Landing Gear Issues

[beancounter]

Our first outing in our new 342PHT went without a single problem until we got home and unhitched. While extending the landing gear the motor simply stopped running and I had to use the emergency hand crank to level out.

I checked for a blown fuse and could find nothing wrong. All other electrical systems, AC and DC, are functioning properly. Is there a fuse or breaker somewhere other than the ones in the main fuse box that I should search for?

I guess it could also be a bad motor or switch. In any case it can be fixed under warranty, but if I can get to the bottom of it at home it will save me a long trip to the dealer. Any feedback or ideas would be welcome.

Thanks in advance!

[illapah]

Look around inside the compartment where your landing gear motor is. There may be an inline fuse there. I found ours a couple of days ago and it was a fuse in a plastic housing. The fuse is just like the ones in your car or the fuse panel in the RV.

[beancounter]

illapah,

Found it on the positive lead from the battery box. The 30A fuse was fried. I replaced it and the problem is solved.

Thanks so much for the prompt and accurate diagnosis. Yet another example of how great a site this is!

[beancounter]

If I may, I would like to ask another question about landing gear that my dealer did not cover with me.

How near to "level" do the gear need to be before you start to lift the coach? I am a little concerned about torque on the frame. Also, my blown fuse occured when one leg was short of the other by less than a piece of 5/4" deck board. I am wondering if this difference is significant enough that I should shim the gap on the shorter leg.

Thanks again.

[JH Sechelt]

Bean,

I always try to make sure both sides touch the ground at the same time. I carry different thickness of wood blocks to make up any difference.
I wouldn't try lifting the front of our trailer with just one of the landing legs... any more than a 1/4 inch, maybe.

J&D

[Bill and Lisa]

Bean counter - the other possible cause (other than not being level) is that you raised the front end too much. It is very difficult to tell when you stop taking weight off of the truck/hitch and start pulling up on the hitch and lifting the truck bed. Your fuse will burn out in a heart beat if that occurs. depending on the slope of the ground you were on trying to level the unit while still attached to the truck could have resulted in lifting the front end too high. In that case, once you unload the weight from the truck (or most of it) detatch from the truck, pull clear, and then level the unit. We haven't found a full proof method yet to determine when we have most of the weight off. I have seen movement between the plate and the hitch as the weight begins to shift to the wheels but long before the majority of the weight has been removed. I always try and inch out from under the kingpin when detaching and stop if it looks like the kingpin is going to drop too far as it comes off the hitch strike plate. Sorry I can't word this any clearer, maybe someone else can share their secret or put it into clearer terms.

Bill

[illapah]

I carry boards like most. Like you I found it nearly imposible to get both feet down at the same leve. I bought one of the adjustable feet from Camping World and would not trade back.

[Wrenchtraveller]

Because both legs are independently adjusted and I carry a variety of boards of different thicknesses I find it fairly easy to get both legs pretty close. The paved or concrete slab CG pads are usually pretty close and most of the time I can use the same thickness board under each leg. The gravel sites allow you to also scrape down the area under a leg so you can do this as well as use different thickness boards to keep your front jacks the same distance from the boards usually within 1/4" of each other. I never want one leg to start lifting much before the second leg because I believe this would stress the frame more than it was built for.

On my hitch it is very easy to see the gap between the hitch plate and the pin base that indicates that the trailer weight is off the hitch.
I will raise or lower the jacks to get about 1/8" gap, make sure the umbilical cord and brake cable are disconnected, trailer tires chocked, open the hitch and pull away.

[nkwist]

I try to get the legs equal, and to do this I carry some cedar shims like builders use to fix a squeaky floor. As far as knowing when the weight's off the hitch, I use a method I saw in "Ten Minute Tech". We use a 2' long piece of thin wood (a cut off yardstick is perfect, a paint stir stick will work). An inch or so gets slid between the hitch plate and the pin box (where our teflon plate is). When the weight is coming off, the free end of the stick dips a couple of inches. We then record the distance from the ground to a mark on the Monty so we can raise it to the same level to hook up when we leave (no guessing, and it works every time).

[bncinwv]

Thanks for the great advise Norm, it is no wonder I monitor this forum as much as I can, the things I learn are valuable and priceless (FREE!!!!) Will be trying the stick appraoch, sounds logical and very understandable.

[beancounter]

Thanks for all the feedback and tips. You all are a Godsend to a newbie like me.

[BirdingRVer]

quote:Originally posted by illapah

I carry boards like most. Like you I found it nearly imposible to get both feet down at the same leve. I bought one of the adjustable feet from Camping World and would not trade back.

illapah,

I did a search on the Camping World web site but, didn't get a hit with adjustable feet. Can you give us the actual product name?

[beancounter]

I think this is what illapah is talking about...


http://www.campingworld.com/browse/s...r/skunum=17329

[illapah]

Yep, that is the foot. I think the price has come down a few bucks. Forget the shim, give the foot a spin!

[BirdingRVer]

Thank you both.

I am going to stop at Camping World on the way out of town this weekend and pick one up. In the short 4 1/2 months I have owned to Monty I can think of at least a dozen times I could have used something like this!