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RV-10 cabin door struts

B

broken1234

Active Member
Hey folks'

Van's sells 2 different cabin door lift struts; the "regular" (that come with the kit) and the "heavy duty", that are an option.

The installed struts that I have are black, with no markings on them... how can I tell which I have?

These will no longer hold up the door... it is a bit heavier than normal as it is completely upholstered, including a lightweight fiberglass shell.

Anybody have a suggestion as to which strut (or any other strut, for that matter) would be correct?

Thanks,

Brad
 
broken1234 said:
Hey folks'

Van's sells 2 different cabin door lift struts; the "regular" (that come with the kit) and the "heavy duty", that are an option.

The installed struts that I have are black, with no markings on them... how can I tell which I have?

These will no longer hold up the door... it is a bit heavier than normal as it is completely upholstered, including a lightweight fiberglass shell.

Anybody have a suggestion as to which strut (or any other strut, for that matter) would be correct?

Thanks,

Brad
Click to expand...


The struts come with a typical vinyl label on them when new, but I took mine off for personal appearance preference.

If your current struts aren't holding the door up, I would guess that you have the standard struts.

The one caution is that if you have the heavy duty struts without the additional weight, like you do, they pop the door pretty up pretty darn quick. Don't let passengers operate the door without prior instruction. Once you add a pound or so, they'll operate like the traditional struts do.

bob
 
RV-10 door struts

I also had the std strut which no longer hold up the doors. The heavy duty struts work well and are a direct replacement
 
I just replaced mine also, but I used the standard ones. The old ones just lost their lift. I was upgrading the door receivers with the billet ones and heavy duty pins. Much better system now.
 
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I did search last night and saw the other posts. Thanks for the help... I ordered a pair of the heavy duty replacements...
 
How much usage are you guys getting out of the standard door strut before it loses its lift? Are we talking a couple years here or about how long?
 
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Standard struts

I have the standard struts still on mine. I have a little more weight from the wonderful PlaneAround latch:D and 120 hours on the airframe. First flight was March 31 2011. Mine are just starting to sag so I will be buying better ones soon.
 
At 160 hrs, standard struts, painted door, Sean's latch...RH door finally falling after being open 5-10 minutes. Time to order the HD ones.
 
I don't know what you guys are doing to kill your struts. 2 years and 330 hours, standard struts, still going strong. Painted door with really cool center door latch. :D
 
I got around 500 hours and four years on my standard struts. They began to sag a bit during cold weather, but were OK in warm weather. I ordered replacements (standard) from Van's and installed them during Condition Inspection a couple of years ago. Two years and 250 hours on the new ones and they are doing great.
 
Rv-10 Door Struts

I replaced my Std RV-10 door struts with units from Bansbach Easylift out of Melbourne Fl. They have only been in for several months, but so far they work great. The item number is 10017y1, Description number A1A1F50-100-287/600N. When I ordered mine they were $66.45 each plus some shipping. I talked to Damion Legan, Phone number (321) 253-1999.
 
Bansbach

A year ago, I installed the 600N after the Vans' struts gassed-out (they would not hold the door more than 1/4 open in the FAC of New England). The 600Ns are going strong after a year! Highly recommend the Bansbach regardless of the cost.
 
I also just installed the 600N's on my RV-10 after 1100 hours. The original one would only hold the doors open if fully open, but any wind would still blow them close with a very bad sounding crash. The 600N's open the doors a little fast, so be careful not to just open the door and let it go because it will hit against the upper stop fairly hard. I hand on to the door except for the last few inches or so and they are fine.


Ray Doerr
N519RV (1150 Hobbs)
 
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