Gas struts failure

No. They are faulty, take them back and demand replacements, or a refund.

Cheers, Ron.

So these are fitted externally?
Very fine dust can get into the seals and stuff them but Cape York dust should be ok.
BDR dust is finer and could have killed them. Guessing they were not the highest quality to begin with from a parts retailer so probably didn't take much to wear them out.

Clean them up well and return them.

Nick,
I believe the struts will be cheap ones and have just plain failed. If they are in warranty, ask politely for new ones or your money back.

Dust and corrugations will cause a shorter life but not that short. Have a think about the bonnet struts used in vehicles, they last very long time before needing maintenance or replacement.

They are the same principle as the hydraulic rams on a tipper, dozer or any other piece of earthmoving equipment that run day in and day out through some serious dust and vibration. Sit in the chair of of a dozer on hard ground and you will know what I am talking about. Mostly, they last a good few years before they defecate themselves.

As Robert Pepper says, a shock is a device for converting movement to heat.

If there's more movement over a given time than the shock is designed for, there'll be excessive heat, and likely failure if not premature wear. Offroad and corrugations demand a lot of shocks. Even Bilsteins can fail under those circumstances.

Many people don't appreciate that in any case a shock is a wear item. Repeated heating degrades the oil and erratic damping is the result. If in doubt about yours, take them to a place with a shock dyno for testing. Or if they're cheapies, just replace them.

After 20,000 kms, many of them hard, my Dobinson MRRs needed servicing. The standard Dobinsons lasted 30,000. Go figure.

Next time buy your struts from a transport parts supplier like McNaughtons.

You will get a better strut for less ...... gassed to your specification while you wait

cheers

Just for next time try stretching a tight o ring onto the strut shaft. It will act as a wiper and keep dust from main seal. We would just warrant these ones but I gotta say I always get a laugh at people who say there just cheap ones. Next time given the choice 90 percent will want Aussie made product which pretty much don't exist at Chinese made price.