RV Baggage & Compartment Doors

Matching gas struts and compartment door hardware

A baggage door that no longer holds itself up has a tired gas spring; they bleed off pressure after years of cycling. Swapping one is quick as long as three numbers line up, and the same discipline applies to replacing a whole door or hatch lid. Check these before ordering:

• Strut force rating. Gas springs are rated by the pounds of force they push with, so the JR Products 40 lb, AP Products 60 lb, and 35 lb units here are not interchangeable. Too weak and the door creeps down; too strong and closing it is a wrestling match. Match the rating stamped on the old strut.
• Extended length. Measure the strut fully open, end to end. A 7.5-inch unit and a 17-inch unit mount in completely different openings, so length has to suit the geometry even when the force is right.
• End fittings. Most struts seat on a 10mm ball socket like the Whitecap composite fitting. When the new strut's ends do not match your studs, a replacement end fitting or the correct ball stud solves it without swapping the whole assembly.
• Doors and hatch lids. Replacement panels such as the B120/B122 electrical hatch lid and the B&B Molders sewer hose storage door use UV-stable material with replaceable inserts, so a faded or cracked door does not force you to cut a new opening.
• Catches. A baggage door catch, like the RV Designer Colonial White pair, pulls the door tight against its seal so it neither rattles nor pops open on washboard roads.

A spare strut in your most-common force rating earns its place in the parts bin. If the door still will not stay shut after a fresh catch, look to the lock or latch holding it, and a worn compartment seal is covered under windows and seals.