gas struts for bed

We have replaced our oem mattress with a good quality pillow top mattress. The new mattress is considerably heavier than the factory model and the two gas struts aren't up to the job of lifting the bed. Should we replace these two struts with heavier duty ones or is there a better solution?

And if we replace the two struts (which I think would be the the easiest solution) how would we determine the lift capacity required?

I will check the existing struts today to see if there are any spec's stamped on them so I at least know from what point I am starting.

thanks

I think you should replace the struts. Our OEM mattress (+ memory foam) is too heavy to lift without the struts. Our struts came loose, and Scruffy had to reattach them - I couldn't lift it, and he had a hard time lifting it.

Tater

Thats a good question, we have a new mattress and memory foam too. It's hard to lift the bed in ours too. Let us know if you figure out which strut to use.

With the OEM struts, we don't have a problem lifting the OEM mattress. But, when the struts came loose, I couldn't lift it at all. I think the screws holding the struts just worked themselves loose over time. Something to check on now and then.

Tater

Our stuts ripped loose multiple times, 3 times per side IIRC. I finally pulled them off of the pressboard sheet the mattress lays on, glued the heck out of two solid wooden blocks to about where they bolted on using Gorilla Glue (and I mean lots of glue, enough to fill the holes left by the first time I glued small plywood things over the places where the screws had taken chunks of that cheap pressboard out, spent time cutting dried dripping glue away/laid paper under to catch the drips before it set up). Bolted it all back together using new/long screws that just barely failed to poke holes in the mattress. I don't recall whether or not I glued the screws also, I've been known to do that when they peeve me and it's not like I ever want the darned thing to come apart.

Bill,
We'll keep your solution in mind if our struts come out again. Or maybe I should say WHEN our struts come out.

I took out one of my gas struts in order to read the inked stamp and found that it's an SPD model GSNI-2300-100. The 100 appears to mean 100# force. Using this, I googled and found http://www.spdhardware.com/catalog/list.asp?id=%7BFD677C08-6417-4A4C-9551-C52741324413%7D. This link is a little slow to load so give it a few seconds to bring up the table.

I found mine listed as a GSNI Black Nitride Shaft Gas Spring.

It looks like I can order an IDENTICAL fit strut from 10# up to 150# (all at same price of $17.47) and it's just a click fit for replacement without having to change the existing mounted hardware brackets. I don't want to go overkill with the 150# version and end up having the strut tear itself off so I might order the 120# model and hope the 20# extra force per side is enough. I'm guessing a combined 40# of additional lift will be ok.

Yes, Camping World has some struts but their website doesn't say which brand so I'm not positive that it would be an exact match regarding compressed and extended lengths and end fittings.

As I said, somewhere else, we replaced ours with a 9" memory foam mattress from Sams Club. I remember it was Sams because we went to WallyWorld and bought a gift card and put it on our VISA card, love those airline miles. Took the gift card to Sams, they won't accept our Alaska Airlines Visa card, and exchanged it for the mattress. The two factory struts will hold that mattress up.

I looked today, the wood I glued in is about 7"X7"X3/4" (scraps from the neighbors cedar fence which I've been tossing into places like the closets for bugs, that big old doornob bit makes a nice puck out of one, and using as aromatic tinder for fires in the fireplace) and the bracket is mounted in the middle along the side of it. Looked like the screws were not glued in.

WOW. U all our into some serious weight lifting. Since the HYD plumbing is under my bed for the slide we only go there to check the HYDs. The one time we did it was a serious pain in the ???. Need to go there again but need a few I have to check. Maybe another FR sip up and do not have struts.

I am guessing yours are 17 inches long.

Cardinal_Bill wrote:Our stuts ripped loose multiple times, 3 times per side IIRC. I finally pulled them off of the pressboard sheet the mattress lays on, glued the heck out of two solid wooden blocks to about where they bolted on using Gorilla Glue (and I mean lots of glue, enough to fill the holes left by the first time I glued small plywood things over the places where the screws had taken chunks of that cheap pressboard out, spent time cutting dried dripping glue away/laid paper under to catch the drips before it set up). Bolted it all back together using new/long screws that just barely failed to poke holes in the mattress. I don't recall whether or not I glued the screws also, I've been known to do that when they peeve me and it's not like I ever want the darned thing to come apart.

We seem to function the same way Bill.

It isn't hard to lift. The struts do most of the work.

Then I must not have them

Or they aren't working properly. They help lift the bed, and they keep the bed raised until it is pushed back down.

Tater

Time to go looking