landing gear motor faster & gears plastic?

[twindman]

To start, I have a 2006 2980 Monty purchase around July 2005. I bought it April, 2006. I have been on the road for 33-35 weeks during the last 4 years and have 40,000 miles on it. So I figure I have raised and lowered the unit arond 175 or 200 times at least. Never blew a fuse. But I have had chatter if I try to raise it to high. (Actually, I don't know how high is too high!!). I would raise the jacks about 6-8 inches and then it would chatter, so I always tried to get set so I didn't have to go farther than that. Anyway, it finally gave out and I used wheel jacks to get it up on the truck again. Took it to dealer and he said the moter was bad (actually the clutch in the motor). So we ordered it. Then at home I got to thinking about all the blogs on this site that seem to suggest that it is usually the beveled gears that go bad. So got to wondering. I messed with one landing gear post and took it off. I turned it down by hand and got my usual 6-8 inches and it got hard to turn. But I decided to turn it harder. It went down another 8-10 inches!! The post was covered in a fine layer of something that was very sticky. I cleaned it off and raised and lowered it again and this time it was easy to move. So I think that is the original problem. To drone on and on, when I put it back on, (or was it before then...???) the sheer pin broke. Got that fixed and awaited parts.

So back to the topic, the motor came in and was installed. I decided to test it and raised the unit up so I could see a little clearance on the hitch, then rain it up another inch or so. POP, the fuse burned out. Also, the legs go up and down about twice as fast as they used to. The dealer tells me they now use a motor on each side too. They also said if you start raising the truck, it WILL blow the fuse. So apparently something has changed a lot in these motors.
HAS ANY ONE ELSE NOTICED THIS???

The other thing - I ordered new gears. They came in and are metal. Somewhere I got the idea they were plastic. So have they always been metal?

Thanks for any advice/comments.

[H. John Kohl]

If you are talking about the 45 deg gears yes mine on the 07 are "pot metal". Link to photos.

[Mrs. CountryGuy]

We had trouble, with chattering, etc. Took to Lippert, they replaced motor, legs, gears, all that stuff, nothing worked, as in stopped the chattering. We also could not get Tana lifted to allow hookup to Big Butt.

Finally gave us a second motor ($$$$$$$), but that was the solution for us.

Note we have 3295, when we purchased, it had the heaviest advertised pin weight.

Gears do break, but that was NOT the problem for us. What was the problem?? Who knows, they replaced that motor twice.

The fix, was the second motor, and we have to say that for us, it works just fine. Even tho we were out some $$$, it is a fix that works for us.

On edit, we also have 2 buttons to push now to raise and lower Tana's nose. They are placed near each other, and we are able to do that quite easily.

[captbanjo]

I wonder if anyone knows whether or not setting a Montana nose downward on a sloping driveway might cause the same problem? This will be our third time with that problem (2005 3400).

[richfaa]

3 + years and many miles.Many up and down. Never blew a fuse, no chatterng....hummmmmmmm.

[twindman]

I am wondering if my clutch was weak all the time and would slip before a fuse blew? That would seem to be the only answer to this problem.

[twindman]

MORE INFO ON REPAIR.
The dealer got in the motor MOnday and installed it. I blew out 3 fuses raising the trailer jacks about 6 inches. Took it back and they called Lippert about the motor. They said to check the amp draw while no load and while raising the trailer. IT pulled 34 amps once the full weight of the trailer was getting lifted. That will usually blow a 30 Amp fuse! . So they talked to Keystone and Lippert again. Got different parts 2 or 3 times. Finally decided that Lippert (after given the old motor number) had a new motor and the one installed was wrong.
So on Friday installed the new (2nd) motor. It moves very slowly (probably about the speed of the old one, or maybe slower). But it seems to work. The dealer tested it and it pulled 18 amp when lifting and 19 when it starts raising the truck a little. MUCH better! Also, the service document said it was a 8000 lb. motor, which should handle a 2980!
Hopefully this will last a while....

[MIMF]

Hate to remind everybody of this again but, with hydraulic legs, I never have any of these issues.

The Challenger has had hydraulic legs on it for nearly 4 years and I have had no problems with them yet. Now, I know that when I do, it will cost me some big bucks to repair. Especially, since I don't work at Lippert any more. :>)

Since I have had this system, as I have said before, I'll not have another unit with out them!

I just hope and pray that in a couple years when Gail and I get ready to upgrade, the Big Sky we want will have them on it.