easier but the front is much worse. Overall, the external struts are harder which is a big frustration given the time and money investment in having this done.

Is it possible to go to 60 lbs or more on the externals?

As I’ve said, my solar panels are rear and middle. I was also thinking about moving the middle panel to the front - then having one in back and one in front (easy to do with the Yakima tracks) This would make the back easier to lift and I assume easier to lower. In this configuration could I also reinstall the internal struts and have them help the external front struts? Maybe reduce the internals from 80 lbs to ??

​I have both of these questions into FWC but am also interested in real world wisdom of the collective group.

I read about people with external struts having their roof “float” up and down. They must not have a compressor fridge with 200W of solar.

Thoughts?
 
Interested in the answers to this. I have internals shocks and will be adding a second panel to the top of my Hawk. Just about sure I will need to go to external shocks. Will be adding them myself so would be nice to know what size to use.

Looking at this 150w panel that will on on sale for $145 on Black Friday
Solar Cynergy 150 Watt
12 Volt Solar Panel


ONLY $145
(Regular Price: $165)


Manufacturer: Solar Cynergy


[SIZE=10pt]Model Name: PV-SC150J12 [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Electrical Data
Maximum Power Output: 150 Watts
Max Operating Voltage (Vmp): 18.0 Volts
Max Operating Current (Imp): 8.33 Amps
Open Circuit Voltage (Voc): 22.4 Volts
Short Circuit Current (Isc): 8.75 Amps
Module Efficiency: 14.70% [/SIZE]






Any thoughts on this compared to the 100w Renogy I have now?
 
Bill,

I think this would put you at 250 Watts which should be great for your setup. That amount should work great with your compressor fridge and other electronics.

I currently have 40 lbs external shocks on front and rear.
My Grandby came with 20 lbs in back and 30 lbs in the rear.
That was not enough to lift it easily even before my panel.
With my new 40 lbs panel it was very hard - and I am a young guy.

FWC told me that 40 lbs on the front and rear is the max they would ever use.
Apparently above that weight, the top is difficult to get down. FWC also thinks the extra weight
could damage the roof.

I had 100 lbs lift assist (internal - so only 200 lbs total) on my Hawk.
That worked perfect although it was harder to get the roof down then put it up.

My new system has 40 lbs front and rear (so 160 lbs total). It still requires some effort to lift the roof but is
much easier. If it wasn't for FWC warning me about the damage to the roof, I would have gone with 50 lbs front and rear (200 lbs total).
I think that would work the best for my setup. I still might change in the future, but for now, it's ok.
 
Bill, whos having that sale? I'm in the same boat, time to add a second panel. I don't normally participate in black friday but I might make an exception for this :)
 
craig333 said:
Bill, whos having that sale? I'm in the same boat, time to add a second panel. I don't normally participate in black friday but I might make an exception for this :)
Click to expand...
PM sent

Solar Blvd is having the sale. I got an email with the information.
 
I am brand new to the forum. Thanks for all of the info that you provide!
I have recently acquired a 2007 FWC Eagle, equipped with a solar panel and surf racks. After our first camping trip this weekend, I think that lift assists will be the first mod we do. I am wondering if anyone has tried using the 36" struts on an Eagle. I read earlier in this post or another that FWC recommends the 40", more expensive struts for he Eagle, but I don't understand why.
Thanks for any help on the matter!
 
I was the guy who ventured into the cauldron ... you probably read the whole shebang ... And after I did the work and did use the 40" (30 lbs) lifts ...I kept scratching my head as to why 36 " would not do the trick as it should be* simple geometry/physics (*a retired math science teacher).... that said... I also understand that there is a "curve of force" ...when the lifts are at their strongest and I believe (as it is science ... the boots on the ground testing that FWC did implied that the angle of the 36" was not maximizing lift at the right time) ... this seems like a little fuzzy as the distances in placement of either end of the 36 would be real close too the 40 shifted back and forth on the camper. I was told though that no matter where they aligned the 36" , it would not be able to close properly. I did not venture in the the R&D that they did as I did not want to buy both sets and experiment myself. At the end of it all... I added 2 , 1/4" thick plates where the lifts were attached to the walls, to beef up the compression on the wall/ball joints... works great. I am thrilled with the results and am VERY glad I did the install. (61 years old and only 5'8" !) I especially like how the roof comes down.... real gracefully and I can see how that helps all the stress points for a longer life....both the camper and me.
 
I think you want to see the plates I added? If so here you go.
 

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Certainly will do the trick but I can't remember a post from anyone saying they've had a issue with the stock plates, yet.
 
DonC said:
...
As I’ve said, my solar panels are rear and middle. I was also thinking about moving the middle panel to the front - then having one in back and one in front (easy to do with the Yakima tracks) This would make the back easier to lift and I assume easier to lower. In this configuration could I also reinstall the internal struts and have them help the external front struts? Maybe reduce the internals from 80 lbs to ??

​I have both of these questions into FWC but am also interested in real world wisdom of the collective group.

I read about people with external struts having their roof “float” up and down. They must not have a compressor fridge with 200W of solar.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
I have 2 X 100 watt, rigid 16 lbs. panels in the front of my Grandby. 2 X 60 lbf. Suspa struts two feet back from the front (2' overhang used for storage, not for sleeping). I am lifting 100 lbf. (measured) in the front with the panels. I also use a speaker lift to assist with the roof lifting ('cuz I'm old, lazy, and a wimp with a good back that I'd like to keep healthy). The two struts give me 90 lbf. vertical assist when roof is up. Roof goes up and down easily with the speaker lift. The speaker lift allows me to stop the roof in the middle of taking it down to tuck in the fabric (elastic is either stretched out or missing).

When the weather gets warmer, I plan on adding 2 X 40 lbf. struts to the back (mostly to support the old lift panels).

The speaker lift is probably the best investment I've made for my back health.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CD3QYW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00

jim
 
Mine raises and lowers fine with the 30 #ers. I had the front passinger side canvas never folded in quite right so I played around with the fan. Closed door, pulled air out of camper while lowering front slowly. corners pulled in like they should. Maybe canvas will make new fold panels. Mitch
 
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