It can be either there is no way to know till you take at least one side
loose.
You can press it against the ground and see if you can move it easily (bad)

NOTE: a cool "poor mans" trick to get you by with saggin hatch struts.
(beats the broom handle slipping and the hatch coming down on yer head)

Take a small section of 1/2 pvc sprinkler pipe about the length of the
exposed shaft of the strut when the hatch is fully open. Run it through your
table saw to create a "notch" lengthwise in the pipe. When you open the
hatch slip it over the shaft of the strut and it will securly hold the hatch
up.

CAUTION: If you have not taken your daily supplement of fish oil and are
busy and over the age of oh, 35?  you might just continue to forget that you
have the hatch "locked" and try to pull it down. This can be bad if you are
fairly strong and you only have one side with the pvc brace.  So if you
(like me) are forgetfull MAKE TWO and use one on each side, as a penalty and
a remider that you are too busy for an old guy.

Doug

----- Original Message -----
From: "Larry Alofs" <lalofs@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, March 06, 2009 11:49 AM
Subject: Re: Rear Hatch struts

Does anyone know which side normally had the strong and which the weak
one?  (Assuming the factory was consistent)
  One of mine has stopped doing its job and I need to figure out which
one it is.  Can I tell by the part number?

Larry A.

On Fri, Mar 6, 2009 at 11:35 AM, David Beierl <dbeierl@attglobal.net> wrote:
> At 12:01 PM 3/6/2009, Stephen Grisanti wrote:
>>
>> I got two of the "strong" struts from Bus Depot two years ago and
>> they're still going strong.
>
> Mine, same combination, went many years with no change and were still
> going strong when the van retired. OTOH it took some serious grunt
> to haul the thing down and close it. As Mike C said, would have held
> up a bicycle no problem. I'm just getting used to the "normal"
> arrangement on the new beast, and I must say it's very pleasant,
> barring the bicycle.
>
> --
> David Beierl - Providence RI USA -- http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
> '89 Po' White Star "Scamp"
>