Gas Springs

Do gas springs hold back any if subjected to being pulled open? I'm looking to use one to hold my tilt trailer tilted so I can drive the riding mower up onto it. If the spring will tilt it empty I feel sure I can drive on and slowly make it flatten out with the weight of the mower. My remaining concern is when unloading the mower it might be hard to control how slowly it tilts when both mower weight and the gas spring is trying to tilt it and don't want to damage the gas spring.

use a hydraulic cylinder and connect the inlet and outlet with a very small tube, like a brake line. Or put a valve in there and you can adjust how fast it drops.

That is a very good idea.

It can be done. You can get about any type of gas strut you want, your choices are mind boggling. There are sites on the net that sell all kinds of struts but you have to do a lot of homework before you order one. I have converted gull wing doors to be held open with struts and it took two of us all day to figure out the right angles so the struts would be totally closed when the doors were closed and extended fully when the doors were opened to where we wanted them. Then we needed to get the leverage right so it didn't take two men and a boy to pull the doors back down. A half inch difference in angle can make a world of difference.

do not allow the gas shock to be pulled past it's stopping point. it messes the innards up and never works the same again!

Don't worry about it, just drive on and off slowly and it will tilt easy. I built several like this one that have nothing to control the tilt, just drive on or off and it tips down. Just remember to pull the latch before you drive off. Lol This trailer is still going and it is 20 years old.

Back in the day the Miller Tilt Top trailers had a custom made shock that controlled the tilt. You unscrewed the latch pin and and then set the loader down on the end to tilt the bed down and then backed up on it tilting it down. With out the shock the down part was very dangerous.

Trailer dealer here has hydraulic cylinders on his. One model has the valve on the side frame so you can adjust it without crawling underneath.

I question if that would work as the displacement is diffent on each side of the piston. The area of the shaft reduces the displacement. Any hydraulic cylinder will have greater force extending than it will retracting!

Bring that you're in NC, you probably haven't seen this, but they make kits that do exactly that for snowmobile trailers. Hold them tilted so they can drive the sled on, instead of having to have someone stand on it or have a weight that holds it down until you get something on the tail end.

Donovan from Wisconsin

I have a small tilt trailer I haul garden tractors on,I have a 2X4 thats holds the front of the trailer up and once I start onto the trailer the front comes up just a little bit more and
the 2X4 falls on the ground.Then slowly drive up the deck until it tilts over forward,backing off just ease back slowly.

You'd need something like a steering cylinder to make that work. The concept is there, but the displacement would have to be the same on either side of the piston.

How about an old spring loaded car shock absorber?

A steering cylinder would have to be double rod for that to the same displacement. Otherwise they are just the same as any other cylinder

Howcum you and me are so smart??????????

May not work but it is common practice in these parts. Folks put a valve in the loop line and you can adjust how fast you want it to tip. can show you some that are 20 years old and still working using just a plan hydraulic cylinder with say like a 3 in bore with 1 inch rod and 30 inches of travel. I am aware of the difference the rod makes but as it tilts it either forces more or less in or out.

Thanks for all the ideas and comments. Hopefully I'll figure out something soon.

I like your method but right now I have a few other issues complicating the process too. Even fully tilted the mower needs a foot of running start to get the front wheels to pop up onto the trailer (rear frame height). I'm working over some ideas to ease the transition. I tried using a board to hold it up but if the mower doesn't quite get on it'll shake things enough to have the board fall away. If it holds tight It's stuck good enough I sometimes have trouble kicking it loose. Getting off with nothing holding it in the tilt position means as soon as the front wheels come off the trailer the trailer tail comes up and bangs the front grill guard on the mower and as I back away it slams down on the trailer tongue.

Frankly I wanted a good old spring to put between the tongue and one cross member to hold it up. I can figure the force by using a scale and lifting up the front then say it is installed 1/2 way between the front and the pivot point it would be experiencing twice the weight. Then add 50lbs or so to that so it'd stay up till I or the mower forced it down. I can measure the distance but where to find a spring. The I remember springs have no dampening effect at all and I started looking as gas springs. Might have to put a chain on too to be sure it isn't overextended.

Well, like most things you either spend time figuring out how to make them or money buying one already figured out.