voyagermantravel Posted September 19, 2018 Share Posted September 19, 2018 Hi everyone, We have had our 2002 Bel-Air for over 12 years now and love it! However, whilst on our latest trip to the continent, the drop-down bed started to come down 3" or 4" whilst travelling. On top of this, it has been getting progressively more difficult to push it back up after use. I presume that the struts are past their best and need replacing. Has anyone out there ever done this job and where can I get replacement struts? I see that they are at 1400N pressure which is very high and that they are only extended when the bed is up, making replacement tricky. To make matters worse, mine still appear to be under pressure even when the bed is fully up??!! Also, can anyone explain to me what the 8 bolts and lock-nuts at each pivot point on the bed mechanism do and how they are adjusted? Some of my bolts screw all the way in and others only halfway before getting tight! Sorry to go on so much but any advice and help would be greatly appreciated as we would like to continue using the Bel-Air for many years to come, if I can solve this problem! Thanks Bobby N Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted September 19, 2018 Share Posted September 19, 2018 I fitted struts where there were none to help with bed locker opening and I found this firm very helpful in deciding on a specification that worked very well when I fitted them. Assuming your bed is supported by gas struts, if you can photograph or measure your existing struts and show them any writing on them they may well be able to help. https://www.sgs-engineering.com/gas-struts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted September 20, 2018 Share Posted September 20, 2018 Welcome to the Out&AboutLive forums, Bobby. Few “Bel Air” models were built and I’m doubtful that any current member of this (quite small) forum will be in a position to help with your qestion about the bolts and their adjustment. (I note that an owner of a Bel Air did participate here for about 3 months, but that was more than 5 years ago.) https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/truma-6002c-playing-up/29803/ For practical advice on specific Bel Air-related problems I’d try Swift Talk https://www.swiftgroup.co.uk/owners/swift-talk or the MotorhomeFacts and MotorhomeFun larger forums https://www.motorhomefacts.com https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk just in case someone has one and can comment on the bolts based on hands-on experience. If the gas struts loss of strength is the primary problem, as Tracker has said you ought to be able to obtain replacements or perhaps have the original struts refurbished - SGS Engineering should be able to help.. Gas-strut pressure can be surprisingly high and even the dinky little struts that hold motorhome locker doors open can have a 100N pressure rating. A much higher pressure will be needed, of course, to cope with the weight of a pull-down bed and struts with a 1400N pressure (or greater) are certainly available. You’ll need to keep in mind that removing/replacing this strength of strut is likely to be challenging and potentially risky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voyagermantravel Posted September 20, 2018 Author Share Posted September 20, 2018 Many thanks Tracker for that info re SGS - I will contact them. Regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voyagermantravel Posted September 20, 2018 Author Share Posted September 20, 2018 Hi Derek, Thanks for your help and for all those addresses - I will certainly contact them. Regards. Bobby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted September 20, 2018 Share Posted September 20, 2018 voyagermantravel - 2018-09-20 7:52 PM Many thanks Tracker for that info re SGS - I will contact them. Regards. You are most welcome and thanks for the thanks! Any questions just ask, the answer is often here when someone knows what it is! Good luck, and just in case you were not aware only ever release a gas strut from it's mountings when it is fully extended!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 Tracker - 2018-09-20 7:56 PM ...and just in case you were not aware only ever release a gas strut from it's mountings when it is fully extended!! Good advice, but - based on Bobby’s original posting - the struts are apparently still part-compressed when the bed is in its fully up position, and (presumably) will be well compressed when the bed has been lowered. As I warned above there are potential risks replacing these struts, and it seems likely that removal may involve lowering the bed to gain the necessary access and then ‘locking’ the struts in their compressed position before disconnecting them from their mounting-points. How to ‘lock’ the struts and subsequently ‘unlock’ them will require thought and, even more important, very careful consideration will need to given regarding how to replace the struts. Compressing a 1400N strut without proper equipment could be very interesting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voyagermantravel Posted September 21, 2018 Author Share Posted September 21, 2018 Thanks again, Derek. Yes, they are still slightly compressed when in the fully 'up' position but I am working on that! I have been in touch with SGS and once I have the necessary information, will contact them again. Will keep you posted on progress. Regards. Bobby N Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monique.hubrechtsgm Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 A gas strut is self lubricatng when it is in angle. Never spray lubricate on it. but it stop noice for some time if worn out. They are very sensitive to weight on them. If they have to make a large angle. Treat them very gently in operation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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