REPAIRED - Front landing Jacks out of Sync

[H. John Kohl]

First I have heard the gears chatter when raising and lowering the landing gear before it is loaded with weight.
I notice the gear housing is loose and moves left and right based on the motor torque. However it also moves in and out (top) and that is when I hear the gears chatter. The chatter is close to the sound I hear when the the legs are at it's top stop. However there is more travel for the legs.
I know one way to get the driver side back up about three holes. That is remove the bolt that I replace close to the motor/gear box and adjust each independently then replace the bolt.
My question for MIFI is what caused this and why does the gear box seem so loose?

Edit - Caused by trying to raise the leg too high and stripping gears. Mark the top of your leg about 1 inch below the actual top and do not raise above that mark!

Slide show of repair
Cheers,

[stiles watson]

John, I may be wrong, but I don't think the gears are not supposed to chatter. That sounds as if the gear cogs are slipping and not engaging. This would wear the teeth off it and possibly require replacing the whole motor and gear box. That happened on my 2003. Fortunately it was covered by the extended warranty.

[Charlie]

I found loose housing bolts on mine. Might want to check to see how tight yours are.

[OntMont]

John,
When our trailer was new, we had a problem with the drive gear. The small gear on the drive motor shaft just lost its teeth. Keystone provided a replacement through a dealer (not a Montana dealer though). I replaced it myself and found that the motor is mounted loosely, even when the screws are tight. I think this is an intended design feature (although I don't know what that intent is).

The motor that failed was made in (you guessed it) China. The replacement was made in Dayton, OH.

You may have luck by contacting Lippert Customer Service. They have been good at sending out replacement parts directly, without having to go through a dealer.

[H. John Kohl]

John and all,
You were right the gears were stripped. I purchased the repair kit from Venture Mfg. Co. who make the landing legs. Doug, the V.P. of Engineering was very helpful as well as Sue the Order Entry Mgr. I took pictures of the repair and damage. DO NOT raise them until they chatter! This was repeated by Doug. He suggests placing a mark just before they are all the way up and stopping them at that point. There is suppose to be a slip clutch in the reduction gear assembly but many times it is adjusted too tight as I have PROOF. The chatter at the top put the dents in the flat washer and chipped the gears.
I do not believe I did all that damage but it is fixed now. I wish I could install electric stops.
Any questions? Cheers,

[rogue]

John, Thanks for the follow up and great pictures. Was that the drivers or passenger side leg? I guess from the pictures of the motor it was the driver side. Any problem reinstalling the leg to get both at the same level?

[H. John Kohl]

No, I had to disconnect the cross bar to the following leg (passenger side) for the removal. So when I connected it back I was able to equalize their height.

[HamRad]

John,

Great pictures! Thank you for taking the time to post them. It makes things much easier for those of us who are not mechanically oriented.

Dennis

[H. John Kohl]

I figured out how to move a PDF to a JPEG. Here is the diagram sheet.

[EagleRunner]

John,
Thanks for sharing. The pictures and procedures you provided were fantastic. I have filed this away for future reference. I know it is only time before I can expect the same kind of failure.

Thanks again!
Tom