> So has anyone tried to use one of the extra heavy Bus Depot has
> with one of his regular hatch struts (in combinatioin)...????

It will work, and will essentially give you a result that is midpoint
between using a pair of heavy-duty struts and a pair of stock ones.  (It
will not be strong enough to support a bike rack, but will be a bit stronger
than stock. Not sure if it will allow the hatch to stay open in any position
as the pair of heavy-duty ones does.)  You should put the stronger strut on
the passenger side.  My personal preference still leans toward a matched
pair (either standard or HD), since a matched pair will last a bit longer.
But then again, VW did use an unmatched setup like this on some Vanagons, so
apparantly they didn't feel that the reduction in lifespan was unacceptable.

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  http://www.busdepot.com
  (215) 234-VWVW