Gas Shocks
Gas struts help lift hatch lids, or doors, and hold them open while you access the compartment. Used not just on boats but also on RVs and off-road vehicles. Gas struts are also commonly referred to as gas shocks or gas springs. » Read More
Learn More About Gas Shocks
Contents
What Gas Struts Do
Gas struts help us in many parts of our everyday lives. Our cars, trucks, toolboxes, windows, and even our favorite sandwich shops use gas struts. So what makes them so important on our boats? Many hatches are built to tolerate constant abuse from fishing weights, coolers, and even fish themselves. In the process of being built so strongly, they can get pretty heavy and difficult to lift. Read More
Gas Struts vs Gas Shocks
Gas struts can go by many names, including gas props, gas lifters, gas lifts, gas springs, gas dampeners, lift struts, and gas shocks just to give you a few. It is important to point out that there could be a difference in function between gas struts and shocks. In technical terms, gas struts are used as lift support, or counter-balance, moving masses.
On the other hand, in technical terms, gas shocks are used to support moving masses while controlling the system’s motion. In simpler terms, gas struts provide lifting assistance, while some may say that these shocks only provide fall dampening. In the case of boating, the terms are pretty interchangeable. Read More
How Gas Struts Work
Despite their variety of functions, gas struts are incredibly simple. A gas strut is no more than a device for storing energy in the form of compression. Think of the strut as a mechanical spring, but instead of absorbing and storing energy in coils, they store it in the gas of the strut. This similarity to mechanical springs is why they are commonly referred to as gas springs or gas spring struts. Read More
Gas Struts & Shocks on Boats
Gas struts have many applications within boating due to the wide variety of sizes and forces they come in. Weights from 5 to 90 pounds are available. This weight is a measure of the lifting force the strut will apply at compression. On a lightweight electronics box door, five pounds is an appropriate size. On a thick, heavy fiberglass hatch, 90 pounds might be the appropriate lift force for the gas strut. Read More
Replacing Worn Out Gas Struts
Now that you have an application in mind, it’s time to mount your strut. Replacing old worn-out struts is not nearly as difficult as mounting new ones. Simply measure the compressed and extended lengths, measuring from the center of one mounting hole to the center of the other mounting hole. Determining the force of an old shock can be more difficult. Read More
Installing New Gas Struts
On hatches that didn’t come from the factory with a gas strut, there are a few more steps to the installation process. The first step is getting a rough idea of how the strut will be mounted. There are a few things to consider when deciding how you mount the strut. You need to make sure you have space for the hardware and you need to make sure you consider the angle at which your strut lifts. Read More
On hatches that didn’t come from the factory with a gas strut, there are a few more steps to the installation process. The first step is getting a rough idea of how the strut will be mounted. There are a few things to consider when deciding how you mount the strut. You need to make sure you have space for the hardware and you need to make sure you consider the angle at which your strut lifts.
The best place is usually halfway between the hinge and the center of the hatch you are lifting. A long gas strut that attaches farther from the hinge will have more leverage, requiring less force. A shorter strut that mounts closer to the hinge will have less leverage, requiring more force. Make sure your strut is clear of any potential interference. Although gas struts are extremely strong, they are not designed to handle any force from the side.
After you find the mounting position, it’s time to find the length. The general rule is that the correct length of a strut is 55 percent of the height of the hatch being lifted, but be sure to measure. After you find the perfect spot for your mounts, it’s time to find out the right lift force for your strut. A very simple method is to just weigh the hatch itself.
However, this method may not be the most accurate since angles, mounting position, and leverage all have a role in the required force. The required force formula is as follows:
- Force Required = weight x length ÷ the distance between the mounting point of the gas strut and the hinge
There are calculators available online, but factor in an additional 10 to 20 percent lift force to be sure you have plenty of lift.
On boats with inboard motors, be careful how close you mount your gas struts to any exhaust or engine components. Gas struts are pressurized units and do have specific operating temperature ranges. Most struts are designed to operate at a much higher temperature than an engine room should contain, but it is an important consideration.
Make sure when you buy gas struts online to check the temperature operating ranges if they’re going to be mounted in an engine room.
Gas Strut Maintenance
Now that you have the perfect strut picked out and installed there are a few things to keep your strut in working order for years to come.
Besides side-loading your strut, the seal is the most likely point where your gas strut will fail. To avoid getting dust or grime on the strut and potentially compromising the seal, always install it as the last part of a project, after sanding or painting.
On the same note, it’s important to keep the spring mounted with the cylinder on top. This allows the small amount of lubricant within the cylinder to keep the seal moist and lubricated. Read More