another mod i thought up in my head. - Replace one of the gas fill struts that helps open your hatch with a pneumatic cylinder the same size. Run it of a small air tank and compressor, like you'd use for air suspension. or maby just a small tank you can fill up at a gas station or from a home compressor. just hold enough air to open it 2 or 3 times.
any opinions?
Bochek
air cylinder to open hatch
I just don't know what to say... seems like a lot of work, expense and ongoing hassle (when you ran out of air the hatch wouldn't even stay up and you'd have to work out how to release the air to get it down too). Couldn't you just replace the existing dampers with some heavier ones? Whoever makes them would be able to give you some advice.
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Yoda
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I have to agree that doesn't seem to be a point to it and the is a significant danger of someone getting seriously injured as well. I work with and design pneumatic actuated systems everyday. Not only that you would you require a source of air but much larger diameter air cylinders as well. Air cylinders operate at a max of 100psi. Gas springs operate at much greater pressures so generate more force with a smaller diameter piston. Air cylinders are not a balanced, closed system like a gas spring and is either under the force of a spring inside the cylinder or air on the opposite side of the cylinder to force the piston back. Either once the air is turned off you will have a 40kg hatch falling a approx 1m/s or if you have an air return system then the hatch will be under force as well. If you get caught in the hatch it would be under almost the same force coming down as it is to push it up and would still be pulling down until some disconnect the supply of air. At best it would be like being hit with a hammer and at worse it would be like get hit with a hammer and getting squeezed in a vise. You could include flow controls,etc but in the end you would have spent at least 10 time was a set of gas springs would have cost and you haven't found a source of air yet.Grants wrote:I just don't know what to say... seems like a lot of work, expense and ongoing hassle (when you ran out of air the hatch wouldn't even stay up and you'd have to work out how to release the air to get it down too). Couldn't you just replace the existing dampers with some heavier ones? Whoever makes them would be able to give you some advice.