I'm closely following your progress with your hatch struts. As you are in the process of building yours, you can take accurate measurements as you go, and perhaps can compare the optimized mounting locations and effects on the forces involved versus the one location (or more) that didn't work out right. Of course, I'm assuming that your first attempt will be improved upon (is anyone sure what works best, unless another is tried? not I). I have been searching for an easier fail-safe method to get in the ballpark, as detailed in my concurrent thread, than I have found online (including three or four current threads). The forum build pages are filled with endless trial-and-error attempts, exchanging of struts for more or less spring force, having to patch old holes and drill new ones for mounting, and even some structural damage due to the application of unknown forces in the wrong places. In your gas spring install, you have some old-hands sharing their experience along similar lines; in my case, since my hatch is vertical, and must be opened to a greater angle, the shared experiences are welcome, but not entirely apropos to the situation. Or maybe they are; I really am unsure, due to the lack of hard data for comparative analysis. I always approach a build problem (whether it is an automotive or a trailer problem) with an eye to making it work, but not necessarily in the usual way, but without having to do it over repeatedly. My car builds/repairs, were usually done right the first time, except in times of short funds, and so was my one and only experimental trailer build. Pretty much everything worked as I had envisioned (though the results were met by mixed reviews), but I regret some compromises under duress and fundless-ness. Still experimenting, but now involved in the hatch support issue (I had avoided it before, just using dowels), I am concerned by the lack of better data to share with other "future" builders who will probably face the same problem eventually, themselves. Unless the future of the TnTTT forum is to buy old standies, or cargo conversions only, then most "small" trailers will find a need to have a hatch. Sorry about the long post, not intentionally hijacking your thread, but I see a common quest here. I see that you are concerned about stresses imparted elsewhere, by your usage of backing boards; if I ever actually get my springs for mounting, I am choosing an easily repairable/easily reinforced shelf to mount mine on. I've already made too many holes in my exterior plywood, so I'm trying to avoid a high-pressure stress on my sidewalls, requiring more holes to mount a backing plate there. But, I'm going to mount an awning rail/hard points for a tarp soon, so more holes anyway. Can't win.noseoil wrote:I double checked the strut length against my layout, found it was OK, so drilled out for these T nuts as well (1/4" bolts for a better bite & stress). Since both the 3/16" & 1/4" T nuts have the same size backing plate diameter of 3/4", I was able to use the same counter-bore to make them flush. Just a ground down speed-bore (paddle type wood bit) to let the flange thickness come down to flush, so the 1/8" skins will sit flat without bumps when they're glued up. It's basically the same type of cutter I used for the decking & elevator bolts only smaller. I'll use a small spot of masking tape on the back side, to keep glue out of the threads when gluing on the 1/8" skins.
The near panel in this second picture is showing the inside where a mounting block spacer will sit, the back panel is actually looking from the the outside, showing the T nuts glued in place with epoxy and set flush.
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