By "wood bin" I assume you mean the bed pedestal. Ours was relatively easy to open when new, but not after the biscuit burner loaded the mattress with bedding and such. Rather than look for strong struts or do much engineering, I just cut a 2X2 that lays handy under the bed and, when needed, just "jambs" the thing open. Not exactly sophisticated, but its certainly less costly than new struts.
In a situation where the solenoids let a slide sneak out on the highway, the 2X2 doubles as a retaining device to keep it in until repairs can be made.
Joel
