Drop down bed gas struts

I think it sounds odd to hear the bed is fixed before the roof, that doesn't sound right. There are DIY examples of people adding drop down beds to vans so this shouldn't be a problem. Have you tried phoning Hobby for help as they are the ones who built the van and should be able to help you especially if the gas struts have failed.

Hobby can apparently only be contacted via their online portal, and telephoning a bunch of Germans probably wouldn’t help when I don’t speak the lingo.

obviously I have included at least four Hobby dealers in my quest and none of them want the job or know how to do it. One of the dealers said he would make a formal written request for information from the factory but says that IF they reply it is usually several weeks before they do so.

Some photographs of the situation would help Hobby-non owner engineers make some suggestions.    

I used to do business with Germany, their English was a lot better than my German and I think German engineers will be concerned about a parts failure. It might be worth a try. Good luck anyway. 

If the Gas struts are closed when the bed is in the down position and open in the up position I would suspect that the bed is fitted with Pull tension gas struts ( these work in the opposite way to conventional struts).

Have a look at SGS engineering, I have found them most helpful.

Many thanks for all comments.

Problem solved!

Removing the suspended cupboards beneath the bed when it is raised exposes the struts in the extended position!

Just to confirm that the struts are not pull tension ones as one might indeed have reasonably thought would be the case.The struts compress as the bed is lowered and then use a leverage arrangement to assist raising the bed back up again.

Having said that, the struts still needed compressing by a centimetre or so for fitting, even when the fittings were exposed in the extended position. This is because the nearest length of correct pressure strut I could get from SGS engineering was slightly too long. However I managed to compress them this small amount using a ratchet strap. The correct struts purchased from Hobby were unbelievably expensive but “only” £50 quid each from SGS.

Bloody awful job all round!