Self Levelers

[Esacnj]

Can someone give me info. on potential problems. I have been told that if you spend a lot of time beach/shore camping that a coating of sand dust will stick to the piston which has a film of hydraulic fluid on it eventually leading to seal leaks.

[Community Alumni]

wny_pat wrote:
......

HWH says: "If the jack rod has been greased or silicone sprays have been used on the jack rod, use WD-40 to loosen the grease or silicone and wipe the rod clean."

I agree, my LCI manual says to use a silicon lube then wipe it down.

... Eric

[wny_pat1]

PackerBacker wrote:

JimM68 wrote:

PackerBacker wrote:
I'd be wondering why there is a film of hydraulic fluid on them to begin with, they really should be 'dry' unless they have been intentionally sprayed.

As mentioned already, a spray of silicon lube then wipe them down is what I would recommend. It's what my owner's manual states to do.

The seals are designed to weep a bit of fluid when extended.
Shock absorber seals are also.
....

That's news to me, I've run hydraulic components in pretty much everything from levellers to farm equipment, to my race cars. My experience has been the rams are pretty much dry unless there was some leaking. Otherwise they would be a dirt magnet and cause premature seal failures regularly. Just my opinion.

... Eric

HWH says: "If the jack rod has been greased or silicone sprays have been used on the jack rod, use WD-40 to loosen the grease or silicone and wipe the rod clean."

[wny_pat1]

I have to replace the two rear HWH kickdowns on the rear of my coach. Froze right up and will not budge. Shop called and said $1700 just for the jacks. I found another place that has them for $1400. Am planning on watching ebay until a set come along. Going to try to pick level spots and go without them for a while.

[Community Alumni]

JimM68 wrote:

PackerBacker wrote:
I'd be wondering why there is a film of hydraulic fluid on them to begin with, they really should be 'dry' unless they have been intentionally sprayed.

As mentioned already, a spray of silicon lube then wipe them down is what I would recommend. It's what my owner's manual states to do.

The seals are designed to weep a bit of fluid when extended.
Shock absorber seals are also.
....

That's news to me, I've run hydraulic components in pretty much everything from levellers to farm equipment, to my race cars. My experience has been the rams are pretty much dry unless there was some leaking. Otherwise they would be a dirt magnet and cause premature seal failures regularly. Just my opinion.

... Eric

[AllegroD]

I have talked to a few RV mechanics that say that the only thing you should put on the HWH Hydraulic levelers is ATF.

[JimM68]

PackerBacker wrote:
I'd be wondering why there is a film of hydraulic fluid on them to begin with, they really should be 'dry' unless they have been intentionally sprayed.

As mentioned already, a spray of silicon lube then wipe them down is what I would recommend. It's what my owner's manual states to do.

The seals are designed to weep a bit of fluid when extended.
Shock absorber seals are also.

I wipe mine with automatic transmission fluid if they are going to be extended for long time, and clean them also with ATF prior to retracting them. In my example, I'm talking about a long time.... like all winter she stays up on the jacks.

[Pop-Pop_C]

All i have ever used is WD-40.havent had a problem so far.
Have wintere on S.Padre IS.TX for the past 2 years for 2 months at a time.

[MaverickBBD]

We have spent years 100 yards from the Pacific ocean summering with the coach. I have found in my case the best thing to do is the day before we leave I wipe them down with A.T.F. and then a soft cloth. Use a Q tip and clean the outer cylinder seal. Then the next day they are good to go and retract within a two minute time frame. I will also do the same if in a particularly dusty desert environment.

[Community Alumni]

I'd be wondering why there is a film of hydraulic fluid on them to begin with, they really should be 'dry' unless they have been intentionally sprayed.

As mentioned already, a spray of silicon lube then wipe them down is what I would recommend. It's what my owner's manual states to do.

[bluegypsy]

My owner manual says to spray them with silicone spray every week when jacks are extended, more often if near sea/salt. I don't get around to it every week, but a couple of times a month usually. full-timing for 5 years with no problems.

[wilanddij]

Don't lube with anything that stays sticky. Spray them with silicone before you retract. It washes off the sand and protects the seal.

[FIRE_UP]

Esacnj,
First off, those hydraulic cylinder rams are not going to corrode out from underneath your coach in 10 minutes. It takes quite a while for even the start of a rust point to start to take effect. Even in the Salt air environment, it still takes quite a bit of time. I'm not talking years, but more like a month or so before it really starts to show. Now, different metals tolerate harsh environments differently. Stainless steel can handle a harsh environment without show of a any signs of corrosion for considerably longer than say, regular chrome which, is merely a coating anyway.

Uncoated aluminum (non anodized) will show signs of corrosion considerably faster than anodized aluminum. Raw steel, that's been ground or sanded to reveal it's shiny state, will show signs of corrosion in a salt environment in anywhere from 24 hours and beyond.

Those rams, on your levelers are either Stainless steel, a form of non polished chrome or other coatings that resist deterioration and corrosion. That's not to say they won't ever corrode or rust, but, they can withstand fairly harsh environments for longer than you think.

But, if you are really concerned, and you don't want to get down and crawl around trying to do some sort of maintenance on them, then just run them back up fully and back down to re-level your rig, about once every week to two. That will automatically "wipe" off any starting points of corrosion/rust. I mean, you're in it anyway, so, that process will take very little time and you will satisfy your worries. It's not like you have to drive to your coach in storage 50 miles away to do the process. Good luck.
Scott

[MustangGT]

Most of the hydraulic shafts are raw metal, so when coating the jacks, tow bars etc, also remember to coat the hydraulic struts holding up your basement doors and engine compartment hatches. the strut arms are usually chromed, but that protection has its limits.

[Canadian_Rainbi]

Best thing to do with your levelers is to treat them as the manual for your particular levers says.

We winter near the ocean but are close to and behind a high building. We are still exposed to salt air though and high humidity.

With ours (HWH), I give them a wipe down with a clean dry cloth then a quick shot of silicone spray, the same that I use on our Roadmaster Towbar.