"popping" jacks

This is from Lippert:
Fluid Recommendations for Hydraulic Leveling
1. Operation at air temperatures routinely above 0o
C (32o
F)
• Dexron 3/Mercon ATF
• Mercon 5 ATF
• Dexron 6 ATF
• PetroBlend (Mason City, IA) PHO 0022S (synthetic group 3 base blend)
• Bellman all temp 22 (Bremen, IN)
• Or any ATF or hydraulic fluid with a pour point lower than -42o
C (-45o
F)
2. Operation at air temperatures routinely below freezing, 0o
C (32o
F)
• Mobil 1 full synthetic ATF
• Royal Purple full synthetic ATF
• Valvoline full synthetic ATF
• Amzoil full synthetic ATF
• PetroBlend (Mason City, IA) PHO 0022S (synthetic group 3 base blend)
• Bellman all temp 22 (Bremen, IN)
• Or any ATF or hydraulic fluid with a pour point lower than -42o
C (-45o
F)
• Multivis (all temperature) iso 22 hydraulic fluid
• Or any ATF or hydraulic fluid (conventional or synthetic) with a pour point lower than -46o
C ( -50o
F)
3. Operation at air temperatures routinely below -18o
C (0o
F)
• Kendall Glacial Blue
• Benz oil (Milwaukee, WI) Flomite 530
• Or any conventional or synthetic ATF or hydraulic fluid with a pour point less than -57o
C ( -70o
F) and
viscosity less than 2850 cP @ -40o
C (-40o
F ).

I had this same problem in my new Montana 5th wheel with the Lippert Leveling system. Lippert send me a fix by replacing some of the hydraulic fluid. But that had no effect. I soon figured out that with the temperature changes the metal was expanding and contracting and possibly there was slight ground movement which was creating the pops. I then found the Pad Food RV pad on Ebay. I put one under each jack pad and have not had any more problems since. The rubber jack pad absorbs any movement eliminating all pops and creaking noises.

Takemeanywhere wrote:

Since the leveling gauge is a little off anyway, we use carpentry levels

Did you try re-calibrating your gauges?

this time of the year, there is a larger differential between night and daytime temps. thermal expansion and contraction is whats causing the popping. goes up during the day, and down at night. try using wd40 on the shaft on each jack. that helps some. not sure there is a permanent cure.

It is just temperature swings as the sun comes up and moves across the sky during the day. The popping and biggest movement is probably coming from the sunnyside of the coach (probably the south side)where the largest amount of thermal expansion and contraction occurs. I responder on here may have hit on a fix by using a soft or rubber pad for the jack feet to rest on.

Easy fix! Put a block of wood between jack pad and the ground.
Ground is hotter or colder than the steel, absorbs sound and provides a cushion.

Putting wood between the jacks and the ground did not work for me. But when I put the rubber Pad Foot pads between the jacks and the ground or between the jacks and the wood ...no more pops.

Mine pop now and again with movement in the coach but I don't think they are retracting. You are several tons on metal stilts bolted to a metal frame with a lot of the weight off many normally moving parts. Not to mention you may have some frame twist with levelling. I would think some creaking would be normal. usually I can get all the creaking out in a day and after that things settle down. But I've never lost any height. I think it's normal.