I’m in the same boat, my rear struts won’t hold the rear hatch fully open. I do have the window in mine.
Picked up my camper in April of '19.
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Seems like that could add stress to the hinge, and … well … probably not a good idea.
Just for a data point. #46 and so far my struts have no issues. I open the panels quite a bit.
Should be easy to replace though.
I’ve thought about making a ‘lock’ as a safety feature for when the tent is up…
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I definitely don’t plan for a higher rated strut for the lower hinges, but I feel like the cross bar hinges are more than sufficient to hold a little more force. I’m still waiting to see if it reverts back to normal in warmer weather.
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I see we’re talking about different things. I’m certain that the main pivot of the tent can handle whatever you’d throw at it, which is what I now see you were talking about in the bit I quoted. Sorry, I’ve had a string of long days with little sleep. 
The OP was about the side & rear canopy door struts, and for those, I wouldn’t want more force pushing against the hinge than GFC recommended.
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When I first noticed it happening it was a 90* day out in the desert. So don’t think cold weather was the issue to start but cooler temps now have made it slightly worse. I only have the problem on the rear panel which does have glass so that added weight probably doesn’t help either. Maybe 10 months old when problem started. How many cycles are these struts good for? Doubt they’ve been used more than 1K times. Would also hate to have to replace them every year.
I wonder if the issue is isolated to those that have rear windows? The extra weight could be contributing to the malfunction of the strut.
I have the rear window and an early GFC - I haven’t noticed any of the struts wearing out at this point (14 months of use).
Since these are an off the shelf item I wouldn’t be surprised if the QC isn’t mind-blowing and some last longer than others.
I seem to recall seeing a post from someone at GFC that they would sell you replacement struts at their cost if you ask.
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I had GFC #44, and had no issues with the struts throughout a year and a half of ownership. I say had bc it’s been up at the shop getting a complete overhaul. I was the very first to have a hinge break, and would not recommend replacing them with anything stronger.
I contacted several strut companies, including the company GFC uses (used?) for replacements or other options. My favorite was Camloc gas springs manufactured in the UK. They make springs that can lock out at different points during the range of movement, possibly allowing you to lock the sides at a 45° open setting.
After going over specs with them, they suggested they didn’t have any products for the application in a GFC. I still think it could work, but a minimum order of 25 units was too much for me to spring for…
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After reading this thread decided to hit up go fast to see how much to replace my rear struts. 11.50$ a pop. Not bad at all.
Replacement of old struts took about 2 minutes.
Wish mine would have lasted longer than six months but oh well.
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do you have a rear window (assuming rear door is where you had problems) and / or where do you live etc ? wondering if the climate was apart of it ?
my old truck cap had lazy lifters so i took one off and into the pep boys and found a similar piston rated to more weight. only issue was it opened like a rocket.l i only replaced one side.i left the other saggy one in.maybe check into a heavier lifting piston so when it looses some strength it wil still work.
Camper #677 and I do have the rear window. Live in salt lake.
The problem started last fall when the temperature started to drop but even in warmer temperatures they didn’t open like they did brand new
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Resurrecting this thread - I have camper #4121 which is now a few months shy of 1 year old, and the gas struts on the rear hatch are definitely losing their “oomph.”
I have noticed it most in cooler weather, but I feel like temps in the 40s should not really be cold enough to cause this issue, and it doesn’t affect the side door struts at all. Just wondering if more people have noticed this and if so, how everyone has been dealing with it since this thread was last active?
If this is just how the struts are (extremely sensitive to cooler temps) then I don’t want to go through the process of replacing them with the same ones just to have the same issue. If there is a problem with some of the struts though, I’d def like to replace them and get some that work at full strength.
The gas struts on the side doors are extremely strong and open quickly when pulled…would love to have similar functionality for the rear hatch.
You didn’t mention if you have glass or not in the rear panel. If you do you most likely will notice it more in colder weather. Mine have been doing it for quite a while but panel stays up and doesn’t sag when I push it all the way up. I’ll replace struts when it wont stay fully open.
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Yeah I do have the glass - definitely heavier than the panels without, but it still seems like those rear struts are a little weaker.
Mine also do tend to stay up ok once I push them up manually - seems like maybe a good idea to do what you said, and replace them once they don’t stay up anymore on their own.
They have had a few bad runs of struts. I strongly suggest you put in a Service Request and they’ll get ya sorted. I’ve had a brand new one fail almost immediately if memory serves me correctly.
Unfortunately, I would imagine this is a tough part to QC from GFC’s perspective.
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I think the glass is the culprit because I believe the struts on rear panel are the same as the side panels. I always keep a hand on the panels when opening so it’s no big deal to give the rear panel a little boost.
Hey @phantomchameleon - Sorry to hear about the lack of oomph. @Dignon is correct regarding the difficulty QCing items we don’t make in house, but each panel is tested prior to install. However, we have swapped a small number of struts with issues in the past, and some customers choose to upgrade to stronger options. The latter option is typically for those who are installing accessories like Maxtrax as seen here.
Colder temps can reduce a strut’s performance when opening, but I’ve had my own GFC for almost 2 years now without issues or noticeable lag unless the temps are pretty frigid. Best way to sort this out is to reach out to our support team or submit a SRF by clicking here.
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Thanks Thayne! Service request entered and already have a couple of new struts on their way. Badass customer service 
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