Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Greetings. After reading numerous threads/posts about hatch props, I'm liking the mechanical ones that latch open and with a bit more lift will release.

By the way, love the search feature and sdtripper2's mighty effort.

Haven't checked the phone book yet. The big orange store only had cabinet drawer sliders and the small toy chest style props. OSH didn't have them either.

I went onto Austin Hardware's site and the popular ones are AH 716 OO ZN.
But now they're like ~$30. Using Google brought some in from a truck supply place for $10 but didn't seem as rugged as the Austin Hardware pieces.

I also checked out Allegis Hardware. About the same.

I did have a point when I started this. I suppose my question is if there are other vendors or upgrades. Pro's and/or cons.

These appear to be identical to the ones I got from Austin Hardware:

http://www.eztruckaccessories.com/teles ... -prop.html

If you have concerns about how heavy-duty they are, I would contact the manufacturer and ask them for a load rating:

http://www.buyersproducts.com/truck-tra ... -lid-prop/

Good luck!

That's the same place I got from Googling. They are 21" long. Dunno if I want something a bit longer. How do you like them?

The ones from Austin Hardware have nylon bushings, blah, blah,. 27 " long. But three times the money.

regis101 wrote:That's the same place I got from Googling. They are 21" long. Dunno if I want something a bit longer. How do you like them?

The ones from Austin Hardware have nylon bushings, blah, blah,. 27 " long. But three times the money.

I got mine from Austin, but they look just like the ones from EZ. I'm very happy with mine, but I ended up cutting them down shorter and mounting them in a non-standard way.

Dean_A wrote:I got mine from Austin, but they look just like the ones from EZ. I'm very happy with mine, but I ended up cutting them down shorter and mounting them in a non-standard way.

Oh. Yeah. Sorry. My bad.

Regis, make sure to get supports with a manual release or drill and pin them to keep a wind gust from lifting the hatch and allowing it to drop! Just my $.02.

Thanks for the tip. I'm leaning toward the mechanical props for ease of operation. Some of the descriptions call out holes for a stop. I'll probably have a pin hanging on a wire or something. No big.

I don't know what the hatch weighs, although I could get pretty close, to deal with the math for gas struts.

I just want to open the hatch with both hands and have it lock into place. I don't really want to deal with holding the hatch with one hand and working a prop rod with the other.

I would entertain the type of prop that when open, it folds back on itself a
bit . Similar to folding table legs or something.

In the end, I'll be happiest with the mechanical style for (this) build. The hatch won't be open very long. If it is and it gets windy, I'll just put it down.

Just placed an order with Austin hardware. Yes, they are more money than some of the other vendors, but... ya makes yer choices and ya pays yer money.

Just got these in from Austin hardware. IMO, they're not worth the price. I'd like to get one of the $10 pieces to compare.

The AH 716 OO ZN are stamped A. L. Hansen Mfg., Waukegan, Il