On Friday, November 29, 2013 8:30:50 PM UTC-5, wrote:
I'll be darned. I used to own N9XL from 1986 to late 1992. I really can't make a reasonable answer to your trailer problem. I've not had problems with gas springs. In fact I'm curious about how you can bend one without bottoming out the

piston. Maybe the piston rod got bent sometime while extended. Not by the linear loads, because that would have let the piston work, but by something putting an external load across the rod while extended. This assumes that the ball ends are in use and free.

So, if you owned 9XL from 86-92 do you have any of the missing logbook(s)?
Just boggles my mind that logbooks disappear.

Not sure what trailer you had with 9XL, Tim Mara told me he reworked/rebuilt this trailer. It is a front hinged clamshell/alligator type. And the top is bloody heavy! The gas springs have all bent when trying to close the top. as the top goes down, they bend to the back of the trailer. The gas springs appear to be fully extended when the top is open. gas springs are 250lbs. each. Ball ends are free.

A friend of mine (and several club members) suggested I use electro-mechanical struts to lift/lower the top. the control would have 2 switches, one to control both struts and the other to disable one side so if they were out of sync, the remaining active strut could be positioned with the other to complete the transition. He said it would work similar to a boat lift. all of the mechanism is internal and IMO I don't like the arrangement, it should be external.