When the canopy doors on your Ute keep banging shut instead of opening and closing slowly and smoothly, you know it’s time to fix the problem. You can either do this yourself or ask an auto fitter to do the job for you, but regardless of who actually performs the gas struts replacement, if you don’t select the right struts, it won’t go well.
There are distinct differences between gas struts that can be easily missed, causing you to ask for a refund and try another pair until you get it right. To avoid all of this trouble, it makes sense to buy the right struts in the first place, so here is the information you need to collect, before placing your online order.
Type of brand:
Knowing the exact brand of strut that’s already installed in your Ute starts the whole gas struts replacement process off on the right foot. This can be something as simple as a label on the strut or a brand etched into the strut. You might also notice a list of numbers that indicate the pressure of the struts. Write all this information down.
Length and diameter of the struts:
You also need to know the length of the fully extended strut, so just open the window and write down this measurement. The length of the body and the shaft length can also be written down, but the extended length is more important than the other two measurements. The diameter of the struts isn’t always necessary if you have all the other measurements, but it can’t do any harm and is worthwhile writing down in your notes.
End fittings:
These are also important, because the wrong end fittings will stop your gas struts replacement in its tracks. It’s likely to be either a ball and socket end fitting or just a hole in the end of the strut, but it can also be a clevis end fitting. The ball and socket end fittings are the most common types, and if this is true for your struts, you need to know whether the ends are made of metal or plastic, and whether they are 10mm or 13mm. Also, if the struts fit into brackets, then write this down as well (or take a picture with your phone).
With this information to hand, your gas struts replacement should go smoothly. However, if you want to fit new struts to a canopy door that wasn’t originally fitted with struts, you need to know a few different measurements.
The first measurement you need is the actual weight of the door that needs the gas struts, as this is used to calculate the pressure required in the struts. Since it’s unlikely that you want to remove the door and weight it, the alternative is to use a formula to figure out this weight, but as that’s also unlikely, then a guess is usually good enough! The width and height of the doors are also essential to calculating the pressure and lift required. Last, but not least, you need to make a note of the door’s edging material, as this can affect how the struts are installed. As you can see from the above information, the most important part of gas struts replacement is selecting the right struts!
Article Submitted By Community Writer
