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Snowfether's avatar
Snowfether
Explorer
Oct 12, 2013

HELP...could be horribly EXPEN$IVE!!!

Several weeks ago I broke my ankle and brought along a friend to help me set up on a weekend camping trip. All went well with levelling until tear-down. I've always had a problem with one jack "sticking" and not wanting to come up unless I "nudged" the rig forward just a tad...barely an inch or two...then up it goes.

So....my friend got behind the wheel and he misunderstood me and BACKED it up a touch instead of forward. I screamed at him to stop and he then went forward and the jack went up just fine.

Herein lies the problem, last time out I went to level and nothing happened, the light came on but there seemed to be no power to the box when I tried to level. Could the mishap on the previous trip have caused a burnout of some sort? I fear this is going to be a major problem. I love this old rig of mine and she's been a gem in spite of her years, I can't give up on her.
Lacy
Class A
  • past-MIdirector's avatar
    past-MIdirector
    Explorer
    Oct 12, 2013
    My I suggest you take the RV in and get your leveling system looked at. Problems never go away and only get worst. Moving the RV even a little with a jack down will cause damage to the jack and mounting.
  • wny_pat1's avatar
    wny_pat1
    Explorer
    Oct 13, 2013
    past-MIdirector wrote:
    My I suggest you take the RV in and get your leveling system looked at. Problems never go away and only get worst. Moving the RV even a little with a jack down will cause damage to the jack and mounting.

    X2, and yes it could be very expensive. A single replacement jack for my coach is $700, plus labor for installation.
  • RayChez's avatar
    RayChez
    Explorer
    Oct 13, 2013
    If there is nothing bent on the leveler shaft, it could be a circuit breaker or a fuse. On my coach on the passenger side rear compartment there is a circuit breaker that will trip if there is too much of a load on the jacks. Not sure if yours has that, but also check for a fuse blown.
  • kalynzoo's avatar
    kalynzoo
    Explorer
    Oct 13, 2013
    Depends on what you call expensive. But after rocking the rig with the jack down I would certainly want a competent tech to inspect the welds on the jack and the piston. Next time, if your raised and the weld fails the results could really be expensive and dangerous.
    A replacement jack can be costly, however, on the HWH jacks sometimes the spring just becomes warn, like and old garage door, and does not have the force to bring up the jack. Or, there may be a plug in the hydraulic line than can be service. It's worth having it at least checked out before it breaks.
    JMHO
  • Canadian_Rainbi's avatar
    Canadian_Rainbi
    Explorer
    Oct 13, 2013
    Yup. Get checked. Cheaper in the long run. As a local garage says in it's ads; "Pay me now, or pay me later."
  • Tedtoo's avatar
    Tedtoo
    Explorer
    Oct 13, 2013
    Check to see if you have enough hydraulic fluid. Even slightly low can cause problems. If that doesn't help, go online and find what springs are on the jacks. Maybe you can find them and have them installed cheaply. Good luck and sorry about your ankle.

    Judie
  • John_Joey's avatar
    John_Joey
    Explorer
    Oct 13, 2013
    It's so nice to see you're still RV'ing and enjoying your Class A Snowfether. You've come a long ways from the early days :) Hope your DH is doing well.

    I'm guessing you might have swing jacks, and when you drive forward that would help pop them up. Going backwards would be like bending your knee in the opposite direction. It's not meant to do that, and very possible something went bad.

    Could be expensive, but then again might be something that is simple like a pinched hinge that can be rebent. Estimates are free, and remember not everyone has jacks and they do just fine when camping (with more effort of course.)

    Good luck.
  • 2ndhom's avatar
    2ndhom
    Explorer
    Oct 13, 2013
    How about stopping by a reliable front end alignment shop ... one who has equipment for trucks/buses? They could certainly have a look see.
  • Gjac's avatar
    Gjac
    Explorer III
    Oct 15, 2013
    If you post what system you have it would be easier to get more specific replies. If it is the HWH 200 or 210 series the jacks will not be damaged by rolling backwards. This happened to me when I pulled into a campground after dark and the site was not level and I rlled backwards off the jacks and could not get the to retract all the way. I called HWH and they assured me they were designed to rolled fwd or backwards without damage. After cleaning the dirt and sand out of the outer seal and the shaft I was able to get them to retract. Is the green power light lit on your panel? Does the red parking light come on when you push the emergency brake on? If not you can start by checking the 5 amp fuse located in the control panel itself.

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