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Old 04-20-2008, 09:21 AM   #1
jjackflash
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Landing Gear Again!

I am still blowing fuse's when I get near the top.
I've gone this high before with no problem.
The motor it self has a lot of play ,is this the way it should be? I cant find anyway to tighten the mount.
Jack
 
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Old 04-20-2008, 10:00 AM   #2
H. John Kohl
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When you say the motor has a lot of play are you talking clockwise or counter clockwise play. If that is it yes that is normal.
You may have some binding in one of the legs as it gets to the top. How close are you to the top? Look for some marks on the legs.
The only way I know for sure to test for binding is to pull each leg and test them by hand.
Looking at your year I would take it to a deal and make them do the work since you should be under warranty.
Cheers,
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Old 04-20-2008, 10:08 AM   #3
jjackflash
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When I say a lot of play I mean when nothing is moving,just standing still.
I can grab the motor and move it around,I see no mounts except one screw holding it to the shaft.
John,I am trying my hardest to stay away from my dealer,bad service reputation.
Jack
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Old 04-20-2008, 10:27 AM   #4
rogue
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Jack, Not sure which landing gear motor you have, but there is a picture of the one that I have and the screws that hold it in place. Even with then tight there is some play (looseness). Hope this helps.


On edit, forgot the link.
http://www.montanaowners.com/maintenance.html
Bob
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Old 04-20-2008, 10:35 AM   #5
H. John Kohl
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The motor and reduction gear are mounted together. The only thing that keeps them in place is the shaft going into the Leading landing leg. The reduction gear has two tabs that seat on each side of the landing leg that keeps the gear from rotating.
With out seeing it I would say the play is normal.
Disconnect the horizontal rod that connects the leading and following leg. You do that by removing the bolt (close to the motor) which goes through the square piece. This is a good time to get a spare bolt because these do come loose and need replacing.
Once disconnected try rotating the square piece which will move the "following" leg (the one without the motor) by hand. It should turn real easy.
Now run your motor up and down and see if it still blows the fuse. That may help you decide which leg is the culprit that is binding.
If this still does not help then plan on pulling each leg and do a full PM making sure they are greased well. This comment is based on the other leg thread where he found it needed lubricating.
If you have any more questions please ask.
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Old 04-20-2008, 11:35 AM   #6
jjackflash
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Thanks Bob the pictures help.
John,should there be two bolts on the shaft or one?
I notice a threaded hole without a bolt,this might be the culpit.
Jack
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Old 04-20-2008, 02:33 PM   #7
H. John Kohl
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This link was my first discussion on the landing gear.
In that topic I had this link.
I took pictures of the repair and damage.

This photo shows the motor and gears.

The shaft on the motor side has two holes the one closest to the gears is threaded and a nylon block slides over the shaft and helps keep it in place. The shaft goes through the gears and the other end attaches to the "leading leg". The other hole on the motor side farther from the gears is where the square shaft attaches to connect the following leg.
I hope this helps.
Cheers,
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Old 04-20-2008, 02:39 PM   #8
exav8tr
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Jack, I had the same concern about the loose motor in Tucson. I checked three other rigs and all were loose. I think it is like that to prevent any binding while operating. Can't address the fuse problem though. Hope you get it fixed soon, possibly a weak armature in the motor?????
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Old 04-20-2008, 03:11 PM   #9
rogue
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Jack, There should be 2 bolts on the square pieces. One by the motor side and one on the other side. On my rig and most others, the two are different. The one by the motor is 1" and needs a castle locking nut. The Castle nut is shorter than the normal locking nut. You need it because of the motor clearance. on the other side you need a 1 1/4" and standard locking nut, no clearance to worry about.
Bob
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Old 04-20-2008, 03:35 PM   #10
hookman
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The fuse was tripping on ours and the Dealer put in a parallel fuse and no problems since
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Old 04-20-2008, 03:38 PM   #11
Redrover98
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I was blowing 40a fuses on my rig and I did some close checking of the wiring. I found the hot(red) lead was not making a good connection in the crimp slice. Matter of fact when I tugged on it a little it came loose. I cut the crimp splice out, slipped a piece of heatshrink over the wire, soldered it and then slid the shrink back down and applied some heat to seal it. No more fuse problems. May not be your problem, but may be worth checking the electrical connections.

Dee
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Old 04-20-2008, 05:56 PM   #12
jjackflash
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Thanks guys,I think my problem might be the fact that my driveway is at a grade to the point where I can walk under the overhang by stooping over and I am 6'2".
Even though I build up the legs with blocks it might be too much weight to push up,everything else checks out.I am considering putting an in-line auto breaker instead of the fuse.
John,great pictures,I'll file them for the future.
Thanks again everyone,all suggestions and info.helped and appreciated.
Jack

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Old 04-21-2008, 07:09 AM   #13
sreigle
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I'd be surprised if the angle is the problem unless the wheels are not chocked and there's a lot of side pressure on the landing gear. I'm 5' 10" and a little. We've been on sites where I can walk under the overhang standing straight up and not had problems with the landing gear.

It might be a good idea to get this problem at least on the record with Keystone so if the landing gear fails it's on record prior to warranty expiration. Just a suggestion.
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Old 04-21-2008, 07:24 AM   #14
H. John Kohl
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You state you have been able to extend them higher before.
First I was always thinking you were trying to retract them but I guess it does not make any difference. I would definately look at the greasing of the screw shaft on each leg. With you trying to extend them all the way out (so to speak) it may be dry on the ends. The binding will increase current requirements and blow the fuse.
I agree with Steve, get this documented so it is on record with Keystone. One leg gear rebuild kit is over $50.
When I had mine off I did not think to see just how far it will extend.
Good luck and please keep us informed.
Cheers,
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Old 04-21-2008, 08:05 AM   #15
sreigle
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When we were in that site I mentioned above, I had several boards stacked under the landing gear and also extended the inner legs to their max. So maybe I wasn't running the gear out to the max. If you are at the max and still trying to extend them then I could see why it'd blow a fuse. If this is the case maybe a mark with an indelible ink pen to show the max would help?
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Old 04-21-2008, 08:10 AM   #16
H. John Kohl
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Steve,
The service tech for the company that makes the landing gear recommends that definitely for the close or retracted mark and base on this thread the max extension is also crucial.
Thanks,
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Old 04-21-2008, 03:34 PM   #17
Waynem
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On my first experience in my driveway, I pulled the pin and let the legs drop to the ground. then I raised Hanna to clear the hitch. After unhitching, I had to raise Hanna to get it level. I am 5'10 and can walk under the cap standing straight up when in the drive

Upon re-hitching, I backed the TV under the hitch and lowered it into position, unfortunately, the TV had returned to its original position on the springs and the Hanna was to low for the hitch. I tried raising her, but they came up to full retract and I still did not have the clearance. I continued to try and raise her to no avail. I had to get a jack out and jack up the frame and put blocks under the legs to get my height.

During all of that process I never blew a fuse or tripped a circuit breaker. So, what are the variables associated with those who have had problems? My thoughts are the wiring connectors are not tight, or the crimp on the connectors are improper, and the current draw increases with the reduction in electrical contact. I have checked all wiring in the forward compartment and made sure they were all tight. Because of the Onan generator I have two 12 volt batteries in parallel. (Hmm! I think they are parallel, I'll have to recheck that)


p.s., I now never raise the legs more than within two inches of topping out, and I use cement blocks in the driveway for extra height.

So far I have been luckier than those who have had the problem.

p.p.s. I'm trying to recall my electronics information brain, but I think when you parallel two fuses, you drop the current in the parallel circuit, but you still have the total amperage on the wire before and after the parallel circuit. This goes for the slide outs as well. Find someone with an amp meter that clamps around the wire using an inductive field and see what the total amperage is when you are operating the legs (or slides) That may give you an idea of what is going on. (legs binding, shaft not square into the motor(s), bad rotors in the motor, etc. ) All possibilities have to be eliminated and it is going to be a trial and elimination process.

I would not encoourage going to a higher amperage fuse or breaker.
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Old 04-21-2008, 07:56 PM   #18
jjackflash
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Thanks again guys,it's funny,if I use short bursts to level out I have no problems which makes me think I am over heating the motor.
Jack
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Old 04-22-2008, 07:22 AM   #19
H. John Kohl
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by jjackflash

Thanks again guys,it's funny,if I use short bursts to level out I have no problems which makes me think I am over heating the motor.
Jack
That sounds correct you are over heating it. Now you have to find out why. I still lean towards lubrication or worse a binding leg. It sure sounds like inspection time.
Good luck and let us know what you find out.
Cheers,
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Old 04-22-2008, 10:49 AM   #20
jjackflash
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Thanks John. Will do!
Jack
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