Rear door stay

[Blade74]

Hello all,

Just looking at buying a gas strut and fitting it to my back door to make is stay open.
Does anyone know what closed and open length the gas strut would need to be? Or better still has anyone done it themselves and have a gas strut model number and brand.
Just seems like an easy do it yourself job when the right strut is chosen.

[bezclez]

Just call Daniel at Mulgo in Mortdale.

He fitted mine for me, excellent job, great customer service.

I think you can have the kit posted to you with fitting instructions also.

Definitely one of the most practical and cheap mods a Defender can have.

[Blade74]

Well I'm thinking $30 for a gas strut as opposed to $150 for his kit.
I rang him a few weeks ago and left a
message and he never called me back...
It looks **** easy to do yourself.

[thedrover]

There was a dude on ebay selling kits for $50, but it would be easy to make if you had the brackets.

I bought one, and it fairly leaps open, probably allowing for it to fade after a while.

Now it stays open, she is asking for a way to have it shut (just the big one open)! Oh well!

(edit: I've posted thinking I was on another forum for my other 4wd. Good ole Tapatalk. Mods can delete if they wish)

[mools]

Blade,


If you don't have a rear wheel carrier yet, and are planning on one, maybe hold off on the gas strut. When I installed my wheel carrier it solved the back door issue at the same time. Won't work on all carries but the ones that link the rear door to cross member (Kaymar? type) stand a good chance of doing the same.

Ian.

[rijidij]

Blade,


If you don't have a rear wheel carrier yet, and are planning on one, maybe hold off on the gas strut. When I installed my wheel carrier it solved the back door issue at the same time. Won't work on all carries but the ones that link the rear door to cross member ( :D Edit: Rijidij :D type) stand a good chance of doing the same.

Ian.

A gas strut actually works well in tandem with a wheel carrier. While the wheel carrier does lock in the open position, the gas strut helps with the opening of the door as you're still pushing the weight of the door and the spare if you have the type of carrier which opens automatically with the door.....like these ones ;) Defender wheel carriers (http://rijidijoffroad.bounce.com.au/#/defender-single-or-dual/4569741648)

Cheers, Murray

[Blade74]

I would love the swing out spare carrier but unfortunately I go to the back of my car a lot and work out of the back of it so having to swing out the spare and then open the back every time would be painful.
Gas strut would work well as a start.

[Yorkshire_Jon]

I would love the swing out spare carrier but unfortunately I go to the back of my car a lot and work out of the back of it so having to swing out the spare and then open the back every time would be painful.
Gas strut would work well as a start.

I am actually a fan of Murray's carriers. Having said that, another option for you to consider if you want a swing out and no hassle of opening the carrier then the door, strongly suggest a Mantec carrier. Yes, there are cheaper alternatives on the market but the Mantec one just works, never rattles or squeaks and is very well built.

Sent using Forum Runner

[rijidij]

I would love the swing out spare carrier but unfortunately I go to the back of my car a lot and work out of the back of it so having to swing out the spare and then open the back every time would be painful.
Gas strut would work well as a start.

No need to open the carrier separately to the door, they both open in one action.
Have a look at this video, it's of an early prototype so there are some minor changes to now, but you'll get the idea.

Defender wheel carrier (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svwgrErZE7w)

Cheers, Murray

[rijidij]

I am actually a fan of Murray's carriers. Having said that, another option for you to consider if you want a swing out and no hassle of opening the carrier then the door, strongly suggest a Mantec carrier. Yes, there are cheaper alternatives on the market but the Mantec one just works, never rattles or squeaks and is very well built.

Sent using Forum Runner

Not mentioning any specific brand, but I've sold wheel carriers as replacements for imported carriers which have cracked.
There's nothing 'wrong' with the cheaper imported carriers if you don't do a lot of off roading and just want to get the wheel off the back door, but some of them just aren't built strong enough to handle those outback corrugations and other harsh conditions we get in Australia.

Cheers, Murray

[nedflanders]

I've had a Mantec spare wheel carrier on for a long time, strong enough for me to stand on when loading up the roof rack (and I ain't slim ;) ) and also carry's the high lift jack when off-road. I have no problem recommending Mantec :)

http://imageshack.us/a/img189/8026/p1010046jk.jpg

[ATH]

Are there different types of carrier from Mantec Nedf? I read somewhere there's an African spec and European and presumably the Afro is stronger for rougher conditions like ours in Oz.
Please advise if you know.
AlanH.

[Loubrey]

Alan,

The "European Spec" is a copy of the Mantec and doesn't have a fraction of the strength. Dealers are meant to label it "Mantec Style" carrier, but most of the time they don't.

Mantec only makes the one which the dealers in the UK started calling "African Spec" to justify the fact that the Mantec is made better and therefore more expensive. Visually they are almost identical except for pipe wall thickness, the internal piston and higher quality welding.

The only two models is the Station Wagon one and "Half Door" one which both have the piston on the inside to maintain full strength when the door opens. You know that I step the scales at a good 100Kg+ and I've always stood on the carrier even when the door was half open to get stuff of the roof rack.

Mantec | Quality Land Rover Accessories (http://www.mantec.co.uk/productdetail.cfm'theProductID=6111D1F6-15C5-F4C0-99458DE1BC616A94)

Cheers,

Lou

[rijidij]

I've had a Mantec spare wheel carrier on for a long time, strong enough for me to stand on when loading up the roof rack (and I ain't slim ;) ) and also carry's the high lift jack when off-road. I have no problem recommending Mantec :)



I did highlight 'Some' imported carriers aren't built strong enough, but some are quite good. Mantec make some pretty good gear.

It all depends on what you want from your carrier.................try doing this with one of the lower quality carriers..........not the best angle, but it's two spare wheels and tyres piggybacked on a single carrier. This particular vehicle does a lot of outback driving on corrugations etc.

Cheers, Murray

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/04/166.jpg (http://s204.photobucket.com/user/rijidij/media/Wheel%20Carriers/Piggy%20back%20wheel%20carrier/Piggy-back-spares_zps1afc0ca6.jpg.html)

[nedflanders]

I did highlight 'Some' imported carriers aren't built strong enough, but some are quite good. Mantec make some pretty good gear.

It all depends on what you want from your carrier.................try doing this with one of the lower quality carriers..........not the best angle, but it's two spare wheels and tyres piggybacked on a single carrier. This particular vehicle does a lot of outback driving on corrugations etc.

Cheers, Murray

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/04/166.jpg (http://s204.photobucket.com/user/rijidij/media/Wheel%20Carriers/Piggy%20back%20wheel%20carrier/Piggy-back-spares_zps1afc0ca6.jpg.html)

I was simply stating that IMO the Mantec is a good carrier, if you know which carriers are 'NOT' good then name and shame, maybe it will stop people buying 'crap' and stop manufacturers producing 'crap' ;)

[Loubrey]

Hi Murray,

Same from me... I've been drooling over that carrier setup of yours ever since I saw it on the forum, but I've spent too much money on the rear of my car to justify switching at this stage.

I'm obviously a Mantec fan (I'm old enough to have lived in the Camel Trophy era) and my car currently sports quite a bit of their gear - hence the feedback on the quality of the genuine Mantec stuff.

If I had to buy a new car for any unforeseen reason I would definitely be in the market for one of your carrier arrangements though!

Cheers,

Lou

[tonymid]

I've just done the gas strut thing to my 2010 Puma. I had a pile of struts sitting around and just selected the best fit. It is 320mm from pin to pin. and has a stroke of 120mm. I used the original bracket on the body but it has to be spaced out about 8mm from the body to allow the strut to clear the door frame. I used a small bit of angle to mount the other end to the door. The most important consideration in selecting the strut apart from raw dimensions is the force (pressure) inside the strut. The one I used is rated at 200 newtons. It works pretty well but I think it is not quite strong enough, probably around 300 would be best.

Tonymid.