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Old 06-08-2016, 01:34 PM   #1
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 29.3 (2016)
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THOR #4032
ACE 29.3 Gas struts under mattress?

The owners manual that came with our new ACE 29.3 says there are gas struts that hold up the access panel under the mattress. There are no struts on ours and we need two people to get access. One to hold up the access panel and mattress and one to put things away or retrieve items. Did yours come with the gas struts struts?

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Old 06-08-2016, 09:09 PM   #2
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Old 06-08-2016, 09:43 PM   #3
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THOR #1589
Our last 2 rvs had that. I had to replace them once
Check online, they are available.
Good luck!
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Old 06-08-2016, 10:06 PM   #4
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Those are harder to set up so they work right if starting from scratch than it would appear.
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Old 06-08-2016, 11:49 PM   #5
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Thanks for your input. I guess the questions remains, did your Thor ACE come with those gas struts installed? If so, I guess someone missed mine at the factory.
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Old 06-13-2016, 11:16 PM   #6
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Old 06-14-2016, 12:12 AM   #7
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I just got the 2017 ACE 29.3 and it does not have the gas struts. It is a pain to get things in and out. I try not to store things under there that are needed on a regular basis.
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Old 06-14-2016, 12:49 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by Actup View Post
I just got the 2017 ACE 29.3 and it does not have the gas struts. It is a pain to get things in and out. I try not to store things under there that are needed on a regular basis.
Did your owner's manual say there were gas struts?

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Old 06-15-2016, 05:32 PM   #9
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I did not get gas struts either. I added them myself and here is the challenge: The bed frame is made from thin pressboard. The struts require some ummmffff (its an engineering term) to lift the bed. When you go to close the bed you have to overcome the ummmffff and the result is a torn up bed frame. The second problem is keeping the hatch closed. Because the 29.3 hatch is small there is not a lot of the mattress sitting on the hatch so it will tend to pop open.

Long story short, adding struts also meant reinforcing the hinges and the frame they attach to, and installing several catches to keep the lid shut.
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Old 06-15-2016, 05:37 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by jacksmi View Post
I did not get gas struts either. I added them myself and here is the challenge: The bed frame is made from thin pressboard. The struts require some ummmffff (its an engineering term) to lift the bed. When you go to close the bed you have to overcome the ummmffff and the result is a torn up bed frame. The second problem is keeping the hatch closed. Because the 29.3 hatch is small there is not a lot of the mattress sitting on the hatch so it will tend to pop open.

Long story short, adding struts also meant reinforcing the hinges and the frame they attach to, and installing several catches to keep the lid shut.
Thank you for sharing. I did not know the bed frame was made of pressboard. Yuk. I will not add struts. Too bad Thor gives us manuals that are generic and absolutely do not address the ACE. I guess if it wasn't for the bad manual, we wouldn't have any manual so maybe it is better than nothing. Thank you for your post.
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Old 06-16-2016, 02:14 AM   #11
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Our last coach had struts under the master bed,, but over the years they failed. Kept a short broom handle under there to prop it open. After I put on new struts, didnt need it.

If you have dealers with used RVs, you can probably find some beds with struts. Look at a few for ideas. Particle board is common under the mattress. I've never seen one with special hinges or braces. To order, you'll need to know the length and the lift force needed.
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Old 06-21-2016, 06:58 PM   #12
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gas struts under bed are on my 2015 ACE 27.1

The 2015 ACE 27.1 we just purchased (used) did have the gas struts located under the storage hatch under the mattress. They look original but it is possible that they were added by the previous owner (if so, thanks) There are 3 chambers available when you lift the platform. the platform is very heavy to lift even with the gas struts.

The generic owner's manual is very confusing as it mentions things we don't have and ignores features we need more info about.

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Old 06-21-2016, 07:19 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by Mr Sunshine View Post
Our last coach had struts under the master bed,, but over the years they failed. Kept a short broom handle under there to prop it open. After I put on new struts, didnt need it.

If you have dealers with used RVs, you can probably find some beds with struts. Look at a few for ideas. Particle board is common under the mattress. I've never seen one with special hinges or braces. To order, you'll need to know the length and the lift force needed.
Particle board would have been OK. This frame is pressboard, in other words pressed paper fibers. It is also only about a half inch thick. 1/2 screws into pressboard does not tolerate much force. The solution was to run a 2x2 under the pressboard where the hinges attach. Then I used longer screws to go through the pressboard and into the 2x2.
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Old 10-06-2016, 05:31 PM   #14
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Have some experience with gas struts. Been fighting to get them to work since buying the rig! One of the first things we did was complicate matters by replacing the stock mattress in our 27.1 with a "real" (i.e., much thiker and heavier, but much more comfortable) factory trimmed to fit one. Well worth the cost in comfort, but really added to the problem with the struts. It kept ripping screws out of the pressed paper frame.

First the hinges gave way. Pulled the screws sideways out of the "wood"! Replaced the two little hinges with four larger ones, fastened with nuts, washers and bolts in holes drilled through the lifting portion of the bed deck. That worked a couple of times, until the mounts started pulling out of the underside of the deck.

By that time, the deck was pretty shredded from all the attempts. I replaced the now ripped up deck with a piece of B/C half inch plywood, trimmed to shape, stained to (mostly) match, and polyurethaned. Hinges are screwed into the frame for the stationary section of the frame, as are the stationary shock mounts. Movable section hinges use the nuts, bolts and washers method again, and the plywood blocks for the movable shock mounts are fastened to the deck the same way.

So far, it's worked. We're taking off in it the end of next week for a two week trip, so it should get enough use to say whether or not it's going to keep working.
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Old 10-06-2016, 10:33 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Montgomery View Post
Thanks for your input. I guess the questions remains, did your Thor ACE come with those gas struts installed? If so, I guess someone missed mine at the factory.
Mine doesnt have struts either
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Old 10-11-2016, 03:21 PM   #16
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Ours did not I had camping world install a set...
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Old 10-11-2016, 04:17 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by Hardtime01 View Post
Ours did not I had camping world install a set...
Is it possible to post a photo of the installation? Thank you.
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