Ideas for lid support?

[jjmoss99]

I'm in the middle of the build process on my trailer and am working on the lid. I'm planning on having a RTT on it at a later date so I will be installing gas pistons but I have to save up for the tent. I don't want to rely on gas pistons to hold the entire weight of the lid up. They always seem to fail or start slowly bleeding off, etc. My concerns with the lid is that there is a lot of weight raised in the air just waiting to fall on an unsuspecting victim (such as my kids) and I want to see what other people have done to guarantee that their lid doesn't fall.

At first I was thinking about a rod such as the hood on a toyota pickup. I just don't feel that this is secure enough, if the wind caught the lid while it was up it could possibly lift the lid until the rod came out of the hole and then slam. I know the odds of this happening would be very low but with that much weight it could severely hurt someone if it fell on them.

Here is a quick picture that I put together to show what I was thinking of building and attaching to the lid. So when the lid is lifted the bracket opens up and then the locking adapter slides down over the hinge point of the support and prevents the support bracket from being able to close. Thoughts or pictures would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Justin

 

[TwinStick]

That would work i'm sure. What about 2 or 4 of these: http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/gas-prop-20in-120lbs/49810

A piece of wood, cut to fit, it while it is fully extended, would work to ensure a no-close.

 

[4xdog]

Just brainstorming here... There are a variety of hood supports used on all kinds of vehicles. Vintage MGBs have one that comes to mind. (I'm a Triumph guy, so I don't have personal experience).

Here's a sliding prop rod with provision for latch pin as an example. There are probably many more from the parts bins of other marques.
http://www.mossmotors.com/graphics/products/PDF/457-540.pdf

 

[97kurt]

I've seen some teardrops use these. Marine springs. They pop into place when the lid is fully opened.

http://www.oregontrailer.net/store/..._-_(Pair)_-_Marine_grade_stainless_steel.html

 

[colorado matt]

why not a tube in a tube with just a simple pin to lock when it is raised

 

[jjmoss99]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I ordered some steel yesterday and had enough left over to build this support. For only a couple dollars in steel I figured that I could try it. If it didn't work I could always try again or buy something that would work.

I went to the shop today and worked on the lid as well as the support. It ended up working really well. As I raise the lid it automatically locks in the open position. I only have the one side built.

Here is a video of the support and how it works.

https://youtu.be/Nd2KL3kdI84

Here is a pic of the arm when the lid is Opened.



Here is a pic of the arm when the lid is closed.



Thanks.

Justin