I am a little confused here.

The 272 and 36 Outlaw both are set up where I can lift the hatch several inches if the actuator fails. This allows you to reach in and pull the pin so you can lift the hatch on up.

Actually the 36 can be raised about a foot to make for easy access. Of course the hatch is very heavy itself.

I cannot see a need for anything else, especially for $1000 dollars?

agree with dock
 

On my '02 model the piston is attached to the hatch with a sliding mechanism that allows you to manually lift the hatch about 6 inches. Once you lift the hatch, you pull a release pin like an earlier post described. You just have to be careful not to continue lowering the piston once the hatch touches down, or you will take up the slack in the slide.