Rear strut top won't fit on dobinsons low springs

[rumpfy]

Something NQR here.
You need a spring compressor to get the assembly back together. The plates, top and bottom are shaped to suit the spring diameter AND the diameter of the coil wire. Using the spring compressor will show how it fits. The photo you post implies you dont have a spring compressor.
These springs are really dangerous to fit and one needs the right gear to compress them.
I replaced both struts some time ago. It was easy to get the assembly apart with crappy compressors, but they were completely inadequate to fit the new struts. The top plate has a bearing which allows the strut to swivel against the upper body support point, so fit the top plate after compressing the spring. You have to compress from the point about where your thumb is placed in your pic.
hope this helps.

[maggie3.5]

Something NQR here.
You need a spring compressor to get the assembly back together. The plates, top and bottom are shaped to suit the spring diameter AND the diameter of the coil wire. Using the spring compressor will show how it fits. The photo you post implies you dont have a spring compressor.
These springs are really dangerous to fit and one needs the right gear to compress them.
I replaced both struts some time ago. It was easy to get the assembly apart with crappy compressors, but they were completely inadequate to fit the new struts. The top plate has a bearing which allows the strut to swivel against the upper body support point, so fit the top plate after compressing the spring. You have to compress from the point about where your thumb is placed in your pic.
hope this helps.

Whilst this is very true for the fronts and the REMOVAL of the rear springs.....and the whole post is about the rears...you can get away with two people working together compressing the rear spring down to put it all back together.