Trying to figure the correct lift/ shock
Edit: never mind. I'll do an Occam's razor here and assumed stupidity not malice. The guy put the current gas shocks on on reverse. Adding to difficulty opening it and lifting. Never mind.
I'm not looking for an answer because it's going to require some research and math, but I am looking for a direction on which math I'm dealing with. Keeping in mind it's been 44 years since I've ever dealt with this type of calculation.
I have a large wooden box that comes up to my chest. It contains a clothes washer. It is on my outside downstairs porch in a very well weather protected place but it's also got a box around it to be sure.
This box has an angled flat lid that starts much higher because it must contain the water supply as well which is about 4 in above the top back of the washer. The sides are angled so they always meet the lid.
This is thick and heavy plywood. When I grab it to lift it's difficult and when I extend it it's shoulder dislocating and then I have to keep it up which requires me to throw a steel bar in place that could fall and kill me. Or break the top of the washer since that's glass.
When I instructed the contractor to build it, and yes he actually had a contractor license at least at the end of this process, I told him to get whatever the correct shock/springs are required to hold it at almost no weight on the way up and then I will pull it down and hook the simple hook and all should be good.
He put totally wrong shock/springs on it and they are worthless and then at that moment got his contractor license and could quadruple his rates and he was off to the next projects and he was gone forever.
I was crippled with one broken foot and one sprained foot and I was not going downstairs to check the work in those days. He got paid.
It's high on the back and low on the front and sloping towards me when I want to open it.
I need to figure out what the correct weight rating and force rating is appropriate for a couple of lifts.
I have to give it whatever the absolute minimum distance it is required to lift (so I can open the washer lid) while simultaneously considering how far along the lift is positioned.
If it's in the back, it needs an incredible amount of force to push from the corner. If it's in the front it needs less but then it needs much bigger extending length. If it's in the middle it needs something in the middle. So the bottom line is I have to figure out what is appropriate for this given configuration.
Anyone want to point me in whatever direction you think is appropriate?
If this becomes two complex/ confusing for me, I have a couple of backup plans.
One would be to place the shocks outside on the sides towards the very front. Create some type of simple resting style of connection from the lid sides. The top and sides won't be physically connected. The side shocks would provide initial lift and then I would continue to push up and create a better swinging light bar connection that holds it up at the final location. So get rid of that stupid steel bar that has just been grabbed to prop it up and actually put something hinged on the lid that swings down and rests on the inner side of the box where I currently prop that steel bar. This type of shock would give the added benefit of allowing me to drop at the final 6 in without worrying about it slamming and breaking the glass on top of the washer.
The other would be take the lid off and cut out via jigsaw the vast majority of the middle and replace it with some thin plexiglass ordered off of Amazon. I'll just glue it in place on the top of the hole. It doesn't have to be pretty. It just has to keep the weather out and keep it light enough for me to move. And add the above described swinging bar for the final hold.
I'm not looking for an answer because it's going to require some research and math, but I am looking for a direction on which math I'm dealing with. Keeping in mind it's been 44 years since I've ever dealt with this type of calculation.
I have a large wooden box that comes up to my chest. It contains a clothes washer. It is on my outside downstairs porch in a very well weather protected place but it's also got a box around it to be sure.
This box has an angled flat lid that starts much higher because it must contain the water supply as well which is about 4 in above the top back of the washer. The sides are angled so they always meet the lid.
This is thick and heavy plywood. When I grab it to lift it's difficult and when I extend it it's shoulder dislocating and then I have to keep it up which requires me to throw a steel bar in place that could fall and kill me. Or break the top of the washer since that's glass.
When I instructed the contractor to build it, and yes he actually had a contractor license at least at the end of this process, I told him to get whatever the correct shock/springs are required to hold it at almost no weight on the way up and then I will pull it down and hook the simple hook and all should be good.
He put totally wrong shock/springs on it and they are worthless and then at that moment got his contractor license and could quadruple his rates and he was off to the next projects and he was gone forever.
I was crippled with one broken foot and one sprained foot and I was not going downstairs to check the work in those days. He got paid.
It's high on the back and low on the front and sloping towards me when I want to open it.
I need to figure out what the correct weight rating and force rating is appropriate for a couple of lifts.
I have to give it whatever the absolute minimum distance it is required to lift (so I can open the washer lid) while simultaneously considering how far along the lift is positioned.
If it's in the back, it needs an incredible amount of force to push from the corner. If it's in the front it needs less but then it needs much bigger extending length. If it's in the middle it needs something in the middle. So the bottom line is I have to figure out what is appropriate for this given configuration.
Anyone want to point me in whatever direction you think is appropriate?
If this becomes two complex/ confusing for me, I have a couple of backup plans.
One would be to place the shocks outside on the sides towards the very front. Create some type of simple resting style of connection from the lid sides. The top and sides won't be physically connected. The side shocks would provide initial lift and then I would continue to push up and create a better swinging light bar connection that holds it up at the final location. So get rid of that stupid steel bar that has just been grabbed to prop it up and actually put something hinged on the lid that swings down and rests on the inner side of the box where I currently prop that steel bar. This type of shock would give the added benefit of allowing me to drop at the final 6 in without worrying about it slamming and breaking the glass on top of the washer.
The other would be take the lid off and cut out via jigsaw the vast majority of the middle and replace it with some thin plexiglass ordered off of Amazon. I'll just glue it in place on the top of the hole. It doesn't have to be pretty. It just has to keep the weather out and keep it light enough for me to move. And add the above described swinging bar for the final hold.
