Rookie Question - Landing Gear with single motor - Movement

[1slomofo]

Okay,

I'm a new 5th wheel owner. I camp off-road and very rarely on level ground. I level my trailer side to side using leveling blocks under the tires... but my question is about the landing gear.

My set up is single motor that drives both of the left and right side legs. If I am camped on un-even ground I know that I can slide the legs up and down in 1-inch increments to off-set the level of the ground. But 1 inch isn't a fine enough adjustment. Sometimes the left leg is touching ground and the right leg is still about 1 inch off the ground. When I extend the gear down is there a clutch or something that compensates for only one leg touching the ground and waits for the other leg to touch?

Otherwise it seems extending the legs like this would start push me out of level?

[Gib3633]

Camping world sold an adaptor which went between the shoe and the leg and it was installed using original pins and it was a 3/4 bolt stainless that screwed in or out as required. It worked great . However when you retract the leg you need to remove the top pin of the adaptor and carry in storage as it could and would unwind and you would loose it on the highway.

[Passin__Through]

salem wrote:
Ed ke6bnl: Do you know who makes those, or what they're called? I'd like to look them up if you do. Sounds like something I'd be interested in.

Winfield RV Products has them, as Old Biscuit mentioned. I have their adjustable foot on my 5er and like it. Try Winfieldrvproducts.com. And check out their 5th wheel adjustable landing leg extension.

[bogart661]

Road Runners wrote wrote:
I too carry 1/4 and 1/2 inch squares of plywood to fine tune the landing gear length

X3

[ependydad]

My landing gear "slips" when one side touches before the other. I'm not sure what is happening and honestly tried to dial in the pins and a board underneath to get them to touch as evenly as possible.

[greende]

laknox wrote:
Personally, I level side-side, pull the pins on the landing leg extensions, let 'em hit the ground, then power the legs down until the pins snap back into place. I've never been on a spot so unlevel that I felt I had to shim one side over the other. Any twist to the frame is so minor that I doubt I could even measure it. All I do is to put a spare lego block under the feet to spread the load a bit. (shrug)

Lyle

I essentially do the same as Lyle. I drop the legs to the closest pin setting and extend the landing gear.

[goducks10]

Road Runners wrote:
I too carry 1/4 and 1/2 inch squares of plywood to fine tune the landing gear length.

x2

[salem]

Ed ke6bnl: Do you know who makes those, or what they're called? I'd like to look them up if you do. Sounds like something I'd be interested in.

[laknox]

Personally, I level side-side, pull the pins on the landing leg extensions, let 'em hit the ground, then power the legs down until the pins snap back into place. I've never been on a spot so unlevel that I felt I had to shim one side over the other. Any twist to the frame is so minor that I doubt I could even measure it. All I do is to put a spare lego block under the feet to spread the load a bit. (shrug)

Lyle

[Ed_ke6bnl]

I was given store bought device that attaches to one leg it has an adjustable pad that takes up the difference works great

[korbe]

After I extend the manual legs, I will motor down until one leg touches. I will then shim the other side.

[Old-Biscuit]

Single motor drives BOTH sides equally......

So if both legs are not touching ground after dropping inner tubes then one leg assembly will start lifting trailer before other takes some load. This can cause twisting of frame and failure of landing gear leg (shear pins/drive gear/jam nut)

Best to have both touching ground prior to extending (raising 5vr)
Shovel to dig out highside, small thin blocks for shims OR adjustable foot pads (Winfield RV Products)

[fj12ryder]

It's very unlikely there is any kind of clutch. And using just one leg to raise the front will most likely put a lot of strain on the motor, the one leg, and the frame, all of which can't be good IMO.

I have a Fuzion toyhauler with a single motor front landing gear which sounds very similar to yours. If I can't get it level with adjusting the legs with the pins, then I either use a small block under the leg, which I rarely have, or I take out the bolt that secures the telescoping connecting tube for the two legs. Then I raise the opposite leg by turning the tube until the legs will be level. Then I line the holes up and put the bolt back.

It's not a big deal and insures that both legs at least start out level.

[Road_Runners]

I too carry 1/4 and 1/2 inch squares of plywood to fine tune the landing gear length.

[fly-boy]

If your off road I suggest you always have a shovel- A shovel of dirt added/removed is a great way to adjust and you don't have to carry anything extra.