On Mar 31, 12:04*am, "bumper" wrote:
"Frank" wrote in message

...

It appears that the gas strut on the brake lever of my cobra trailer
has failed. *Today I noticed the lower end was no longer connected
(apparently the bottom pin detached from the fixed connection point),
and it was just hanging loose by the top connection. *In addition, the
strut seems jammed in the extended postion. *It rotates ok (with a
little resistance) but won't collapse any, even with a *lot* of
pressure.

Any advice for repair/replacement? *Is this a cobra-only part, or will
any gas strut of the same length and throw do the job? *Is the cobra
part available at finite cost?

TIA,

Frank (TA)

If the gas strut has not been bent, it may still be okay. Are you trying to
compress the strut by installing it back on the fixed pin? Or just by hand?
Depending on the strut, some require a substantial amount of pressure to
compress - - more than you can do by hand just using your body weight. With
the mechanical advantage afforded by the broken mount, it may compress?

bumper
zz

After some experimentation, I found that I can compress the gas strut
using my trusty hydraulic floor jack, so I can now line up the lower
strut attachment hole with the hole on the tongue mounting bracket.
AlI have to do is figure out how to attach it without interfering with
the trailer jack handle's normal movement. Now I understand why Cobra
uses those stupid short pins - no room for a bolt & nut!

Frank (TA)