Beyond the End teardrop (Tony Latham-style build)

[orourkmw]

Got the hatch on! Yay!





Did run into a couple of issues, though. Like GarthB, my driver's side doesn't fit as tight as the passenger side....maybe, like him, that will tighten up over the next couple of days. However, my struts are not supporting the hatch well enough in the open position. I can get it to stay up, but it's right at the tipping point. I think I bought the specified struts from McMaster Carr, but I'll have to double check. I'll probably have to go up in rating. I didn't weigh my hatch, but I'd have to guess it is in that 65 lb range.



Like Tony, says, there is a lot of "maker's satisfaction" when the hatch is finally on...

Mike

[orourkmw]

A 15 sec video...I'll see if this loads...

[youtube]https://youtu.be/Jg7MdZL_aXs[/youtube]

[tony.latham]

A 15 sec video...I'll see if this loads...

[youtube]https://youtu.be/Jg7MdZL_aXs[/youtube]

Holy smolly, What a beaut!

And by the way, to get a Youtube on here, just use the last part of the link... https://youtu.be/Jg7MdZL_aXs inside the Youtube button.



Tony

[GarthB]

Excellent job! The whole thing looks very well done! I’m sure you will have no shortage of requests for teardrop tours out in the wild.

[Capebuild]

Beautiful!! Nice work. Enjoy your travels!!!


John

[orourkmw]

Thanks for the kind remarks, guys. I checked our your comments on the 3M weatherstrip, CapeBuild John...I didn't realize there was techniques from the youtube that aren't on the label. So maybe I was too hasty in my comments. My main problem was the goo just keep stretching out like cheese on a hot pizza....

And thanks, Tony, for straightening out my youtube.

I still have to confirm I recv'd the struts I ordered. I'm really surprised they don't stay up, because I pushed one in by hand one day just to see how much force it would take, and it was very difficult. I have one extra spar in the hatch that Tony didn't specify, but I think Garth did as well, and I don't remember any problems. If I remember, the struts were rated for something like 90 lbs each?

So I've got that to resolve, connect my hatch electricals, and put the Herculiner on the undercarriage, and I'll finally be done!
Mike

[orourkmw]

I confirmed that the struts are indeed what I ordered. They state 90 lbs on the barrel. I do note that this morning I hear a little noise as they open and close, from both of the struts...could it be an oil problem? There was no leakage evident where I stored them before installation.

I do see that McMaster has a 120 lb version, but I'd like to understand what's going on....if I understand the rating properly, shouldn't two struts support 180 lbs?

[GarthB]

For what it’s worth regarding your struts - If I had even 5 more pounds of weight in my hatch, I think they would struggle to hold it up as well. There have been a couple chilly mornings where the cold has reduced their capacity to the point that they have been insufficient to hold it up. It even slammed down on my back and I earned a good goose egg one of the times because they slowly gave way and I hadn’t been paying attention. I’ve contemplated ordering replacements with 10# more capacity, however, I would prefer to keep the additional stress off of the hatch since it has only been an issue for us in the cold.

[orourkmw]

Thanks, Garth. McMaster says that the 90# struts actually spec at 117 lbs compression force, each. They don't show a 10# higher model....the next one up is nominally 120#, with a specification of 156# compression force. A mechanical engineer friend of mine is going to take a look at it. I am worried about going up too much, given the distortion on the upper brackets, even though I do have the thicker brackets that were identified during your build.
Mike

[orourkmw]

I've ordered one of the 120# struts, which should arrive Tues. I'll install it and carefully raise and lower the hatch, with a camera inside, to see how it goes. I hope not to distort the bracket, but I have another one if I do. The 120# is 33% more compression force, so I want to make sure I don't stress the hurricane hinge unevenly using only a single strut. I'll report back.
Mike

[Squigie]

If you can move the attachment points and use longer struts, you should be able to use a 'weaker' strut and reduce stress on all of the parts.

[orourkmw]

Thanks, Squigie, but I don't see that as too much of an option at this point. I was also thinking last night that I can't compare the weight of the hatch directly to the compression strength of the strut, because the "moment" is out past the strut. I know there is a whole archive here on strut calcs, but I know I'm pretty close to stable with the struts I have. My friend also suggested a fold-up vertical support from the bumper as a safeguard, but that's not my preference, either. So I'll see how the planned action goes, and take it from there...
Mike

[orourkmw]

I've also been thinking about a clamp that could slide down the rod in the closed position, but that could readily be tightened with one hand when the hatch is raised. I'd need to cushion this worm-gear type clamp, both to reduce ID and to avoid scratching of the rod. I just post this here in case it inspires any ideas. I don't think the clamp needs to hold too much weight...like I've said, it is close to the "tipping point"...

[Indiana Rambler]

A 15 sec video...I'll see if this loads...

[youtube]https://youtu.be/Jg7MdZL_aXs[/youtube]

Looks really nice! Looking forward to the inside video!


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[Indiana Rambler]

I've also been thinking about a clamp that could slide down the rod in the closed position, but that could readily be tightened with one hand when the hatch is raised. I'd need to cushion this worm-gear type clamp, both to reduce ID and to avoid scratching of the rod. I just post this here in case it inspires any ideas. I don't think the clamp needs to hold too much weight...like I've said, it is close to the "tipping point"...

I’ve too thought about getting something like these. Same principle


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