Replacing super viking gas struts

lowie · May 4, 2012

*maintains a dignified silence at the silly boys*
dont blame you zoe some people have minds like sewers
why do it yourself if you can get your mechanic to do it for you
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yorkshirecampers · May 5, 2012

Wahoooooooooooooooooooo 2 knackered old gas struts OUT, 2 shiny new gas struts IN

Roof CONQUERED! O0

Paley · May 5, 2012

Divorce narrowly avoided

lowie · May 5, 2012

so you can keep it up all night then
the ROOF

Paley · May 6, 2012

Don't underestimate this. The struts are longer than the space they fit in and and have strong springs to hold the weight of the big roof.

That was one of the problems. Also the original bolt at the top of the front didn't have enough room to come out - they must have bolted it in to the plate then screwed the plate onto the roof - but the screws weren't for moving - so a hacksaw had to be employed to "shorten" the bolt.

To get the struts in involves some brute force and over extending the roof - then to get the bolt through you have to keep raising and lowering the roof a bit while trying to force the bolt through - a job for two people.
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yorkshirecampers · May 6, 2012

a job for two people.

Or even three, one to beggar about with bolts, one to force the roof up as much as humanly possible, and one to go to the DIY shop (twice) for proper tools :
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ED70 · May 19, 2012

I need to do this - I bought some new, had them fitted and they snapped the first time I tried to lift the roof. So, now I have to remove the damaged ones, have the old ones re-gassed and start again. Am not impressed.

Am wondering if I should have a go myself having read this?

yorkshirecampers · May 20, 2012

Am wondering if I should have a go myself having read this?

Yes do - believe me, we are both hopeless at DIY and even we managed it. You will definitely need 2 people, a lot of patience and a stiff drink. Good luck!
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fat sam · May 20, 2012

I put new gas struts on our super viking but found in strong winds that the roof blew down, so came up with these.

A plate with a thread in middle screwed to roof and gutter clamp on the other end, plastic conduit tubing to cover threaded bar to neaten things up.

yorkshirecampers · May 20, 2012

I put new gas struts on our super viking but found in strong winds that the roof blew down, so came up with these.

A plate with a thread in middle screwed to roof and gutter clamp on the other end, plastic conduit tubing to cover threaded bar to neaten things up.

Ooh me likey - well done.

We discovered when taking off the previous struts that there is a metal bracket type thing that locks round the bottom half of the strut (we've only got one, should get another fabricated really but CBA with taking the struts off again) so that if the roof falls, it can't go more than half way down. Would have been useful to have found that before the roof collapsed in on the teenagers on New Years Eve :

I also wedge my roof up in high winds with the bed shelf along the driver's side. It's great having a super viking, got so many beds we don't need em all ;D
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fat sam · May 20, 2012

I put new gas struts on our super viking but found in strong winds that the roof blew down, so came up with these.

A plate with a thread in middle screwed to roof and gutter clamp on the other end, plastic conduit tubing to cover threaded bar to neaten things up.

Ooh me likey - well done.

We discovered when taking off the previous struts that there is a metal bracket type thing that locks round the bottom half of the strut (we've only got one, should get another fabricated really but CBA with taking the struts off again) so that if the roof falls, it can't go more than half way down. Would have been useful to have found that before the roof collapsed in on the teenagers on New Years Eve :

I also wedge my roof up in high winds with the bed shelf along the driver's side. It's great having a super viking, got so many beds we don't need em all ;D
I know the little metal things you mean, if you look closely at the base of the strut in my pics you will notice that mine is laid down, i have since removed them as one night in strong winds it caused such a force it snapped a roof hinge, thats why i came up with the gutter clamp idea. its a lot of weight being supported in such a small triangular area, i have just made the triangle bigger if you see what i mean, resulting in less strain on hinges.
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fat sam · May 20, 2012

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Replacing super viking gas struts

lowie

yorkshirecampers

Paley

lowie

Paley

yorkshirecampers

ED70

yorkshirecampers

fat sam

yorkshirecampers

fat sam

fat sam

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Replacing super viking gas struts

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