Hood Shocks & Struts

What are Hood Shocks?

Hood shocks are used on heavy-duty trucks to slow the opening and closing of the hood. The large hoods used on class 8 trucks can be hard to manage alone and, in the wind, they can act like a sail and be pulled from your grip. Hood shocks behave like a suspension shock and absorb some of the quick movements of the hood being dropped open or slammed shut. They can use an internal coil spring, oil, compressed gas, or a combination of all three to control the weight of the hood. Hood shocks are the modern replacement for a hood cable and spring that have the additional benefit of slowing the hood down and preventing damage.

What are Hood Struts?

Most Hood struts contain the same type of internal mechanisms for slowing the hood, but they will also contain a physical locking mechanism to hold the hood open when needed. The locking mechanism will act as a hood prop would to keep the hood from closing in the wind or if parked on an incline. When the hood is fully open the locking mechanism will allow you to physically lock the hood strut and it will not be possible to compress.

When hood struts fail, the internal spring may wear out or break or the seal may fail and leak out the damping oil and gas. When the hood is open or closed, the hood shocks will no longer be able to support the weight of the hood and it will slam open or closed. This could damage the hood itself, or latching mechanisms. Hood struts should be changed soon after a failure is noticed to prevent additional damage to the truck.

Replacing Hood Struts and Shocks

When replacing hood struts and shocks, replacements should be located by using the OEM part number. Not all replacements are available in the aftermarket and “close enough” is not “good enough” when replacing these items. If a replacement is not a perfect match the strut may be over-extended, or it can bottom out before the hood is fully closed and this can rip the mounts from the hood or the cab of the truck. Measurements are given on many of the hood struts listed on our website to confirm the replacement matches before ordering. Pairing a worn-out hood strut with a new item can cause premature wear of the new item so replacement in pairs is always recommended.