Bigfoot 17" front window cover supports - Fiberglass RV
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Old 02-29-2016, 03:24 PM   #1
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Name: Ted
Trailer: Bigfoot
Georgia
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Bigfoot 17" front window cover supports

Just purchased a 1984 Bigfoot 17" Gaucho this past weekend. Everything was going fine until I realized that the front window cover was flapping around too much. Upon stopping I further realized that it had ripped off the supports for the cover.

Any idea where I can find replacement supports? Are these a generic item that would be universal, or are they specific to each brand?

Looking forward to getting into the FGRV lifestyle!

thanks!

-Ted
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Old 02-29-2016, 07:57 PM   #2
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Montana
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Amazon or lots of other places online. They're usually called struts or props. Actually if you google something like "replacing Bigfoot trailer rock guard struts" or something like that, you'll find the threads I was just looking at today. Not all about Bigfoot trailers but it's all the same thing.

Mine are still attached just fine, but just like the struts that hold up the back tailgate window of truck toppers, they eventually lose their holding power and need to be replaced. I'll be replacing mine soon.

You may or may not be able to find an exact duplicate, but you can definitely find a replacement.

Easiest thing would be to remove one of yours and bring it in to an auto parts store or trailer/camper store. The length is the most important thing. Weight is second most important, but it sounds like the originals were around 10lbs, and that's hard to find in a replacement. In some of the threads I was reading, people mentioned replacing theirs with 25 or 30lb struts and having that work just fine.

The slightly harder way is finding out what kind of attachment they have (ball socket?), and their length, and searching online for a replacement. Still pretty easy, but just bringing a part into a shop and having an "expert" find an adequate replacement is easier, I guess.
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Old 02-29-2016, 08:56 PM   #3
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Name: Jack L
Trailer: Sold the Bigfoot 17-Looking for a new one
Washington
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Sometime around 1990 (guess anyway) Bigfoot changed the size of the fiberglass cover and used different hardware. I believe the older ones used some type of mechanical, collapsible bracket. I would try to redo the whole system to the gas charged struts and new mounting hardware. I needed some struts for another project and found a great selection on Ebay. The cover also needs some sort of latch system to keep it closed while traveling. The earlier ones had a larger cover.
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Old 03-01-2016, 09:23 AM   #4
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Name: Walter
Trailer: 2017 Escape 17B
SW Virginia
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I second ZachO's approach, they are pretty standard gas shocks/struts and you should be able to find suitable replacements at most auto parts stores.
If there's any problem I've found that Grant at Bigfoot is often a good resource.
And congratulations and welcome to the world of fiberglass, especially Bigfoot.

Walt
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Old 03-01-2016, 03:20 PM   #5
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Name: Ted
Trailer: Bigfoot
Georgia
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Thanks!

Struts. Duh. I've replaced them on my truck, not sure why I couldn't figure out to call them the same thing.

Thanks for the info and tips. I was wondering how generic they are, seems like I should be able to find a suitable replacement. I'll take a look around.

Really appreciate the help!

-Ted
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Old 03-01-2016, 04:48 PM   #6
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Same thing happened to me when I needed to replace them on my truck a few months back. I made it way more difficult than it needed to be, till I started searching around a bit and found the right terms to use.

Good luck!
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