5th Wheel Landing Gear

[Camper117]

While camping this weekend, I mentioned to a fellow camper that my landing gear was out of sync (one foot hitting the ground before the other). He said if I were to raise the landing gear all the way up, the feet would realign and hit the ground at the same time, provided the ground was level.

I decided to try that when I got home today. So, I raised the landing gear up all the way. When it reached the upper limit, the motor stopped and hasn't worked since. So I used the manual crank and got unhooked. I have a hard time the swithc picked that exact moment ot go out.

Does anybody have any ideas? Thanks

[valhalla360]

Joe Way wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:
One thing to remember is the ground isn't always level so it's off by 1/2" it doesn't matter. Now if they are off by 4-6" it's probably worth unpinning the driveshaft and turning manually to balance (while hooked up on the truck with FULLY SECURED hitch).

Check, the bottom of the feet. On ours, they screw out if you only need an inch or so to level them out.

When we drop the trailer, we do the following:
- Put a 2x6 under each leg (just to keep them out of the mud and dirt) and pull the pin so the legs fall to the ground.
- Lift each leg the same number of holes and re-pin. Usually 4-5 holes (more if the ground slopes upward from front to back and we need to drop the front of the trailer once off the truck).
- Drop using the electric motor until one leg touches.
- Spin the other leg until it touches.
- Now lift using the perfectly balanced legs.

Sounds worse than it is...

Very close to what we do. If you first lower the legs 4-5 inches (or whatever is appropriate), then pull the pins, you can skip the hole-counting part. Saves a few seconds.

Good idea. We'll adjust our approach.

[joebedford]

I have to ask - did you pull the pins to get the feet on the inner legs to the ground before you started fooling around with the outer legs?

[fj12ryder]

Or you can replace your legs when they give up the ghost with the Bulldog system, and have independent controls for each leg.

[Joe_Way]

valhalla360 wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:
One thing to remember is the ground isn't always level so it's off by 1/2" it doesn't matter. Now if they are off by 4-6" it's probably worth unpinning the driveshaft and turning manually to balance (while hooked up on the truck with FULLY SECURED hitch).

Check, the bottom of the feet. On ours, they screw out if you only need an inch or so to level them out.

When we drop the trailer, we do the following:
- Put a 2x6 under each leg (just to keep them out of the mud and dirt) and pull the pin so the legs fall to the ground.
- Lift each leg the same number of holes and re-pin. Usually 4-5 holes (more if the ground slopes upward from front to back and we need to drop the front of the trailer once off the truck).
- Drop using the electric motor until one leg touches.
- Spin the other leg until it touches.
- Now lift using the perfectly balanced legs.

Sounds worse than it is...

Very close to what we do. If you first lower the legs 4-5 inches (or whatever is appropriate), then pull the pins, you can skip the hole-counting part. Saves a few seconds.

[valhalla360]

valhalla360 wrote:
One thing to remember is the ground isn't always level so it's off by 1/2" it doesn't matter. Now if they are off by 4-6" it's probably worth unpinning the driveshaft and turning manually to balance (while hooked up on the truck with FULLY SECURED hitch).

Check, the bottom of the feet. On ours, they screw out if you only need an inch or so to level them out.

When we drop the trailer, we do the following:
- Put a 2x6 under each leg (just to keep them out of the mud and dirt) and pull the pin so the legs fall to the ground.
- Lift each leg the same number of holes and re-pin. Usually 4-5 holes (more if the ground slopes upward from front to back and we need to drop the front of the trailer once off the truck).
- Drop using the electric motor until one leg touches.
- Spin the other leg until it touches.
- Now lift using the perfectly balanced legs.

Sounds worse than it is.

If your legs don't have the fine adjustment screw at the foot, 1x6 or other thin material (even scrape a bit of dirt out from under the high leg) to get them level will work.

[valhalla360]

double post

[Old-Biscuit]

SDcampowneroperator wrote:
Electric jack legs are connected to each other by one motor via a jack shaft with bevel gears on each end. They cannot be 'retimed' to each other by any other way than removing the shear pin through the bevel gear on one end of the shaft, putting it back in when the jack legs are equal.
Never top or bottom out the legs, that will at least blow the breaker, at worst strip gears or burn out the motor.
The other campers advice was not correct.

Don't have to do anything to bevel gear

Cross tube is two piece held to drive shaft at each end by bolt/nut

Remove easiest bolt/nut to access rotate cross tube to drive still connected end up/down then reinstall bolt/nut thru cross tube


See pg 6...Item #19 HERE

[Camper117]

It was the fuse. I appreciate the replies.

[LadyRVer]

My current fifth-wheel has a 30 amp fuse for the landing gear. It went bad, no power to landing gear.

Had a Montana and the delivery person evidently "overdid" the landing gear and it blew the inline fuse where the motor was inside.

Not good advice, but guess man was just trying to help.

[SDcampowneroper]

Electric jack legs are connected to each other by one motor via a jack shaft with bevel gears on each end. They cannot be 'retimed' to each other by any other way than removing the shear pin through the bevel gear on one end of the shaft, putting it back in when the jack legs are equal.
Never top or bottom out the legs, that will at least blow the breaker, at worst strip gears or burn out the motor.
The other campers advice was not correct.

[fj12ryder]

Yeah, that was really bad advice.

Generally you can pull the bolt that connects the cross shaft and even up the legs that way.

[Camper117]

Thank. I'll check the fuse

[corvettekent]

Yes check the fuse.

[Wild_Card]

Most landing gear motors are 30 amps...most switches are rated for 16 amps. Mine just failed on a 6 month old rig