Hood Damper
Gas Struts to Hold the Hood Up
A prop rod works right up until you are leaning over an engine in the wind with both hands busy. A hood damper is a gas strut that takes the weight of the hood and holds it open on its own. One kit is listed here, from Rough Country.
Find Parts for Your Vehicle
Measuring your bed
Put a tape measure inside the bed, from the inside of the bulkhead (front wall) to the inside of the closed tailgate. Round to the nearest inch — a 69" measurement is a 5'8" bed.
Bed length is measured inside the box, not along the outside of the truck.
Still unsure? Leave it blank to see every length that fits your truck, or call 888-865-4024.
Gas struts do two things a prop rod does not. They hold the hood steady when the wind picks up, and they take the weight on the way up and on the way down, so the hood is not dropping the last stretch under its own weight. Anyone who works under their own hood regularly ends up wanting a set.
This is a single listing rather than a range, so the first thing to check is whether it is listed for your truck. Strut kits are built around a particular hood weight and particular mounting points, and one made for another vehicle will either not mount or will not hold.
If you would rather not work out bracket placement yourself, installation is available at all 22 of our stores across Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Florida.
Common Questions
What does a hood damper do?
It holds the hood open without a prop rod. A gas strut carries the weight of the hood as it opens, keeps it up while you work, and controls it on the way back down instead of letting it fall the last stretch. In wind, or on a hood heavy enough to be awkward, that is the whole reason to fit one.
Will it fit my truck?
Check the listing against your year, make and model before ordering. Strut kits are matched to a particular hood, including its weight, its hinge geometry and where brackets can be mounted, so a kit for another truck will not work even if it looks close. If you are unsure, a store can check the part number for you.